Zinc-binding proteins account for nearly half of the transcription regulatory proteins in the human genome and are the most abundant class of proteins in the human proteome. The zinc-binding transcriptional regulatory proteins utilize Zn2+ to fold structural domains that participate in intermolecular interactions. A study by Matt et al. in this issue of the Biochemical Journal has examined the transcription factor binding properties of the zinc-binding module C/H1 (cysteine/histidine-rich region 1) found in the transcriptional co-activator proteins CBP (CREB-binding protein) and p300. Their studies revealed that EDTA treatment of native C/H1 leads to irreversible denaturation and aggregation. Of particular concern is their finding that unfolded C/H1 participates in non-specific protein–protein interactions. The implications of these results are significant. EDTA is a very potent zinc-chelating agent that is used ubiquitously in protein interaction studies and in molecular biology in general. The potentially detrimental effects of EDTA on the structure and interactions of zinc-binding proteins should be taken into account in the interpretation of a sizeable number of published studies and must be considered in future experiments.
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August 2004
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Commentary|
July 27 2004
That zincing feeling: the effects of EDTA on the behaviour of zinc-binding transcriptional regulators
Jennifer K. NYBORG;
Jennifer K. NYBORG
1
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail Jennifer.Nyborg@colostate.edu).
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Olve B. PEERSEN
Olve B. PEERSEN
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1870, U.S.A.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
June 28 2004
Accepted:
June 29 2004
Online ISSN: 1470-8728
Print ISSN: 0264-6021
The Biochemical Society, London
2004
Biochem J (2004) 381 (3): e3.
Article history
Received:
June 28 2004
Accepted:
June 29 2004
Connected Content
This is a commentary on:
The CBP/p300 TAZ1 domain in its native state is not a binding partner of MDM2
Citation
Jennifer K. NYBORG, Olve B. PEERSEN; That zincing feeling: the effects of EDTA on the behaviour of zinc-binding transcriptional regulators. Biochem J 1 August 2004; 381 (3): e3. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BJ20041096
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