Neurofilaments, a Subclass of Intermediate Filaments: Structure and Expression
- K. Weber,
- G. Shaw,
- M. Osborn,
- E. Debus, and
- N. Geisler
This extract was created in the absence of an abstract.
Excerpt
Amino acid sequence data have led to a general model of intermediate filament (IF) structure applicable to all IF proteins so far examined (Geisler and Weber 1982). These include desmin, vimentin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), various cytokeratins, and the hard α-keratins of wool. In this model a 40K rodlike middle domain displaying two major arrays of α-helix able to form interpolypeptide coiled-coils is the common and dominant structural motif. The noncoiled-coil arrays of the aminoterminal headpiece and carboxyterminal tailpiece show an astonishing hypervariability both in sequence and in length. Here we discuss a combined biochemical, protein chemical, and immunological approach to fit not only the 68K protein, but also the two higher-molecular-weight triplet proteins of the neurofilament into this model. We establish common and distinct properties of the triplet proteins in comparison to nonneuronal IF proteins.
The five major classes of IFs are expressed in a histologically meaningful pattern,...
