COILED COIL Meaning and
Definition
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A coiled coil is a structural motif found in proteins, characterized by two or more alpha-helices coiled around each other in a super-secondary structure. The term "coiled coil" describes the tightly intertwined arrangement of these alpha-helices. The individual alpha-helices are typically amphipathic, meaning they contain both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, allowing them to interact with each other and form a stable structure.
The coiled coil motif is stabilized by hydrophobic interactions between the helices, which can be further strengthened by the presence of specific amino acid residues in the helical regions. The amino acids often involved in coiled coil interactions include heptad repeats of hydrophobic residues, such as leucine or isoleucine, which facilitate the tight packing of the helices.
Coiled coils are commonly found in many proteins involved in various cellular functions, including structural components of the cytoskeleton, transcription factors, enzymes, and membrane proteins. The structural stability provided by the coiled coil motif enables proteins to perform their specific functions, such as mediating protein-protein interactions, forming structural frameworks, or facilitating signal transduction pathways.
Overall, the coiled coil motif represents a fundamental building block in protein architecture, contributing to the diverse structural and functional properties of proteins in biological systems.
Common Misspellings for COILED COIL
- xoiled coil
- voiled coil
- foiled coil
- doiled coil
- ciiled coil
- ckiled coil
- cliled coil
- cpiled coil
- c0iled coil
- c9iled coil
- couled coil
- cojled coil
- cokled coil
- cooled coil
- co9led coil
- co8led coil
- coiked coil
- coiped coil
- coioed coil
- coilwd coil
Etymology of COILED COIL
The term "coiled coil" in biology refers to the structural motif formed when two or more alpha helices wrap around each other. The etymology of this term can be traced back to the shape of the structure itself.
The word "coil" comes from the Old French word "coillir", which means "to gather or wind". In English, it initially referred to a winding or spiraling movement. Over time, the word "coil" also came to be used for a tightly wound or twisted object, such as a coiled spring.
In the case of "coiled coil", the term describes the arrangement of alpha helices that are tightly wound around each other like a spiral or coil. This motif was first described in 1952 by the British molecular biologists Francis Crick and Linus Pauling, who noticed its distinct coiled appearance in X-ray diffraction patterns of proteins.
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