VHS protein domain


In molecular biology, the VHS protein domain is approximately 140 residues long. Its name is an acronym derived from its occurrence in VPS-27, Hrs and STAM. It is a domain commonly found in the N-terminus of many proteins.

Function

VHS domains thought to be very important in vesicular trafficking, in particular, aiding membrane targeting and cargo recognition role.

Structure

Resolution of the crystal structure of the VHS domain of Drosophila Hrs and human Tom1 revealed that it consists of eight helices arranged in a double-layer superhelix. The existence of conserved patches of residues on the domain surface suggests that VHS domains may be involved in protein-protein recognition and docking. Overall, sequence similarity is low amongst domain family members.

Classification

Based on regions surrounding the domain, VHS-proteins can be divided into 4 groups: