1DEQ | pdb_00001deq

The crystal structure of modified bovine fibrinogen.

(2000) Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 97: 85-90

• PubMed: 10618375 Search on PubMedSearch on PubMed Central
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.97.1.85
• Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
  1DEQ


• PubMed Abstract: 
  

  Here we report the crystal structure at approximately 4-A resolution of a selectively proteolyzed bovine fibrinogen. This key component in hemostasis is an elongated 340-kDa glycoprotein in the plasma that upon activation by thrombin self-assembles to form the fibrin clot. The crystals are unusual because they are made up of end-to-end bonded molecules that form flexible filaments. We have visualized the entire coiled-coil region of the molecule, which has a planar sigmoidal shape. The primary polymerization receptor pockets at the ends of the molecule face the same way throughout the end-to-end bonded filaments, and based on this conformation, we have developed an improved model of the two-stranded protofibril that is the basic building block in fibrin. Near the middle of the coiled-coil region, the plasmin-sensitive segment is a hinge about which the molecule adopts different conformations. This segment also includes the boundary between the three- and four-stranded portions of the coiled coil, indicating the location on the backbone that anchors the extended flexible Aalpha arm. We suggest that a flexible branch point in the molecule may help accommodate variability in the structure of the fibrin clot.

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Organizational Affiliation: 

Rosenstiel Basic Medical Sciences Research Center, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA.