Virus structures were among the earliest illustrations of how regulated protein assembly can proceed by folding of polypeptide-chain segments into complementary sites on partner proteins. I draw on Caspar's image of protein "tentacles" and his metaphor of SV40 pentamers as five-legged, aquatic organisms ("pentopuses") to suggest a helpful vocabulary. "Tentacular interactions" among component subunits organize most subcellular molecular machines. Their selective advantages include facile regulation of both assembly and disassembly by modifying enzymes and by folding chaperones.
Keywords: Peptide-surface association; Protein interactions; Regulated assembly; Virus structure.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.