Classic zinc finger from friend of GATA mediates an interaction with the coiled-coil of transforming acidic coiled-coil 3

Abstract

Classic zinc finger domains (cZFs) consist of a β-hairpin followed by an α-helix. They are among the most abundant of all protein domains and are often found in tandem arrays in DNA-binding proteins, with each finger contributing an α-helix to effect sequence-specific DNA recognition. Lone cZFs, not found in tandem arrays, have been postulated to function in protein interactions. We have studied the transcriptional co-regulator Friend of GATA (FOG), which contains nine zinc fingers. We have discovered that the third cZF of FOG contacts a coiled-coil domain in the centrosomal protein transforming acidic coiled-coil 3 (TACC3). Although FOG-ZF3 exhibited low solubility, we have used a combinati..