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. 2021 Jan-Mar;13(1):31-46.
doi: 10.32607/actanaturae.11206.

CTCF As an Example of DNA-Binding Transcription Factors Containing Clusters of C2H2-Type Zinc Fingers

O G Maksimenko  1   2 , D V Fursenko  1 , E V Belova  1   2 , P G Georgiev  1
Affiliations

CTCF As an Example of DNA-Binding Transcription Factors Containing Clusters of C2H2-Type Zinc Fingers

O G Maksimenko et al. Acta Naturae. 2021 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

In mammals, most of the boundaries of topologically associating domains and all well-studied insulators are rich in binding sites for the CTCF protein. According to existing experimental data, CTCF is a key factor in the organization of the architecture of mammalian chromosomes. A characteristic feature of the CTCF is that the central part of the protein contains a cluster consisting of eleven domains of C2H2-type zinc fingers, five of which specifically bind to a long DNA sequence conserved in most animals. The class of transcription factors that carry a cluster of C2H2-type zinc fingers consisting of five or more domains (C2H2 proteins) is widely represented in all groups of animals. The functions of most C2H2 proteins still remain unknown. This review presents data on the structure and possible functions of these proteins, using the example of the vertebrate CTCF protein and several well- characterized C2H2 proteins in Drosophila and mammals.

Keywords: C2H2-type zinc fingers; CTCF; TAD; architectural proteins; enhancers; insulators; promoters; transcription regulation.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
C2H2 proteins of vertebrates with architectural functions. The domain organization of the described proteins and the known binding motifs are shown
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Drosophila C2H2 proteins with architectural functions. The domain organization of the known architectural proteins of Drosophila and their binding motifs are shown
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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