The ligand-binding domain of the human low-density
lipoprotein receptor consists of seven modules, each of
40–45 residues. In the presence of calcium, these
modules adopt a common polypeptide fold with three conserved
disulfide bonds. A concatemer of the first and second modules
(LB1–2) folds efficiently in the presence
of calcium ions, forming the same disulfide connectivities
as in the isolated modules. The three-dimensional structure
of LB1–2 has now been solved using two-dimensional
1H NMR spectroscopy and restrained molecular
dynamics calculations. No intermodule nuclear Overhauser
effects were observed, indicating the absence of persistent
interaction between them. The near random-coil NH and Hα
chemical shifts and the low φ and ψ angle order
parameters of the four-residue linker suggest that it has
considerable flexibility. The family of LB1–2
structures superimposed well over LB1 or LB2,
but not over both modules simultaneously. LB1
and LB2 have a similar pattern of calcium ligands,
but the orientations of the indole rings of the tryptophan
residues W23 and W66 differ, with the latter limiting solvent
access to the calcium ion. From these studies, it appears
that although most of the modules in the ligand-binding
region of the receptor are joined by short segments, these
linkers may impart considerable flexibility on this region.