*** Welcome to piglix ***

Ankyrin repeat

Ankyrin repeat domain
Ankyrin R membrane-binding domain 1N11.png
Ribbon diagram of a fragment of the membrane-binding domain of ankyrin R.
Identifiers
Symbol Ank
Pfam PF00023
InterPro IPR002110
SMART SM00248
PROSITE PDOC50088
SCOP 1awc
SUPERFAMILY 1awc

The ankyrin repeat is a 33-residue motif in proteins consisting of two alpha helices separated by loops, first discovered in signaling proteins in yeast Cdc10 and Drosophila Notch. Domains consisting of ankyrin repeats mediate protein–protein interactions and are among the most common structural motifs in known proteins. They appear in bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic proteins, but are far more common in eukaryotes. Ankyrin repeat proteins, though absent in most viruses, are common among poxviruses. Most proteins that contain the motif have four to six repeats, although its namesake ankyrin contains 24, and the largest known number of repeats is 34, predicted in a protein expressed by Giardia lamblia.

Ankyrin repeats typically fold together to form a single, linear solenoid structure called ankyrin repeat domains. These domains are one of the most common protein–protein interaction platforms in nature. They occur in a large number of functionally diverse proteins, mainly from eukaryotes. The few known examples from prokaryotes and viruses may be the result of horizontal gene transfers. The repeat has been found in proteins of diverse function such as transcriptional initiators, cell cycle regulators, cytoskeletal, ion transporters, and signal transducers. The ankyrin fold appears to be defined by its structure rather than its function, since there is no specific sequence or structure that is universally recognised by it.


...
Wikipedia

...