The crystal structure of human endothelin.
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Janes RW, Peapus DH, Wallace BA
The crystal structure of human endothelin.
Nat Struct Biol. 1994 May;1(5):311-9.
- PubMed ID
- 7664037 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
The three-dimensional structure of the vasoactive polypeptide endothelin, the most potent vasoconstrictor yet identified, has been determined by X-ray crystallography to 2.18 A resolution. This intermediate-sized structure was solved by molecular replacement techniques using a fragment of an NMR-derived model for initial phasing of the data. However, comparisons of the final X-ray structure with the many diverse models derived from NMR data indicate some important differences, especially in the carboxy-terminal region of the molecule: the entire carboxy terminal tail (residues 16-21) is helical in the crystal structure, but not in any of the NMR structures. This may be a functionally significant difference as this region is crucial for receptor binding and vasoactivity.