Is zinc finger a transcription factor?
Zinc finger proteins are the largest transcription factor family in human genome. The diverse combinations and functions of zinc finger motifs make zinc finger proteins versatile in biological processes, including development, differentiation, metabolism and autophagy.
Is Snail a transcription factor?
Snail is a family of transcription factors that promote the repression of the adhesion molecule E-cadherin to regulate epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) during embryonic development.
How are zinc fingers so specific for a DNA sequence and what is the zinc finger code?
The binding of zinc finger is found to be distinct from many other DNA-binding proteins that bind DNA through the 2-fold symmetry of the double helix, instead zinc fingers are linked linearly in tandem to bind nucleic acid sequences of varying lengths. Zinc fingers often bind to a sequence of DNA known as the GC box.
How do zinc fingers recognize DNA?
Zinc fingers bind in the major groove of the DNA, wrapping around the strands, with specificity conferred by side chains of several amino acid on the α helices. Some zinc finger proteins undergo homodimerization by hydrophobic interactions or by finger-finger binding and reinforce the specific binding to DNA.
What type of protein is zinc-finger?
Zinc finger protein (ZFP) is a common DNA binding domain found in many transcription factors. It consists of ∼30 amino acids that may recognize three base pairs of DNA.
What does a zinc-finger do?
Zinc finger proteins are among the most abundant proteins in eukaryotic genomes. Their functions are extraordinarily diverse and include DNA recognition, RNA packaging, transcriptional activation, regulation of apoptosis, protein folding and assembly, and lipid binding.
Where is snail transcribed?
Snail family members encode transcription factors of the zinc-finger type. They all share a similar organization, being composed of a highly conserved carboxy-terminal region, which contains from four to six zinc fingers, and a much more divergent amino-terminal region.
Where in the cell is snail transcribed?
NFκB/p65 also stimulated SNAIL transcription through a region located immediately upstream the minimal promoter, between −194 and −78. These results indicate that Snail transcription is driven by signaling pathways known to induce epithelial to mesenchymal transition, reinforcing the role of Snail in this process.
What is the role of zinc in zinc finger transcription factors?
The zinc-finger domain is one of the most frequently utilized DNA-binding motif found in eukaryotic transcriptional factors. The binding of a zinc-finger domain to its target site juxtaposes three base pairs on DNA to a few amino acids in the α-helix structure.
What is the chemical basis of zinc binding by a zinc-finger?
Zinc finger protein (ZFP) is a common DNA binding domain found in many transcription factors. It consists of ∼30 amino acids that may recognize three base pairs of DNA. Combining 3–6 ZFP in a molecule, it can recognize and bind to a specific DNA into the genome.
What is the chemical basis of zinc binding by a zinc finger?
What does zinc finger proteins do?