Solution structure of the THAP domain from Caenorhabditis elegans C-terminal binding protein (CtBP).
Liew, C.K., Crossley, M., Mackay, J.P., Nicholas, H.R.(2007) J Mol Biol 366: 382-390
- PubMed: 17174978 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2006.11.058
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
2JM3 - PubMed Abstract: 
The THAP (Thanatos-associated protein) domain is a recently discovered zinc-binding domain found in proteins involved in transcriptional regulation, cell-cycle control, apoptosis and chromatin modification. It contains a single zinc atom ligated by cysteine and histidine residues within a Cys-X(2-4)-Cys-X(35-53)-Cys-X(2)-His consensus. We have determined the NMR solution structure of the THAP domain from Caenorhabditis elegans C-terminal binding protein (CtBP) and show that it adopts a fold containing a treble clef motif, bearing similarity to the zinc finger-associated domain (ZAD) from Drosophila Grauzone. The CtBP THAP domain contains a large, positively charged surface patch and we demonstrate that this domain can bind to double-stranded DNA in an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay. These data, together with existing reports, indicate that THAP domains might exhibit a functional diversity similar to that observed for classical and GATA-type zinc fingers.
Organizational Affiliation: 
School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia. ckliew@mmb.usyd.edu.au