Solution structure of the DNA-binding domain of the yeast transcriptional activator protein GCN4

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Abstract
The solution structure of an active synthetic peptide containing both the leucine zipper and the adjacent basic domain of the yeast transcription factor GCN4 (residues 220-280) was determined by NMR. The two domains show structurally distinct behaviours. In the absence of DNA, the basic domain is, although very flexible, structured and fluctuating around a helical conformation. The leucine zipper region forms a long, uninterrupted helix. From a suitable set of NMR distances the three-dimensional structure of the leucine zipper monomeric sub-domain was calculated distance geometry algorithms. The structure of the symmetrical parallel dimer was obtained by model building using the NMR information. A smaller peptide with the sequence of the isolated basic region (residues 1-35 of the 61 residue peptide) was also synthesized. Circular dichroism studies showed 30-40% helicity. A flexible spans the region between residues 8 and 21. The comparison of our results with suggested models is discussed in detail.