Integrin ␣21 is a major receptor required for activation and adhesion of platelets, through the specific recognition of collagen by the ␣2-I domain (␣2-I), which binds fibrillar collagen via Mg 2؉ -bridged interactions. The crystal structure of a truncated form of the ␣2-I domain, bound to a triple helical collagen peptide, revealed conformational changes suggestive of a mechanism where the ligand-bound I domain can initiate and propagate conformational change to the full integrin complex. Collagen binding by ␣2-I and fibrinogen-dependent platelet activity can be inhibited by snake venom polypeptides. Here we describe the inhibitory effect of a short cyclic peptide derived from the snake toxin metalloprotease jararhagin, with specific amino acid sequence RKKH, on the ability of ␣2-I to bind triple helical collagen. Isothermal titration calorimetry measurements showed that the interactions of ␣2-I with collagen or RKKH peptide have similar affinities, and NMR chemical shift mapping experiments with 15 N-labeled ␣2-I, and unlabeled RKKH peptide, indicate that the peptide competes for the collagen-binding site of ␣2-I but does not induce a large scale conformational rearrangement of the I domain.The integrins constitute a functionally versatile family of integral membrane receptors that mediate cell-cell and cellextracellular matrix interactions through their regulation of cell adhesion, differentiation, migration, and the immune response (1-5). Signal transduction is bi-directional through both outside-in and inside-out mechanisms. All integrins are heterodimers composed of subunits ␣ and . Different combinations of subunits are expressed on different cell types with the interplay of 19 ␣ and 8  subunits, generating a family of 25 different heterodimers (3, 5).The integrin receptors share common structural features. The extracellular portions of the ␣ and  subunits combine to form a globular "head" domain that is attached to a pair of membrane-spanning helical "stalks." Signal transduction is believed to involve an allosteric rearrangement characterized by the separation and reorientation of the stalk segments. The bidirectional nature of signal transduction is complex. Extracellular ligands induce outside-in signals by binding to fixed motifs in the head domain, whereas inside-out signaling ensues from intracellular interactions between relatively short structurally plastic control elements and a large repertoire of cellular proteins.In nine of the human ␣ subunits, ligand recognition is carried out by a 200-residue structurally conserved inserted (I) domain or a von Willebrand factor A domain (3, 5). The I and A domains adopt a Rossmann dinucleotide-binding fold, with a 6-stranded -sheet surrounded by seven ␣-helices, and ligand recognition requires the binding of a single Mg 2ϩ ion to a metal ion-dependent adhesion (MIDAS) 2 motif (6, 7). The importance of the ␣ I domain for understanding conformational regulation and ligand binding for all integrins has been reviewed recently (5).Integrin ␣21 is a member...