Download MendeleyCryo-EM structure of the vault from human brain reveals symmetry mismatch at its caps.
Lovestam, S., Scheres, S.H.W.(2025) Structure 33: 1643
- PubMed: 40803316
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2025.07.014
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
9R86, 9R87 - PubMed Abstract:
The vault protein is expressed in most eukaryotic cells, where it is assembled on polyribosomes into large hollow barrel-shaped complexes. Despite its widespread and abundant presence in cells, the biological function of the vault remains unclear. In this study, we describe the cryo-EM structure of vault particles that were imaged as a contamination of a preparation to extract tau filaments from brain tissue of an individual with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). We identify a mechanism of symmetry mismatch at the caps of the vault, from 39-fold to 13-fold symmetry, where two out of three monomers are sequentially excluded from the cap, resulting in a narrow, greasy pore at the tip of the vault. Our structure offers valuable insights for engineering carboxy-terminal modifications of the major vault protein (MVP) for potential therapeutic applications.
- MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK. Electronic address: lovestam@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk.
Organizational Affiliation:
