Summary information and primary citation
- PDB-id
- 6wig; SNAP-derived features in text and JSON formats;
DNAproDB
- Class
- plant protein-DNA
- Method
- X-ray (2.1 Å)
- Summary
- Structure of stenofolia protein hd domain bound with DNA
- Reference
- Pathak PK, Zhang F, Peng S, Niu L, Chaturvedi J, Elliott J, Xiang Y, Tadege M, Deng J (2021): "Structure of the unique tetrameric STENOFOLIA homeodomain bound with target promoter DNA." Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol, 77, 1050-1063. doi: 10.1107/S205979832100632X.
- Abstract
- Homeobox transcription factors are key regulators of morphogenesis and development in both animals and plants. In plants, the WUSCHEL-related homeobox (WOX) family of transcription factors function as central organizers of several developmental programs ranging from embryo patterning to meristematic stem-cell maintenance through transcriptional activation and repression mechanisms. The Medicago truncatula STENOFOLIA (STF) gene is a master regulator of leaf-blade lateral development. Here, the crystal structure of the homeodomain (HD) of STF (STF-HD) in complex with its promoter DNA is reported at 2.1 Å resolution. STF-HD binds DNA as a tetramer, enclosing nearly the entire bound DNA surface. The STF-HD tetramer is partially stabilized by docking of the C-terminal tail of one protomer onto a conserved hydrophobic surface on the head of another protomer in a head-to-tail manner. STF-HD specifically binds TGA motifs, although the promoter sequence also contains TAAT motifs. Helix α3 not only serves a canonical role as a base reader in the major groove, but also provides DNA binding in the minor groove through basic residues located at its C-terminus. The structural and functional data in planta reported here provide new insights into the DNA-binding mechanisms of plant-specific HDs from the WOX family of transcription factors.