Mechanisms of DNA-binding specificity and functional gene regulation by transcription factors.
Eukaryotic transcription factors up-regulate and down-regulate the expression of genes in a very controlled manner. The DNA-binding domains of these proteins have quite well established mechanisms for binding to DNA, but a surprisingly poor intrinsic ability to discriminate target and variant non-target DNA sequences. Here, we summarise established mechanisms of protein-DNA recognition, as specified by both macromolecules. We also review recent advances in the fields of genome binding, molecular dynamics and biomolecular interaction studies that bring us close to a full understanding of how eukaryotic transcription factors find and target DNA in vivo to form functional centres of gene regulation through networks of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions.
School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Ngaio C
NC
Smith
School of Life and Environmental Science, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Electronic address: jacqui.matthews@sydney.edu.au.
Jacqueline M
JM
Matthews
D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*
D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA