Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Reconstitution of Msp1 Extraction Activity with Fully Purified Components
Published on: August 10, 2021
Model for eukaryotic tail-anchored protein binding based on the structure of Get3
Christian J M Suloway1, Justin W Chartron, Ma'ayan Zaslaver
1Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Abstract:
The Get3 ATPase directs the delivery of tail-anchored (TA) proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). TA-proteins are characterized by having a single transmembrane helix (TM) at their extreme C terminus and include many essential proteins, such as SNAREs, apoptosis factors, and protein translocation components. These proteins cannot follow the SRP-dependent co-translational pathway that typifies most integral membrane proteins; instead, post-translationally, these proteins are recognized and bound by Get3 then delivered to the ER in the ATP dependent Get pathway. To elucidate a molecular mechanism for TA protein binding by Get3 we have determined three crystal structures in apo and ADP forms from Saccharomyces cerevisae (ScGet3-apo) and Aspergillus fumigatus (AfGet3-apo and AfGet3-ADP). Using structural information, we generated mutants to confirm important interfaces and essential residues. These results point to a model of how Get3 couples ATP hydrolysis to the binding and release of TA-proteins.
Related Concept Videos
Tail-anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains the...
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
GPI Anchoring of Proteins in the ER Membrane
GPI-anchor structure
A sequence of 11 enzymatic reactions results in the synthesis of the complete GPI anchor consisting of a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic portion. The hydrophobic portion comprises phosphatidylinositol, while the hydrophilic part comprises polar groups like phosphoethanolamine,...

