title: Two-timing zinc finger transcription factors liaising with RNA.
abstract: Classical zinc fingers (ZFs) are one of the most common protein domains in higher eukaryotes and have been known for almost 30 years to act as sequence-specific DNA-binding domains. This knowledge has come, however, from the study of a small number of archetypal proteins, and a larger picture is beginning to emerge that ZF functions are far more diverse than originally suspected. Here, we review the evidence that a subset of ZF proteins live double lives, binding to both DNA and RNA targets and frequenting both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. This duality can create an important additional level of gene regulation that serves to connect transcriptional and post-transcriptional control.
authors.affiliation: School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Burdach
authors.forename: Mitchell R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: Joel P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mackay
authors.forename: Merlin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crossley
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D011485:Protein Binding; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA