Ketan Mathavan/Sandbox 1
A bacterial chemotaxis receptor is an unusually long alpha-helical structure. The attractant molecule (the ligand) binds near the top of this picture and sends a signal across the membrane into the cell to control proteins that bind near the bottom. This is a model of the structure of the receptor based on experimental structures of pieces of related proteins.
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Ligand-binding domainLigand-binding domain
The spinning protein () ) is the ligand binding domain of the aspartate receptor with the aspartate ligand bound (LKT).
Molecular Playground banner: A receptor protein used by bacteria to "smell" their environment.