Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Sci. Signal., 14 February 2012
Vol. 5, Issue 211, p. ec49
[DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2002949]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Structural Biology Maintaining Equilibrium

Valda Vinson

Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

Na+/Ca2+ exchangers (NCX) are membrane transporters that maintain the homeostasis of cytosolic Ca2+ and play an essential role in Ca2+ signaling. Despite a long history of physiological work and a large body of functional data, the structural basis underlying the ion exchange mechanism of NCX is poorly understood. Liao et al. (see the Perspective by Abramson et al.) present a high-resolution crystal structure of an NCX from Methanococcus jannaschii and demonstrate that this archaeal NCX catalyzes Na+/Ca2+-exchange reactions similar to its eukaryotic counterpart. The structure clarifies the mechanism of ion exchange proteins and reveals the basis for the stoichiometry, cooperativity, and bidirectionality of the reaction.

J. Liao, H. Li, W. Zeng, D. B. Sauer, R. Belmares, Y. Jiang, Structural insight into the ion-exchange mechanism of the sodium/calcium exchanger. Science 335, 686–690 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]

J. Abramson, A. Paz, K. D. Philipson, It's all in the symmetry. Science 335, 669–670 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: V. Vinson, Maintaining Equilibrium. Sci. Signal. 5, ec49 (2012).

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882