Structural biology of the PCI-protein fold

Abstract

The PCI fold is based on a stack of α-helices topped with a winged-helix domain and is found in a range of proteins that form central parts of large complexes such as the proteasome lid, the COP9 signalosome, elongation factor eIF3, and the TREX-2 complex. Recent structural determinations have given intriguing insight into how these folds function both to facilitate the generation of larger proteinaceous assembles and also to interact functionally with nucleic acids.

Keywords: :

• COP9 complex
• PCI fold
• PCI protein
• TREX-2 complex
• eIF3
• proteasome

Acknowledgments

We are most grateful to our colleagues in Melbourne and Cambridge for the helpful comments and suggestions. Supported in part by Medical Research Council Grant U105178939 (M.S.) and a Wellcome Trust Programme grant (M.S.). AME held EMBO and Marie Curie Postdoctoral fellowships.