In molecular biology, the VHS

protein domain In molecular biology, a protein domain is a region of a protein's polypeptide chain that is self-stabilizing and that folds independently from the rest. Each domain forms a compact folded three-dimensional structure. Many proteins consist of ...

is approximately 140

residue Residue may refer to: Chemistry and biology * An amino acid, within a peptide chain * Crop residue, materials left after agricultural processes * Pesticide residue, refers to the pesticides that may remain on or in food after they are applied ...

s long. Its name is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

derived from its occurrence in VPS-27, Hrs and STAM. It is a domain commonly found in the N-terminus of many proteins.

Function

VHS domains are thought to be very important in vesicular trafficking, in particular, aiding membrane targeting and cargo recognition role.

Structure

Resolution of the crystal structure of the VHS domain of ''

Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many speci ...

'' Hrs and human

TOM1 Target of Myb protein 1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''TOM1'' gene. The specific function of this gene has not yet been determined, yet it may involve the translocation of growth factor receptor complexes to the lysosome for degra ...

revealed that it consists of eight

helices A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helices, ...

arranged in a double-layer superhelix. The existence of conserved patches of

s on the domain surface suggests that VHS domains may be involved in protein-protein recognition and docking. Overall,

sequence In mathematics, a sequence is an enumerated collection of objects in which repetitions are allowed and order matters. Like a set, it contains members (also called ''elements'', or ''terms''). The number of elements (possibly infinite) is calle ...

similarity is low (approx 25%) amongst domain family members.

Classification

Based on regions surrounding the domain, VHS-proteins can be divided into 4 groups: * STAM/EAST/ STAM2(Hbp) which all share the domain composition VHS- SH3- ITAM and carry one or two ubiquitin-interacting motifs *Proteins with a FYVE domain
INTERPRO
C-terminal to VHS which also carry one or two ubiquitin-interacting motifs *GGA proteins with a domain composition VHS-GAT (GGA and Tom1)

homology Homology may refer to: Sciences Biology *Homology (biology), any characteristic of biological organisms that is derived from a common ancestor * Sequence homology, biological homology between DNA, RNA, or protein sequences *Homologous chrom ...

domain *VHS domain alone or in combination with domains other than those listed above The VHS domain is always found at the N-terminus of proteins suggesting that such topology is important for function. The domain is considered to have a general

membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. ...

targeting/cargo recognition role in vesicular trafficking.

References

{{InterPro content, IPR002014 Protein families Protein domains