Flexibility and Disorder in Gene Regulation: LacI/GalR and Hox Proteins.
To modulate transcription, a variety of input signals must be sensed by genetic regulatory proteins. In these proteins, flexibility and disorder are emerging as common themes. Prokaryotic regulators generally have short, flexible segments, whereas eukaryotic regulators have extended regions that lack predicted secondary structure (intrinsic disorder). Two examples illustrate the impact of flexibility and disorder on gene regulation: the prokaryotic LacI/GalR family, with detailed information from studies on LacI, and the eukaryotic family of Hox proteins, with specific insights from investigations of Ultrabithorax (Ubx). The widespread importance of structural disorder in gene regulatory proteins may derive from the need for flexibility in signal response and, particularly in eukaryotes, in protein partner selection.
From the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843.
Sarah E
SE
Bondos
the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas 66160, and.
Liskin
L
Swint-Kruse
the Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77251 ksm@rice.edu.
Kathleen S
KS
Matthews
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D056968:Lac Repressors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D056968:Lac Repressors; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D004247:DNA
DNA; DNA operator; DNA-binding protein; Hox proteins; LacI/GalR proteins; Ultrabithorax; gene regulation; intrinsic disorder; protein flexibility; repressor protein; transcription factor