home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- ***************************
- * Transferrins signatures *
- ***************************
-
- Transferrins are a family of eukaryotic iron-binding glycoproteins that share
- the common function of controlling the level of free iron in biological fluids
- [1]. The transferrin family currently includes:
-
- - Blood serotransferrin (siderophilin).
- - Milk lactotransferrin (lactoferrin).
- - Egg white ovotransferrin (conalbumin).
- - Membrane-associated melanotransferrin.
-
- Transferrins are proteins of 650 to 700 residues which have evolved from the
- duplication of a domain of around 340 residues. Each of the duplicated domains
- binds one atom of iron. Each iron atom is bound by four conserved residues: an
- aspartic acid, two tyrosines, and a histidine [2]. All of the cysteines in
- both domains are involved in intradomain disulfide bonds.
-
- We have developed three different signature patterns for transferrins. Each of
- them is centered on one of the iron-binding residue, respectively the two
- tyrosines and the histidine. Each of the signatures is present twice in each
- type of transferrins.
-
- -Consensus pattern: Y-x(0,1)-[VAS]-V-[IVAC]-[IVA]-[IVA]-[RKH]-[RKS]-[GDENSA]
- [Y is an iron ligand]
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: guinea-pig sperm protein PH-20.
-
- -Consensus pattern: Y-x-G-A-[FL]-[KRHNQ]-C-L-x(3,4)-G-[DENQ]-V-[GA]-[FYW]
- [Y is an iron ligand]
- [C is involved in a disulfide bond]
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: NONE.
-
- -Consensus pattern: [DENQ]-[YF]-x-[LY]-L-C-x-[DN]-x(5,8)-[LIV]-x(4,5)-C-x(2)-
- A-x(4)-[HQR]-x-[LIVMFYW]-[LIVM]
- [H is an iron ligand]
- [The two C's are linked by a disulfide bond]
- -Sequences known to belong to this class detected by the pattern: ALL.
- -Other sequence(s) detected in SWISS-PROT: NONE.
-
- -Last update: June 1994 / Patterns and text revised.
-
- [ 1] Crichton R.R., Charloteaux-Wauters M.
- Eur. J. Biochem. 164:485-506(1987).
- [ 2] Anderson B.F., Baker H.M., Norris G.E., Rice D.W., Baker E.N.
- J. Mol. Biol. 209:711-734(1989).
-