title: Getting a handhold on DNA: design of poly-zinc finger proteins with femtomolar dissociation constants.
abstract: Structure-based design was used to link zinc finger peptides and make poly-finger proteins that have dramatically enhanced affinity and specificity. Our studies focused on a fusion in which the three-finger Zif268 peptide was linked to a designed three-finger peptide (designated "NRE") that specifically recognizes a nuclear hormone response element. Gel shift assays indicate that this six-finger peptide, 268//NRE, binds to a composite 18-bp DNA site with a dissociation constant in the femtomolar range. We find that the slightly longer linkers used in this fusion protein provide a dramatic improvement in DNA-binding affinity, working much better than the canonical "TGEKP" linkers that have been used in previous studies. Tissue culture transfection experiments also show that the 268//NRE peptide is an extremely effective repressor, giving 72-fold repression when targeted to a binding site close to the transcription start site. Using this strategy, and linking peptides selected via phage display, should allow the design of novel DNA-binding proteins-with extraordinary affinity and specificity-for use in biological research and gene therapy.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Pabo
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006207:Half-Life; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011485:Protein Binding; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA