DNA-BINDING MOTIFS FROM EUKARYOTIC TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS

Considerable progress has been made during the past year on structure determinations of eukaryotic transcription factors that function as DNA-binding proteins in concert with RNA polymerase II. New structures include two TATA box-binding proteins bound to distinct TATA elements, two b/HLH/Z factors, Max and USF, recognizing CACGTG, and four helix-turn-helix variants, the third repeat of c-Myb, the POU-specific domain of Oct-1, an atypical homeodomain from LFB1/HNF1, and the fork head domain of HNF-3 gamma complexed with DNA. Other novel structures include the DNA-binding domain of GATA-1 complexed with DNA, the nucleic acid-binding domain of transcription factor IIS and the five zinc-finger GLI-DNA complex.