Figure 11.

Model of open/closed transition of the N-terminal domains of the Shank3 proteins. (a) In the closed conformation, a shallow cavity is formed between the SPN domain, the linker between SPN and Ank, and the N-terminal end of the helix beginning with Q106. Bound αCaMKII covers a large part of this interface through interactions with both the SPN and the linker sequence, including and up to Q106. (b) Upon disruption of the SPN − Ank interaction, the geometry of the αCaMKII binding site is altered and αCaMKII cannot bind anymore. Model based on the crystal structure of the Shank3 N-terminus (5G4X)¹⁸ and models of the Shank3/αCaMKII complex shown in Ref.²⁴.