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Updated: Jun 28, 2026

The MultiBac Protein Complex Production Platform at the EMBL
Published on: July 11, 2013
Architecture of the pontin/reptin complex, essential in the assembly of several macromolecular complexes
Eva Torreira1, Sudhakar Jha, José R López-Blanco
1Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas/Centre for Biological Research, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Ramiro de Maeztu, 9, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
Pontin and reptin belong to the AAA+ family, and they are essential for the structural integrity and catalytic activity of several chromatin remodeling complexes. They are also indispensable for the assembly of several ribonucleoprotein complexes, including telomerase. Here, we propose a structural model of the yeast pontin/reptin complex based on a cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction at 13 A. Pontin/reptin hetero-dodecamers were purified from in vivo assembled complexes forming a double ring. Two rings interact through flexible domains projecting from each hexamer, constituting an atypical asymmetric form of oligomerization. These flexible domains and the AAA+ cores reveal significant conformational changes when compared with the crystal structure of human pontin that generate enlarged channels. This structure of endogenously assembled pontin/reptin complexes is different than previously described structures, suggesting that pontin and reptin could acquire distinct structural states to regulate their broad functions as molecular motors and scaffolds for nucleic acids and proteins.
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