Functional role of proteins containing ankyrin repeats.

This review describes and discusses new data on the structure and function of proteins that contain ankyrin-like repeats in their structure. These proteins were found in cells of different organisms, but they do not belong to the cytoskeletal proteins. Many important functions of such proteins are provided by ankyrin repeats, which maintain protein-protein interactions that are involved in the formation of transcription complexes, the initiation of immune responses, biogenesis and the assembly of cation channels in the membranes, the regulation of some cell-cycle stages, symbiotic interactions, and many other processes. Mutations in genes that encode ankyrin-like proteins can cause defects in gene expression leading to onset and progression of many human and animal diseases; therefore, the structure, dynamics, and function of these proteins are objects of intensive study in modern biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]