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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Aip1p Dynamics Are Altered by the R256H Mutation in Actin
Published on: July 30, 2014
Solution structure and dynamics of ADF/cofilin from Leishmania donovani
Prem Prakash Pathak1, S V S R Krishna Pulavarti, Anupam Jain
1Molecular and Structural Biology Division, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow - 226 001, India.
Abstract:
Leishmania donovani ADF/cofilin (LdCof) is a novel member of ADF/cofilin family. LdCof depolymerizes, but does not co-sediment with, rabbit muscle actin filaments. Its F-actin depolymerizing activity is pH independent. Further, it possesses weak F-actin severing activity. In order to better understand its characteristic properties, we have determined the solution NMR structure of LdCof and have analyzed protein backbone dynamics from (15)N-relaxation measurements. The structure of LdCof possesses a conserved ADF/cofilin fold with a central mixed β-sheet consisting of six β-strands which is surrounded by five α-helices. LdCof structure has conserved G/F-actin binding site which includes the characteristic long kinked α-helix (α3). LdCof binds to rabbit muscle ADP-G-actin with 1:1 stoichiometry (K(d)∼0.2μM). The F-actin binding site is not well formed and analysis of (15)N-relaxation data shows that residues in the β4-β5 loop region and C-terminal are relatively flexible, which seems to be a determinant for the low F-actin severing activity of LdCof.
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