1ni8

Publication Abstract from PubMed

H-NS, a protein found in Gram-negative bacteria, is involved in structuring the bacterial chromosome and acts as a global regulator for the expression of a wide variety of genes. These functions are correlated with both its DNA-binding and oligomerization properties. We have identified the minimal dimerization domain of H-NS, a 46 amino acid-long N-terminal fragment, and determined its structure using heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy. The highly intertwined structure of the dimer, reminiscent of a handshake, defines a new structural fold, which may offer a possibility for discriminating prokaryotic from eukaryotic proteins in drug design. Using mutational analysis, we also show that this N-terminal domain actively contributes to DNA binding, conversely to the current paradigm. Together, our data allows us to propose a model for the action of full length H-NS.

The H-NS dimerization domain defines a new fold contributing to DNA recognition.,Bloch V, Yang Y, Margeat E, Chavanieu A, Auge MT, Robert B, Arold S, Rimsky S, Kochoyan M Nat Struct Biol. 2003 Mar;10(3):212-8. PMID:12592399^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.