Open AccessZinc fingers in sex determination: only one of the twoC.elegansTra-1 proteins binds DNAin Vitro
Author(s) -
David Zarkower,
Jonathan Hodgkin
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/21.16.3691
Subject(s) - zinc finger , biology , caenorhabditis elegans , ring finger domain , dna binding protein , dna , zinc finger nuclease , oligonucleotide , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , lim domain , binding protein , genetics , hmg box , transcription factor
The tra-1 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans is a major developmental regulator that promotes female development. Two mRNAs are expressed from the tra-1 locus as a result of alternative mRNA processing. One mRNA encodes a protein with five zinc fingers and the other a protein with only the first two zinc fingers. We have derived a preferred in vitro DNA binding site for the five finger protein by selection from random oligonucleotides. The two finger protein does not bind to DNA in vitro. Moreover, removal of the first two fingers from the five finger protein does not eliminate binding and has little effect on its preferred binding site. We find that a protein sequence amino-terminal to the finger domain also appears to play a role in DNA binding.