• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제34권12호
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• pp.3577-3585
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• 2013

Syndecan-4 (heparan sulfate proteoglycan), biologically important in cell-to-cell interactions and tumor suppression, was studied through mutation of the GXXXG motif of its transmembrane domain (Syd4-TM), a motif which governs dimerization. The expression and purification of the mutant (mSyd4-TM) were optimized here to assess the function of the GXXXG motif in the dimerization of Syd4-TM. mSyd4-TM was obtained in M9 minimal media and its oligomerization was identified by SDS PAGE, Circular Dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. The mutant, unlike Syd4-TM, did not form dimers and was observed as monomers. The GXXXG motif of Syd-4TM was shown to be an important structural determinant of its dimerization.