Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2026

X-Ray Crystallography to Study the Oligomeric State Transition of the Thermotoga maritima M42 Aminopeptidase TmPep1050
Published on: May 13, 2020
Structure of the third catalytic domain of the protein disulfide isomerase ERp46
Irina E Gulerez1, Guennadi Kozlov, Angelika Rosenauer
1Department of Biochemistry, Groupe de Recherche axé sur la Structure des Protéines, McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montréal, Québec H3G 0B1, Canada.
Abstract:
Protein disulfide isomerases are responsible for catalyzing the proper oxidation and isomerization of disulfide bonds of newly synthesized proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, the crystal structure of the third catalytic domain of protein disulfide isomerase ERp46 (also known as protein disulfide isomerase A5 and TXNDC5) was determined to 2.0 Å resolution. The structure shows a typical thioredoxin-like fold, but also identifies regions of high structural variability. In particular, the loop between helix α2 and strand β3 adopts strikingly different conformations among the five chains of the asymmetric unit. Cys381 and Cys388 form a structural disulfide and its absence in one of the molecules leads to dramatic conformational changes. The tryptophan residue Trp349 of this molecule inserts into the cavity formed by helices α1 and α3 of a neighbouring molecule, potentially mimicking the interactions of ERp46 with misfolded substrates.
Related Concept Videos
Protein Modifications in the RER
Broadly, these modifications can be categorized into four main categories — glycosylation, formation of disulfide bonds, assembly of protein subunits, and specific proteolytic cleavages like removal of signal sequences.
Export of Misfolded Proteins out of the ER
Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV
The Unfolded Protein Response
Protein Folding Quality Check in the RER
Insertion of Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins in the RER
The multipass transmembrane proteins are the type IV integral membrane proteins with multiple topogenic sequences determining their spatial arrangement in the ER membrane. Nearly all multipass proteins lack a cleavable signal sequence and use...

