Biomaterial Database

Zinc(II) ions selectively interact with DNA sequences present at the TFIIIA binding site of the Xenopus 5S-RNA gene. 1995

M A Martínez-Balbás, and E Jiménez-García, and F Azorín

Departament de Biologia Molecular i Cel.lular, Centre d'Investigació i Desenvolupament-CSIC, Barcelona, Spain.

It has been known for some time that zinc, as well as most transition metal ions, is capable of binding to the DNA bases. However, little is known about the presence and distribution of metal binding sites along naturally occurring genomic DNA molecules. In this paper, the interaction of zinc with the Xenopus 5S-RNA gene has been studied and several metal binding sites have been identified on the basis of the changes in chemical reactivity observed in the presence of the metal. The strongest zinc-binding sites of the Xenopus 5S-RNA gene correspond to GGG trinucleotide repeats. Some GG dinucleotides also show a significant affinity for zinc. Interestingly, the binding site for TFIIIA, a zinc-finger transcription factor, contains several sites with strong zinc affinity. In particular, a TGGGA sequence which is essential for the binding of TFIIIA shows the strongest affinity for zinc. The conformational properties of this DNA sequence, together with the high electronegative potential of GGG runs, is likely to determine its strong affinity for zinc. The possible biological relevance of these results is discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008745	Methylation	Addition of methyl groups. In histo-chemistry methylation is used to esterify carboxyl groups and remove sulfate groups by treating tissue sections with hot methanol in the presence of hydrochloric acid. (From Stedman, 25th ed)	Methylations
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D009690	Nucleic Acid Conformation	The spatial arrangement of the atoms of a nucleic acid or polynucleotide that results in its characteristic 3-dimensional shape.	DNA Conformation,RNA Conformation,Conformation, DNA,Conformation, Nucleic Acid,Conformation, RNA,Conformations, DNA,Conformations, Nucleic Acid,Conformations, RNA,DNA Conformations,Nucleic Acid Conformations,RNA Conformations
D012091	Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid	Sequences of DNA or RNA that occur in multiple copies. There are several types: INTERSPERSED REPETITIVE SEQUENCES are copies of transposable elements (DNA TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS or RETROELEMENTS) dispersed throughout the genome. TERMINAL REPEAT SEQUENCES flank both ends of another sequence, for example, the long terminal repeats (LTRs) on RETROVIRUSES. Variations may be direct repeats, those occurring in the same direction, or inverted repeats, those opposite to each other in direction. TANDEM REPEAT SEQUENCES are copies which lie adjacent to each other, direct or inverted (INVERTED REPEAT SEQUENCES).	DNA Repetitious Region,Direct Repeat,Genes, Selfish,Nucleic Acid Repetitive Sequences,Repetitive Region,Selfish DNA,Selfish Genes,DNA, Selfish,Repetitious Region, DNA,Repetitive Sequence,DNA Repetitious Regions,DNAs, Selfish,Direct Repeats,Gene, Selfish,Repeat, Direct,Repeats, Direct,Repetitious Regions, DNA,Repetitive Regions,Repetitive Sequences,Selfish DNAs,Selfish Gene
D004247	DNA	A deoxyribonucleotide polymer that is the primary genetic material of all cells. Eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms normally contain DNA in a double-stranded state, yet several important biological processes transiently involve single-stranded regions. DNA, which consists of a polysugar-phosphate backbone possessing projections of purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine and cytosine), forms a double helix that is held together by hydrogen bonds between these purines and pyrimidines (adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine).	DNA, Double-Stranded,Deoxyribonucleic Acid,ds-DNA,DNA, Double Stranded,Double-Stranded DNA,ds DNA
D004268	DNA-Binding Proteins	Proteins which bind to DNA. The family includes proteins which bind to both double- and single-stranded DNA and also includes specific DNA binding proteins in serum which can be used as markers for malignant diseases.	DNA Helix Destabilizing Proteins,DNA-Binding Protein,Single-Stranded DNA Binding Proteins,DNA Binding Protein,DNA Single-Stranded Binding Protein,SS DNA BP,Single-Stranded DNA-Binding Protein,Binding Protein, DNA,DNA Binding Proteins,DNA Single Stranded Binding Protein,DNA-Binding Protein, Single-Stranded,Protein, DNA-Binding,Single Stranded DNA Binding Protein,Single Stranded DNA Binding Proteins
D004563	Electrochemistry	The study of chemical changes resulting from electrical action and electrical activity resulting from chemical changes.	Electrochemistries
D006147	Guanine
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA