Alpha3beta3

Alpha3beta3 is a designation used in several disciplines to describe a system composed of two classes of components, alpha-type and beta-type, where the subscripts indicate particular variants or copy numbers. Because there is no universal definition, the exact meaning depends on the context, field, and the authors’ conventions.

In biology and biochemistry, subunit naming often uses Greek letters with numerical subscripts to denote different proteins. ITGA3 encodes the integrin alpha-3 subunit and ITGB3 encodes the integrin beta-3 subunit. The most studied human integrins involve pairings such as α3β1 or αVβ3; an α3β3 heterodimer is not among the major well-characterized integrins in humans. However, in protein engineering or synthetic biology, the term α3β3 can describe a designed heterodimer or hexamer in which three alpha-3-like subunits pair with three beta-3-like subunits to form a symmetric assembly. Such constructs are typically hypothetical or experimental and used to explore assembly principles or functional scaffolding.

In chemistry and materials science, alpha3beta3 can denote a coordination or supramolecular complex with three alpha-type ligands and three beta-type ligands, yielding a hexameric structure. The arrangement is discussed in the context of self-assembly and symmetry (for example, potential C3 or D3 symmetry), rather than as a single established compound. The term is often descriptive, signaling stoichiometry and potential geometry rather than a fixed, universally adopted name.

In summary, alpha3beta3 is a cross-disciplinary label used to indicate a three-by-three pairing of alpha-type and beta-type components, with the precise interpretation varying by domain and application.