Crystal structure of a yeast TBP/TATA-box complex

• DOI: 10.1038/365512a0
• Publication Date: 2003-08-12T00:39:20Z
• Authors: Youngchang Kim; James. H. Geiger; Steven Hahn; Paul B. Sigler
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Base Sequence; Protein Conformation; Molecular Sequence Data; Cytochromes c; Cytochrome c Group; Hydrogen Bonding; DNA; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Crystallography, X-Ray; TATA Box; Recombinant Proteins; Structure-Activity Relationship; 03 medical and health sciences; Transcription Factor TFIIA; Computer Graphics; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Transcription Factor TFIID; Amino Acid Sequence; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Protein Binding

The 2.5 A crystal structure of a TATA-box complex with yeast TBP shows that the eight base pairs of the TATA box bind to the concave surface of TBP by bending towards the major groove with unprecedented severity. This produces a wide open, underwound, shallow minor groove which forms a primarily hydrophobic interface with the entire under-surface of the TBP saddle. The severe bend and a positive writhe radically alter the trajectory of the flanking B-form DNA.