Structure-based modeling of protein: DNA specificity.

Authors :: Joyce AP
Zhang C
Bradley P
Havranek JJ
Source :: Briefings in functional genomics [Brief Funct Genomics] 2015 Jan; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 39-49. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Nov 19.
Publication Year :: 2015
Abstract: Protein:DNA interactions are essential to a range of processes that maintain and express the information encoded in the genome. Structural modeling is an approach that aims to understand these interactions at the physicochemical level. It has been proposed that structural modeling can lead to deeper understanding of the mechanisms of protein:DNA interactions, and that progress in this field can not only help to rationalize the observed specificities of DNA-binding proteins but also to allow researchers to engineer novel DNA site specificities. In this review we discuss recent developments in the structural description of protein:DNA interactions and specificity, as well as the challenges facing the field in the future.<br /> (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)