Plant chromosomal HMGI/Y proteins and histone H1 exhibit a protein domain of common origin

• Published in: Gene Vol. 230; no. 1; pp. 1 - 5
• Main Authors: Krech, A.B., Wulff, D., Grasser, K.D., Feix, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.04.1999
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; AT-hook; Base Sequence; Cloning, Molecular; complementary DNA; DNA-binding domains; Evolution, Molecular; genbank/aj131371; Genomic structure; High Mobility Group Proteins - chemistry; High Mobility Group Proteins - genetics; High-mobility-group protein I/Y; histones; Histones - chemistry; Histones - genetics; HMGA1a Protein; hmgi/y gene; introns; Introns - genetics; Linker histone H1; Molecular Sequence Data; nucleoproteins; nucleotide sequences; Plant Proteins - chemistry; Plant Proteins - genetics; Restriction Mapping; Sequence Alignment; structural genes; Transcription Factors - chemistry; Transcription Factors - genetics; Zea mays; Zea mays - genetics; AT-hook; Zea mays; High-mobility-group protein I/Y; Genomic structure; Linker histone H1; HMG, high-mobility group
• ISSN: 0378-1119; 1879-0038
• DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1119(99)00067-0

The chromosomal high-mobility-group (HMG) proteins of the HMGI/Y family interact with A/T-rich stretches in duplex DNA, and are considered assistant factors in transcriptional regulation. A cDNA encoding an HMGI/Y protein of 190 amino acid residues was isolated from maize and characterized. Like other plant HMGI/Y proteins, the maize HMGI/Y protein contains four copies of the AT-hook DNA-binding motif and an amino-terminal ‘histone H1-like region’ with a similarity to the globular domain of H1. The maize hmgi/y gene that was isolated from a genomic DNA library contains a single intron that is localized in the region of sequence similarity to histone H1. Interestingly, the genes encoding plant H1 contain an intron at exactly the same relative position, indicating an evolutionary relationship of the plant genes encoding HMGI/Y and H1 proteins.