Homology modeling and in silico characterization of synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1) protein from Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

Abstract

Synaptotagmins are a group of C2 domain containing proteins which playimportant roles in vesicle trafficking in synaptic vesicles of animals. With the advent ofplant genome sequencing, many synaptotagmins are also discovered from plants and theyhave been found to perform many crucial physiological roles in plants. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. contains five synaptotagmins of which SYT1 isresponsible for many important functions including maintenance of plasma membraneintegrity and cell viability. In this study, the three dimensional structure of this proteinhas been developed in silico by homology modeling method to collect knowledge aboutits structure-function relationship. Additionally, the interaction of calcium ion with thisprotein was studied. The structures of C2 domains are somewhat different from the known animal synaptotagmins. The protein contains many phosphorylation sites whichindicate that SYT1 is part of one or more signaling cascades.