Prospects for realizing a structure of the spiral-turn-spiral type in a "zinc finger"
Vishnepol'skiĭ, B.M.; Pirtskhalava, M.K.
Molekuliarnaia Biologiia 24(5): 1314-1320
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0026-8984 PMID: 2290425 Document Number: 349977
The realization of two models for Zn-finger structure--DNA-binding domain was estimated by taking into account the geometric and energetic requirements of polypeptide chain folding. The following structures were taken as models: antiparallel beta-structure and helix-turn-helix motif. The latter hasn't been considered earlier as the possible structure for Zn-finger. The preference was given to the above-mentioned models on the base of the available experimental data. It was shown that the helix-turn-helix motif for which the angle between axes of alpha-helices doesn't exceed 40 degrees cannot be excluded from the list of the assumed models for Zn-finger. There is a suggestion that the helix-turn-helix motif is likely to be characteristic for the majority of DNA-binding domains in proteins.