Cysteine-rich repeats in the integrin beta subunit stalk region relay activation signals to the ligand-binding headpiece. The NMR solution structure and disulfide bond connectivity of Cys-rich module-3 of the integrin beta2 subunit reveal a nosecone-shaped variant of the EGF fold, termed an integrin-EGF (I-EGF) domain. Interdomain contacts between I-EGF domains 2 and 3 observed by NMR support a model in which the modules are related by an approximate two-fold screw axis in an extended arrangement. Our findings complement a 3.1 A crystal structure of the extracellular portion of integrin alphaVbeta3, which lacks an atomic model for I-EGF2 and a portion of I-EGF3. The disulfide connectivity of I-EGF3 chemically assigned here differs from the pairings suggested in the alphaVbeta3 structure. Epitopes that become exposed upon integrin activation and residues that restrain activation are defined in beta2 I-EGF domains 2 and 3. Superposition on the alphaVbeta3 structure reveals that they are buried. This observation suggests that the highly bent alphaVbeta3 structure represents the inactive conformation and that release of contacts with I-EGF modules 2 and 3 triggers a switchblade-like opening motion extending the integrin into its active conformation.

Proteins of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) family are remarkable in their ability to bind an extremely diverse range of protein and lipoprotein ligands, yet the basis for ligand recognition is poorly understood. Here, we report the 1.26 A X-ray structure of a complex between a two-module region of the ligand binding domain of the LDLR and the third domain of RAP, an escort protein for LDLR family members. The RAP domain forms a three-helix bundle with two docking sites, one for each LDLR module. The mode of recognition at each site is virtually identical: three conserved, calcium-coordinating acidic residues from each LDLR module encircle a lysine side chain protruding from the second helix of RAP. This metal-dependent mode of electrostatic recognition, together with avidity effects resulting from the use of multiple sites, represents a general binding strategy likely to apply in the binding of other basic ligands to LDLR family proteins.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors bind lipoprotein particles at the cell surface and release them in the low pH environment of the endosome. The published structure of the receptor determined at endosomal pH reveals an interdomain interface between its beta propeller and its fourth and fifth ligand binding (LA) repeats, suggesting that the receptor adopts a closed conformation at low pH to release LDL. Here, we combine lipoprotein binding and release assays with NMR spectroscopy to examine structural features of the receptor promoting release of LDL at low pH. These studies lead to a model in which the receptor uses a pH-invariant scaffold as an anchor to restrict conformational search space, combining it with flexible linkers between ligand binding repeats to interconvert between open and closed conformations. This finely tuned balance between interdomain rigidity and flexibility is likely to represent a shared structural feature in proteins of the LDL receptor family.