Ala-insertion scanning mutagenesis of the glycophorin A transmembrane helix

Alanine insertions into the glycophorinA transmembrane helix are found to disrupthelix-helix dimerization in a way thatis fully consistentwith earlier saturation mutagenesis datas,uggesting that Ala-insertion scanning can be used to rapidly map the approximate locatiofn structurally and/or functionally importantsegments in trans-membrane helices