The Evolutionarily Conserved Kruppel-Associated Box Domain Defines a Subfamily of Eukaryotic Multifingered Proteins

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 88; no. 9; pp. 3608 - 3612
• Main Authors: BELLEFROID, E. J, PONCELET, D. A, LECOCQ, P. J, REVELANT, O, MARTIAL, J. A
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01.05.1991; National Acad Sciences; National Academy of Sciences
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; Analytical, structural and metabolic biochemistry; Binding and carrier proteins; Biochemistry, biophysics & molecular biology; Biochimie, biophysique & biologie moléculaire; Biological and medical sciences; Cell lines; Cloning, Molecular; Complementary DNA; DNA; DNA - genetics; DNA probes; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins/chemistry/genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Library; Genes; Genetic screening; Genomics; Humans; Juvenile Hormones - chemistry; Juvenile Hormones - genetics; Juvenile Hormones/chemistry/genetics; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors; Life sciences; Molecular Sequence Data; Proteins; Repressor Proteins; RNA; Sciences du vivant; Transcription Factors; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Zinc Fingers; Human; Northern blotting; Conserved sequence; Placenta; Molecular structure; Nucleotide sequence; Zinc finger structure; DNA binding protein; N terminal-Sequence; Southern blotting
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.88.9.3608

We have previously shown that the human genome includes hundreds of genes coding for putative factors related to the Kruppel zinc-finger protein, which regulates Drosophila segmentation. We report herein that about one-third of these genes code for proteins that share a very conserved region of about 75 amino acids in their N-terminal nonfinger portion. Homologous regions are found in a number of previously described finger proteins, including mouse Zfp-1 and Xenopus Xfin. We named this region the Kruuppel-associated box (KRAB). This domain has the potential to form two amphipathic α-helices. Southern blot analysis of "zoo" blots suggests that the Kruuppel-associated box is highly conserved during evolution. Northern blot analysis shows that these genes are expressed in most adult tissues and are down-regulated during in vitro terminal differentiation of human myeloid cells.