Members of the X11/Mint family of multidomain adaptor proteins are composed of a divergent N terminus, a conserved PTB domain and a pair of C-terminal PDZ domains. Many proteins can interact with the PDZ tandem of X11 proteins, although the mechanism of such interactions is unclear. Here we show that the highly conserved C-terminal tail of X11a folds back and inserts into the target-binding groove of the first PDZ domain. The binding of this tail occludes the binding of other target peptides. This autoinhibited conformation of X11 requires that the two PDZ domains and the entire C-terminal tail be covalently connected to form an integral structural unit. The autoinhibited conformation of the X11 PDZ tandem provides a mechanistic explanation for the unique target-binding properties of the protein and hints at potential regulatory mechanisms for the X11-target interactions.The X11/Mint family of multidomain scaffold proteins comprises three members: X11a/Mint1, X11b/Mint2 and X11g/Mint3 (refs. 1-5). X11a/Mint1 and X11b/Mint2 are neuron-specific proteins, whereas X11g/Mint3 is ubiquitously expressed 2,6-9 . Except for their isoform-specific N-terminal sequences, all X11/Mint proteins contain a central PTB domain and two C-terminal PDZ domains arranged in tandem (Fig. 1a). The PTB domain binds to the C-terminal YENPTY motif of amyloid precursor protein (APP). This interaction prolongs the half-life of cellular APP, thereby slowing the production of amyloid-b peptide 3,10-13 . A growing number of proteins that bind to the PDZ domains of X11/Mint proteins have been identified, including presenilin 13,14 , calcium channels 15 , neurexin 5 and AMPA receptors 16 . Although not directly involved in binding APP, the PDZ tandem of X11/Mint proteins has an indispensable role in PTB domain-mediated APP stabilization 13,17 . Available experimental data indicate that the binding of target proteins to isolated PDZ domains is distinctly different from the binding of those targets to two PDZ domains connected in tandem 13,14 . Current understanding of the structural and biochemical properties of the X11 PDZ domains cannot explain their unique target-binding properties.X11/Mint proteins are also implicated in polarized trafficking of receptors and ion channels to plasma membranes [18][19][20] . In Caenorhabditis elegans, mutation of lin-10 (the only X11/Mint homolog in C. elegans) results in mislocalization of the epidermal growth factor receptor, LET-23, and causes a signaling-defective (vulvaless) phenotype 18,20 . The proper localization of LET-23 requires an evolutionary conserved complex of LIN-2, LIN-7 and LIN-10 (CASK, Mals and X11a in mammals) 21 . Mutation of lin-10 also disrupts postsynaptic targeting of glutamate receptor-1 in C. elegans neurons 19 . X11a/Mint1 has been implicated in the kinesin-mediated transport of NMDA receptors to synapses 22,23 and is preferentially expressed in inhibitory neurons 24 . Deletion of X11a/Mint1 in mice impairs GABAergic synaptic transmission 24 . That X11a/Mint1 knockout study, however...