Structure of the Transmembrane Dimer Interface of Glycophorin A in Membrane Bilayers

The hydrophobic transmembrane domain of glycophorin A contains a sequence motif that mediates dimerization in membrane environments. Long-range interhelical distance measurements using magic angle spinning NMR spectroscopy provide high-resolution structural constraints on the packing of the dimer interface in membrane bilayers. We show that direct packing contacts occur between glycine residues at positions 79 and 83 in the transmembrane sequence. Additional interhelical constraints between Ile76 and Gly79 and between Val80 and Gly83 restrict the rotational orientation and crossing angle of the interacting helices. These results refine our previously proposed structure of the glycophorin A dimer [Smith, S. O., and Bormann, B. J. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92, 488-491] which revealed that the methyl groups of Val80 and Val84 are packed against Gly79 and Gly83, respectively.