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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Submillisecond Conformational Changes in Proteins Resolved by Photothermal Beam Deflection
Published on: February 18, 2014
Structure of a calpain Ca(2+)-binding domain reveals a novel EF-hand and Ca(2+)-induced conformational changes
H Blanchard1, P Grochulski, Y Li
1Biotechnology Research Institute, NRC, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Abstract:
The crystal structure of a Ca(2+)-binding domain (dVI) of rat m-calpain has been determined at 2.3 A resolution, both with and without bound Ca2+. The structures reveal a unique fold incorporating five EF-hand motifs per monomer, three of which bind calcium at physiological calcium concentrations, with one showing a novel EF-hand coordination pattern. This investigation gives us a first view of the calcium-induced conformational changes, and consequently an insight into the mechanism of calcium induced activation in calpain. The crystal structures reveal a dVI homodimer which provides a preliminary model for the subunit dimerization in calpain.
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