User:Michael Roberts/BIOL115 CaM
Sequence and structure of EF hands
The EF hand motif is present in a many proteins and it commonly bestows the ability to bind Ca2+ ions. It was first identified in parvalbumin, a muscle protein. Here we will have a look at the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin, which possesses four EF hands. Calmodulin and its isoform, troponinC, are important intracellular Ca2+-binding proteins. The structure on the right, obtained by X-ray crystallography, represents the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin. It has a dumbell-shaped structure with two identical lobes connected by a central alpha-helix. Each lobe comprises three a helices joined by loops. A helix-loop-helix motif forms the basis of each EF hand.
Click on the 'green links' in the text in the scrollable section below to examine this molecule in more detail.
Anything in this section will appear adjacent to the 3D structure and will be scrollable. |
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Let us color the two main forms of regular in this protein. Alpha helix appears in red, beta sheet in yellow.
Alpha Helices, Beta Strands , Turns.