Specific transcription factors belong to a few families

  • Several different groups of zinc-containing motifs have been observed
  • The classic zinc finger motif

    • - first described by Aaron Klug in 1985 at MRC Lab
    - transcription factor TFIIIA from Xenopus laevis
    - 344-residue chain of TFIIIA contains 9 repeated sequences
    - 30 residues each
    - two Cys at the amino end; two His at the carboxy end
    - transcription activity is dependent on zinc

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