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Vimentin filaments integrate low-complexity domains in a complex helical structure.

Matthias EibauerMiriam Sarah WeberRafael Kronenberg-TengaCharlie T BealesRajaa Boujemaa-PaterskiYagmur TurgaySuganya SivagurunathanJulia KraxnerSarah KösterRobert D GoldmanOhad Medalia
Published in: Nature structural & molecular biology (2024)
Intermediate filaments (IFs) are integral components of the cytoskeleton. They provide cells with tissue-specific mechanical properties and are involved in numerous cellular processes. Due to their intricate architecture, a 3D structure of IFs has remained elusive. Here we use cryo-focused ion-beam milling, cryo-electron microscopy and tomography to obtain a 3D structure of vimentin IFs (VIFs). VIFs assemble into a modular, intertwined and flexible helical structure of 40 α-helices in cross-section, organized into five protofibrils. Surprisingly, the intrinsically disordered head domains form a fiber in the lumen of VIFs, while the intrinsically disordered tails form lateral connections between the protofibrils. Our findings demonstrate how protein domains of low sequence complexity can complement well-folded protein domains to construct a biopolymer with striking mechanical strength and stretchability.
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