Description

IPR015088 is a Zinc finger, DNA-directed DNA polymerase, family B, alpha.

<p>Zinc finger (Znf) domains are relatively small protein motifs which contain multiple finger-like protrusions that make tandem contacts with their target molecule. Some of these domains bind zinc, but many do not; instead binding other metals such as iron, or no metal at all. For example, some family members form salt bridges to stabilise the finger-like folds. They were first identified as a DNA-binding motif in transcription factor TFIIIA from Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog), however they are now recognised to bind DNA, RNA, protein and/or lipid substrates [[cite:PUB00035807], [cite:PUB00035805], [cite:PUB00035806], [cite:PUB00035804], [cite:PUB00014077]]. Their binding properties depend on the amino acid sequence of the finger domains and of the linker between fingers, as well as on the higher-order structures and the number of fingers. Znf domains are often found in clusters, where fingers can have different binding specificities. There are many superfamilies of Znf motifs, varying in both sequence and structure. They display considerable versatility in binding modes, even between members of the same class (e.g. some bind DNA, others protein), suggesting that Znf motifs are stable scaffolds that have evolved specialised functions. For example, Znf-containing proteins function in gene transcription, translation, mRNA trafficking, cytoskeleton organisation, epithelial development, cell adhesion, protein folding, chromatin remodelling and zinc sensing, to name but a few [[cite:PUB00035812]]. Zinc-binding motifs are stable structures, and they rarely undergo conformational changes upon binding their target.</p> <p>The DNA Polymerase alpha zinc finger domain adopts an α-helix-like structure, followed by three turns, all of which involve proline. The resulting motif is a helix-turn-helix motif, in contrast to other zinc finger domains, which show anti-parallel sheet and helix conformation. Zinc binding occurs due to the presence of four cysteine residues positioned to bind the metal centre in a tetrahedral coordination geometry. The function of this domain is uncertain: it has been proposed that the zinc finger motif may be an essential part of the DNA binding domain. It is involved in providing a structural platform for interactions with both oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide (OB) and phosphoesterase domains of the B subunit [[cite:PUB00028785], [cite:PUB00097438], [cite:PUB00052915]].</p>

This description is obtained from EB-eye REST.

Associated GO terms

GO predictions are based solely on the InterPro-to-GO mappings published by EMBL-EBI, which are in turn based on the mapping of predicted domains to the InterPro dataset. The InterPro-to-GO mapping was last updated on April 27, 2020, while the GO metadata was last updated on April 27, 2020.

Associated Lotus transcripts 4

Co-occuring domains 1

A list of co-occurring predicted domains within the L. japonicus gene space: