title: From keys to bulldozers: expanding roles for winged helix domains in nucleic-acid-binding proteins.
abstract: The winged helix domain (WHD) is a widespread nucleic-acid-binding protein structural element found in all kingdoms of life. Although the overall structure of the WHD is conserved, its functional properties and interaction profiles are extremely versatile. WHD-containing proteins can exploit nearly the full spectrum of nucleic acid structural features for recognition and even covalent modification or noncovalent rearrangement of target molecules. WHD functions range from sequence-recognizing keys in transcription factors and bulldozer-like strand-separating wedges in helicases to mediators of protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Further investigations are needed to understand the contribution of WHD structural dynamics to nucleic-acid-modifying enzymatic functions.
authors.affiliation: ELTE-MTA Momentum Motor Enzymology Research Group, Department of Biochemistry, Eötvös University, H-1117 Budapest, Pázmány P. stny. 1/C, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gábor M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Harami
authors.forename: Máté
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gyimesi
authors.forename: Mihály
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kovács
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D051540:Winged-Helix Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D051540:Winged-Helix Transcription Factors; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA