A Network of Coiled‐Coil Associations Derived from Synthetic GCN4 Leucine‐Zipper Arrays

Two is better than one: Coiled-coil sequence motifs are versatile protein–protein interaction modules. Single and double substitutions of the GCN4 coiled coil (1, 2, and 3) showed that the core positions a and d in the third heptad act as a switch for the transition from the native homodimeric to homotrimeric structures. This creates a synthetic three-membered association network with monomeric, homotrimeric, and heterodimeric coiled-coil states.