Structural characterization of a monomeric chemokine: monocyte chemoattractant protein-3.
Kim, K.S., Rajarathnam, K., Clark-Lewis, I., Sykes, B.D.(1996) FEBS Lett 395: 277-282
- PubMed: 8898111 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0014-5793(96)01024-1
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
1BO0 - PubMed Abstract: 
1H-NMR spectroscopy and analytical ultracentrifugation studies reveal that monocyte chemoattractant protein-3 (MCP-3) is a monomer. NMR solution structure shows that MCP-3 adopts an alphabeta fold similar to what is observed in structures of other known chemokines. However, MCP-3 is unique in that it does not show a propensity to form dimers. The closely related chemokines MCP-1 and MCP-2 show a monomer-dimer equilibrium in sedimentation equilibrium studies (approximately 0.2-2 mg/ml). As these proteins are present at nanomolar concentrations in vivo, the results suggest that they are monomeric at functional concentrations and that the monomer is the functionally significant form of MCP-1, MCP-2 and MCP-3.
Organizational Affiliation: 
The Protein Engineering Network of Centres of Excellence, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.