title: Tramtrack protein-DNA interactions. A cross-linking study.
abstract: Interaction of the Tramtrack protein from Drosophila melanogaster with DNA was analyzed by a cross-linking method. Tramtrack residues cross-linkable to the partially depurinated DNA were identified by direct sequencing. The N-terminal alpha-amino group of the protein DNA-binding domain was found to be the major product of cross-linking. The location of the N terminus on the DNA was determined by identification of the DNA bases that were cross-linked to the protein alpha-amino group. We conclude that accessory N-terminal peptide preceding the first zinc finger of Tramtrack directly interacts with DNA, both in specific and nonspecific DNA-protein complexes. Our finding explains the role in the protein binding of the DNA bases outside of the direct interaction with the zinc fingers.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Chromatin Structure and Function, W. Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 32 Vavilov Street, 117984 Moscow, Russia. kamshev@imb.imb.ac.ru
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Kamashev
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Balandina
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Karpov
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D005092:Exonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014357:Trypsin / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C075878:ttk protein, Drosophila; D004247:DNA; D005092:Exonucleases; D014357:Trypsin