Zooming in on Cadherin-23: Structural Diversity and Potential Mechanisms of Inherited Deafness.

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Source:

Structure (2018)

Abstract:

<p>Cadherin-23 (CDH23) is an essential component of hair-cell tip links, fine filaments that mediate inner-ear mechanotransduction. The extracellular domain of CDH23 forms about three-fourths of the tip link with 27 extracellular cadherin (EC) repeats that are structurally similar but not identical to each other. Calcium (Ca) coordination at the EC linker regions is key for tip-link elasticity and function. There are &sim;116 sites in CDH23 affected by deafness-causing mutations, many of which alter conserved Ca-binding residues. Here we present crystal structures showing 18 CDH23 EC repeats, including the most and least conserved, a fragment carrying disease mutations, and EC repeats with non-canonical Ca-binding motif sequences and unusual secondary structure. Complementary experiments show deafness mutations&#39; effects on stability and affinity for Ca. Additionally, a model of nine contiguous CDH23 EC repeats reveals helicity and potential parallel dimerization faces. Overall, our studies provide detailed structural insight into CDH23 function in mechanotransduction.</p>

PDB: 
5I8D, 5WJM, 5WJ8, 5W4T, 5VVM, 5VT8, 5VH2, 5UZ8, 5UN2, 5ULU, 5TFM, 5TFL, 5TFK
Detector: 
Q315
PILATUS
Beamline: 
24-ID-C
24-ID-E