Summary information and primary citation

PDB-id
7n5s; SNAP-derived features in text and JSON formats; DNAproDB
Class
DNA binding protein-DNA
Method
X-ray (2.86 Å)
Summary
Zbtb7a zinc finger domain bound to -200 site of fetal globin promoter (oligo 6)
Reference
Yang Y, Ren R, Ly LC, Horton JR, Li F, Quinlan KGR, Crossley M, Shi Y, Cheng X (2021): "Structural basis for human ZBTB7A action at the fetal globin promoter." Cell Rep, 36, 109759. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109759.
Abstract
Elevated levels of fetal globin protect against β-hemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia. Two zinc-finger (ZF) repressors, BCL11A and ZBTB7A/LRF, bind directly to the fetal globin promoter elements positioned at -115 and -200, respectively. Here, we describe X-ray structures of the ZBTB7A DNA-binding domain, consisting of four adjacent ZFs, in complex with the -200 sequence element, which contains two copies of four consecutive C:G base pairs. ZF1 and ZF2 recognize the 5' C:G quadruple, and ZF4 contacts the 3' C:G quadruple. Natural non-coding DNA mutations associated with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) impair ZBTB7A DNA binding, with the most severe disruptions resulting from mutations in the base pairs recognized by ZF1 and ZF2. Our results firmly establish ZBTB7A/LRF as a key molecular regulator of fetal globin expression and inform genome-editing strategies that inhibit repressor binding and boost fetal globin expression to treat hemoglobinopathies.

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