Armadillo-type fold QuickView - Correlation Engine

Description:: This entry represents a structural domain with an armadillo (ARM)-like fold, consisting of a multi-helical fold comprised of two curved layers of alpha helices arranged in a regular right-handed superhelix, where the repeats that make up this structure are arranged about a common axis. These superhelical structures present an extensive solvent-accessible surface that is well suited to binding large substrates such as proteins and nucleic acids. The sequence similarity among these different repeats or domains is low, however they exhibit considerable structural similarity. Furthermore, the number of repeats present in the superhelical structure can vary between orthologues, indicating that rapid loss/gain of repeats has occurred frequently in evolution. A common phylogenetic origin has been proposed for the armadillo and HEAT repeats.