title: Lessons from zinc-binding peptides.
abstract: Zinc-finger domains are small metal-binding modules that are found in a wide range of gene regulatory proteins. Peptides corresponding to these domains have provided valuable model systems for examining a number of biophysical parameters entirely unrelated to their nucleic acid binding properties. These include the chemical basis for metal-ion affinity and selectivity, thermodynamic properties related to hydrophobic packing and beta-sheet propensities, and constraints on the generation of ligand-binding and potential catalytic sites. These studies have laid the foundation for applications such as the generation of optically detected zinc probes and the design of metal-binding peptides and proteins with desired spectroscopic and chemical properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2185, USA. jeremy_berg@qmail.bs.jhu.edu
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Godwin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017510:Protein Folding; D015032:Zinc / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015032:Zinc