Heat shock factor (HSF) are transcriptional activators of heat shock genes. HSF bind to heat shock sequence elements throughout the genome with a concensus array of three oppositely oriented sequence AGGAN and activate transcription. Each HSF monomer contains one C-terminal and 3 N-terminal leucine zippers. Two sequences flanking the N-terminal leucine zippers contain the concensus nuclear localization signal (NLS). The DNA-binding domain (DBD) of HSF lies in the N-terminal of the first NLS region.
3D structures of heat shock factor
1hks, 1hkt – HSF DBD – Drosophila melanogaster – NMR
2ldu – HSF DBD – human - NMR
2hts, 1fbu – KlHSF DBD – Kluyveromyces lactis
3htf, 1fbq, 1fbs – KlHSF DBD (mutant)
3hts – KlHSF DBD + DNA
1fyk, 1fyl, 1fym – KlHSF DBD (mutant) + DNA
