Conclusion ERp18

Structural analysis supported ERp18's classification as a thioredoxin protein. 3D modelling identified a catalytic site pertaining to an area of high evolutionary conservation. This catalytic site contained a CXXC residue motif - ubiquitous of all thioredoxin proteins. Furthermore, binding pockets were identified at the catalytic site by several bioinformatics programs. A DALI search identified numerous thioredoxin and thioredoxin-like proteins as being structurally similar, supporting the classification of ERp18 as a thioredoxin. Furthermore, information about the conformation and folding of ERp18 identified a thioredoxin fold. Recent literature has identified ERp18 as a dimer with a single protein molecular weight of 16.4 kDa, leading to the renaming of ERp18 as ERp16.