Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
11:27
X-Ray Crystallography to Study the Oligomeric State Transition of the Thermotoga maritima M42 Aminopeptidase TmPep1050
Published on: May 13, 2020
4.3K
Structural Modeling and Dynamics of the Full-Length Homer1 Multimer.
Zsófia E Kálmán1, András Czajlik2, Brigitta Maruzs1
1Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics, Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
Proteins
|November 21, 2025
Summary
Homer proteins are key to brain cell communication. This study reveals new insights into Homer1 protein flexibility, suggesting it plays a dynamic role in postsynaptic network organization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Homer proteins act as crucial scaffolds in the postsynaptic density, organizing neurotransmitter receptor complexes.
- Full-length Homer1 forms a homotetramer, interacting with target proteins via its EVH1 domain and coiled-coil region.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the atomistic structure and dynamics of the Homer1 coiled coil and EVH1 domains.
- To understand how these structural features influence the overall Homer1 tetramer organization and flexibility.
Main Methods:
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for EVH1 domain structure and dynamics.
- Atomistic modeling and molecular dynamics simulations for the coiled coil region.
Main Results:
- NMR ensemble of the EVH1 domain shows subtle differences, indicating potential ligand-induced conformational changes.
- Molecular dynamics reveal distinct flexibility patterns in the coiled coil, with the N-terminal segment showing significant motion.
- The N-terminal coiled coil's high conservation suggests functional importance of its dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The Homer1 tetramer exhibits previously uncharacterized flexibility, particularly in its coiled coil region.
- This flexibility may facilitate dynamic rearrangements within the postsynaptic protein network.
- These findings offer new perspectives on Homer1's role in synaptic plasticity and function.
Related Concept Videos
02:00Molecular Models
43.4K
Physical models representing molecular architectures of chemical compounds play essential roles in understanding chemistry. The use of molecular models makes it easier to visualize the structures and shapes of atoms and molecules.
43.4K
01:13¹H NMR: Complex Splitting
1.8K
A proton M that is coupled to a proton X results in doublet signals for M. However, NMR-active nuclei can be simultaneously coupled to more than one nonequivalent nucleus. When M is coupled to a second proton A, such as in styrene oxide, each peak in the doublet is split into another doublet.
Splitting diagrams or splitting tree diagrams are routinely used to depict such complex couplings. While drawing splitting diagrams, the splitting with the larger coupling constant is usually applied...
Splitting diagrams or splitting tree diagrams are routinely used to depict such complex couplings. While drawing splitting diagrams, the splitting with the larger coupling constant is usually applied...
1.8K
01:58Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
8.6K
Cooperative allosteric transitions can occur in multimeric proteins, where each subunit of the protein has its own ligand-binding site. When a ligand binds to any of these subunits, it triggers a conformational change that affects the binding sites in the other subunits; this can change the affinity of the other sites for their respective ligands. The ability of the protein to change the shape of its binding site is attributed to the presence of a mix of flexible and stable segments in the...
8.6K