Isolation and characterization of cDNA clones encoding the Drosophila homolog of the HMG-box SSRP family that recognizes specific DNA structures.
Recently an HMG-box protein denoted SSRP1, for structure-specific recognition protein 1, has been discovered which binds to specific DNA structural elements such as the bent, unwound conformations that occur upon the formation of intrastrand crosslinks by the anticancer drug cisplatin. The SSRP family includes the mouse protein T160, which recognizes recombination signal sequences. In order to delineate functional domains more clearly, a homolog of SSRP1 was cloned from Drosophila melanogaster. This homolog maps to polytene region 60A (1-4) and shares 54% identity with human SSRP1. Comparison of the predicted amino acid sequences among SSRP family members reveals 48% identity, with structural conservation in the carboxy terminus of the HMG box as well as domains of highly charged residues. Interestingly, however, the most highly conserved regions of the protein are in the less well understood amino terminus, strongly suggesting that this portion of the protein is critical for its function.
Bruhn
S L
SL
Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
Housman
D E
DE
Lippard
S J
SJ
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D006609:High Mobility Group Proteins; C489543:SSRP protein, Drosophila; C073537:SSRP1 protein, human; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors; C070454:Ssrp1 protein, mouse