BackgroundInformation | Glialfibrillaryacidicprotein(UniProtF1RR02)isencodedbytheGFAPgene(GeneID396562)inporcine.GFAPisatypeIIIintermediatefilament(IF)thoughttohelpmaintainastrocytemechanicalstrengthandiscloselyrelatedtovimentin,desmin,andperipherin,whichareinvolvedinthestructureandfunctionofcellularCytoskeleton.GFAPisexpressedinastrocytesinthecentralnervoussystem(CNS),whereitisinvolvedinmanyimportantCNSprocesses,includingcellcommunicationandthebloodbrainbarrier(BBC)function.GFAPcontainsthecharacteristictripartitedomainstructureamongIFmembers,acentralα-helicalroddomain(a.a.73-377)flankedbyanon-α-helicalN-terminalhead(a.a.1-72)andaC-terminaltail(a.a.378-432)domain.TheheadandtaildomainsaremoststructurallyvariableamongIFproteinsandtheircontributionstofilamentassemblyvarydependingontheIFproteins.ForGFAP,thetaildomainisreportedtobeimportantforfilamentassembly.ThetaildomainR416WmutationislinkedtotheneurologicaldisorderAlexanderdisease(AxD). |