Skip to main content
PMC home page
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1995 Jun;15(6):3424–3429. doi: 10.1128/mcb.15.6.3424

The BTB domain of bric à brac mediates dimerization in vitro.

W Chen 1, S Zollman 1, J L Couderc 1, F A Laski 1
PMCID: PMC230577  PMID: 7760839

Abstract

The gene bric à brac (bab) is required for the proper development of the limbs and ovary in Drosophila melanogaster. bab encodes a BTB domain (also called a POZ domain), an approximately 115-amino-acid conserved motif found primarily in the N termini of zinc finger proteins. In this paper, we show that the BTB domain of bab can mediate protein dimerization in vitro. In addition, we demonstrate that the first 51 amino acids of the bab BTB domain are sufficient for dimerization, and we identify amino acids within this region that are required for binding.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (531.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bardwell V. J., Treisman R. The POZ domain: a conserved protein-protein interaction motif. Genes Dev. 1994 Jul 15;8(14):1664–1677. doi: 10.1101/gad.8.14.1664. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blanar M. A., Rutter W. J. Interaction cloning: identification of a helix-loop-helix zipper protein that interacts with c-Fos. Science. 1992 May 15;256(5059):1014–1018. doi: 10.1126/science.1589769. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Buller R. M., Palumbo G. J. Poxvirus pathogenesis. Microbiol Rev. 1991 Mar;55(1):80–122. doi: 10.1128/mr.55.1.80-122.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chardin P., Courtois G., Mattei M. G., Gisselbrecht S. The KUP gene, located on human chromosome 14, encodes a protein with two distant zinc fingers. Nucleic Acids Res. 1991 Apr 11;19(7):1431–1436. doi: 10.1093/nar/19.7.1431. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chen Z., Brand N. J., Chen A., Chen S. J., Tong J. H., Wang Z. Y., Waxman S., Zelent A. Fusion between a novel Krüppel-like zinc finger gene and the retinoic acid receptor-alpha locus due to a variant t(11;17) translocation associated with acute promyelocytic leukaemia. EMBO J. 1993 Mar;12(3):1161–1167. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1993.tb05757.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chen Z., Guidez F., Rousselot P., Agadir A., Chen S. J., Wang Z. Y., Degos L., Zelent A., Waxman S., Chomienne C. PLZF-RAR alpha fusion proteins generated from the variant t(11;17)(q23;q21) translocation in acute promyelocytic leukemia inhibit ligand-dependent transactivation of wild-type retinoic acid receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Feb 1;91(3):1178–1182. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.3.1178. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chou P. Y., Fasman G. D. Prediction of the secondary structure of proteins from their amino acid sequence. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol. 1978;47:45–148. doi: 10.1002/9780470122921.ch2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Devereux J., Haeberli P., Smithies O. A comprehensive set of sequence analysis programs for the VAX. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Jan 11;12(1 Pt 1):387–395. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.1part1.387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. DiBello P. R., Withers D. A., Bayer C. A., Fristrom J. W., Guild G. M. The Drosophila Broad-Complex encodes a family of related proteins containing zinc fingers. Genetics. 1991 Oct;129(2):385–397. doi: 10.1093/genetics/129.2.385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dorn R., Krauss V., Reuter G., Saumweber H. The enhancer of position-effect variegation of Drosophila, E(var)3-93D, codes for a chromatin protein containing a conserved domain common to several transcriptional regulators. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Dec 1;90(23):11376–11380. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.23.11376. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Garnier J., Osguthorpe D. J., Robson B. Analysis of the accuracy and implications of simple methods for predicting the secondary structure of globular proteins. J Mol Biol. 1978 Mar 25;120(1):97–120. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(78)90297-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Godt D., Couderc J. L., Cramton S. E., Laski F. A. Pattern formation in the limbs of Drosophila: bric à brac is expressed in both a gradient and a wave-like pattern and is required for specification and proper segmentation of the tarsus. Development. 1993 Nov;119(3):799–812. doi: 10.1242/dev.119.3.799. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Godt D., Laski F. A. Mechanisms of cell rearrangement and cell recruitment in Drosophila ovary morphogenesis and the requirement of bric à brac. Development. 1995 Jan;121(1):173–187. doi: 10.1242/dev.121.1.173. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Harrison S. D., Travers A. A. The tramtrack gene encodes a Drosophila finger protein that interacts with the ftz transcriptional regulatory region and shows a novel embryonic expression pattern. EMBO J. 1990 Jan;9(1):207–216. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb08097.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Howard S. T., Chan Y. S., Smith G. L. Vaccinia virus homologues of the Shope fibroma virus inverted terminal repeat proteins and a discontinuous ORF related to the tumor necrosis factor receptor family. Virology. 1991 Feb;180(2):633–647. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(91)90077-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Jongens T. A., Ackerman L. D., Swedlow J. R., Jan L. Y., Jan Y. N. Germ cell-less encodes a cell type-specific nuclear pore-associated protein and functions early in the germ-cell specification pathway of Drosophila. Genes Dev. 1994 Sep 15;8(18):2123–2136. doi: 10.1101/gad.8.18.2123. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Jongens T. A., Hay B., Jan L. Y., Jan Y. N. The germ cell-less gene product: a posteriorly localized component necessary for germ cell development in Drosophila. Cell. 1992 Aug 21;70(4):569–584. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90427-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kastner P., Perez A., Lutz Y., Rochette-Egly C., Gaub M. P., Durand B., Lanotte M., Berger R., Chambon P. Structure, localization and transcriptional properties of two classes of retinoic acid receptor alpha fusion proteins in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL): structural similarities with a new family of oncoproteins. EMBO J. 1992 Feb;11(2):629–642. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05095.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kerckaert J. P., Deweindt C., Tilly H., Quief S., Lecocq G., Bastard C. LAZ3, a novel zinc-finger encoding gene, is disrupted by recurring chromosome 3q27 translocations in human lymphomas. Nat Genet. 1993 Sep;5(1):66–70. doi: 10.1038/ng0993-66. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Koonin E. V., Senkevich T. G., Chernos V. I. A family of DNA virus genes that consists of fused portions of unrelated cellular genes. Trends Biochem Sci. 1992 Jun;17(6):213–214. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(92)90379-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Lai Z. C., Rubin G. M. Negative control of photoreceptor development in Drosophila by the product of the yan gene, an ETS domain protein. Cell. 1992 Aug 21;70(4):609–620. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90430-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Liu Q., Shalaby F., Puri M. C., Tang S., Breitman M. L. Novel zinc finger proteins that interact with the mouse gamma F-crystallin promoter and are expressed in the sclerotome during early somitogenesis. Dev Biol. 1994 Sep;165(1):165–177. doi: 10.1006/dbio.1994.1243. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Miki T., Kawamata N., Hirosawa S., Aoki N. Gene involved in the 3q27 translocation associated with B-cell lymphoma, BCL5, encodes a Krüppel-like zinc-finger protein. Blood. 1994 Jan 1;83(1):26–32. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Numoto M., Niwa O., Kaplan J., Wong K. K., Merrell K., Kamiya K., Yanagihara K., Calame K. Transcriptional repressor ZF5 identifies a new conserved domain in zinc finger proteins. Nucleic Acids Res. 1993 Aug 11;21(16):3767–3775. doi: 10.1093/nar/21.16.3767. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Read D., Manley J. L. Alternatively spliced transcripts of the Drosophila tramtrack gene encode zinc finger proteins with distinct DNA binding specificities. EMBO J. 1992 Mar;11(3):1035–1044. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05142.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Rees D. C., Komiya H., Yeates T. O., Allen J. P., Feher G. The bacterial photosynthetic reaction center as a model for membrane proteins. Annu Rev Biochem. 1989;58:607–633. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.58.070189.003135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Senkevich T. G., Muravnik G. L., Pozdnyakov S. G., Chizhikov V. E., Ryazankina O. I., Shchelkunov S. N., Koonin E. V., Chernos V. I. Nucleotide sequence of XhoI O fragment of ectromelia virus DNA reveals significant differences from vaccinia virus. Virus Res. 1993 Oct;30(1):73–88. doi: 10.1016/0168-1702(93)90017-h. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Soeller W. C., Oh C. E., Kornberg T. B. Isolation of cDNAs encoding the Drosophila GAGA transcription factor. Mol Cell Biol. 1993 Dec;13(12):7961–7970. doi: 10.1128/mcb.13.12.7961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Upton C., McFadden G. Tumorigenic poxviruses: analysis of viral DNA sequences implicated in the tumorigenicity of Shope fibroma virus and malignant rabbit virus. Virology. 1986 Jul 30;152(2):308–321. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(86)90134-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Wilson R., Ainscough R., Anderson K., Baynes C., Berks M., Bonfield J., Burton J., Connell M., Copsey T., Cooper J. 2.2 Mb of contiguous nucleotide sequence from chromosome III of C. elegans. Nature. 1994 Mar 3;368(6466):32–38. doi: 10.1038/368032a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Xue F., Cooley L. kelch encodes a component of intercellular bridges in Drosophila egg chambers. Cell. 1993 Mar 12;72(5):681–693. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90397-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Ye B. H., Lista F., Lo Coco F., Knowles D. M., Offit K., Chaganti R. S., Dalla-Favera R. Alterations of a zinc finger-encoding gene, BCL-6, in diffuse large-cell lymphoma. Science. 1993 Oct 29;262(5134):747–750. doi: 10.1126/science.8235596. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Zelent A. Translocation of the RAR alpha locus to the PML or PLZF gene in acute promyelocytic leukaemia. Br J Haematol. 1994 Mar;86(3):451–460. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1994.tb04773.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Zhang K. Y., Eisenberg D. The three-dimensional profile method using residue preference as a continuous function of residue environment. Protein Sci. 1994 Apr;3(4):687–695. doi: 10.1002/pro.5560030416. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Zollman S., Godt D., Privé G. G., Couderc J. L., Laski F. A. The BTB domain, found primarily in zinc finger proteins, defines an evolutionarily conserved family that includes several developmentally regulated genes in Drosophila. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Oct 25;91(22):10717–10721. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.22.10717. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES