The ADAM (a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase) proteins are a family of transmembrane cell-surface proteins with important functions in adhesion and proteolytic processing in all animals. Human ADAM-15 is the only member of the ADAM family with the integrin binding motif Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) in its disintegrin-like domain. This motif is also found in most snake venom disintegrins and other disintegrin-like proteins. This unique RGD motif within ADAM-15 serves as an integrin ligand binding site, through which it plays a pivotal role in interacting with integrin receptors, a large family of heterodimeric transmembrane glycoproteins. This manuscript will present a review of the RGD-containing disintegrin-like domain structures and the structural features responsible for their activity as antagonists of integrin function in relation to the canonical RGD template.
Keywords: ADAM protein; RGD-motif; Snake venom toxin; disintegrin; integrin.