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The zinc finger-associated domain of the Drosophila transcription factor grauzone is a novel zinc-coordinating protein-protein interaction module

Overview of Jauch R et al.

AuthorsJauch R  Bourenkov GP  Chung HR  Urlaub H  Reidt U  Jäckle H  Wahl MC  
AffiliationMax-Planck Institut für biophysikalische Chemie   Abteilung Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie   Röntgenkristallographie   Am Fassberg 11   D-37077 Göttingen   Germany.  
JournalStructure
Year 2003

Abstract


About one-third of the more than 300 C2H2 zinc finger proteins of Drosophila contain a conserved sequence motif, the zinc finger-associated domain (ZAD). Genes that encode ZAD proteins are specific for and expanded in the genomes of insects. Only three ZAD-encoding gene functions are established, and the role of ZAD is unknown. Here we present the crystal structure of the ZAD of Grauzone (ZAD(Grau)), a Drosophila transcription factor that specifically controls the maternal Cdc20-like APC subunit Cortex. ZAD forms an atypical treble-clef-like zinc-coordinating fold. Head-to-tail arrangement of two ZAD(Grau) molecules in the crystals suggests dimer formation, an observation supported by crosslinking and dynamic light scattering. The results indicate that ZAD provides a novel protein-protein interaction module that characterizes a large family of insect transcription factors.