InterPro domain: IPR027179

Proteins in this family adopt a coiled coil structure, with two antiparallel alpha-helices that are tightly strapped together by two disulfide bridges at each end. The protein sequence shows a cysteine motif, required for the stabilisation of the coiled-coil-like structure. Additional inter-helix hydrophobic contacts impart stability to this scaffold [ 1 ].

The precise function of this family is, as yet, unknown [ 2 ]. MTCP1 is found in mitochondria. Mature-T-Cell Proliferation is the first gene unequivocally identified in the group of uncommon leukemias with a mature phenotype [ 3 ].

1. Synthesis and NMR solution structure of an alpha-helical hairpin stapled with two disulfide bridges. Protein Sci. 9, 942-55
2. Solution structure of human p8MTCP1, a cysteine-rich protein encoded by the MTCP1 oncogene, reveals a new alpha-helical assembly motif. J. Mol. Biol. 274, 801-15
3. MTCP-1: a novel gene on the human chromosome Xq28 translocated to the T cell receptor alpha/delta locus in mature T cell proliferations. Oncogene 8, 2475-83