Tricorn protease--the core of a modular proteolytic system.

Tamura, T; Tamura, N; Cejka, Z; Hegerl, R; Lottspeich, F; Baumeister, W · Science · 1996

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Large macromolecular assemblies have evolved as a means of compartmentalizing reactions in organisms lacking membrane-bounded compartments. A tricorn-shaped protease was isolated from the archaeon Thermoplasma and was shown to form a multisubunit proteolytic complex. The 120-kilodalton monomer assembled to form a hexameric toroid that could assemble further into a capsid structure. Tricorn protease appeared to act as the core of a proteolytic system; when it interacted with several smaller proteins, it displayed multicatalytic activities.

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