Definition of Helix Turn Helix Motif



Helix turn helix motif is a structure found in the proteins that are involved in the process of transcription. These proteins serve the purpose of binding of the transcription factors to the major groove of the DNA. It is known to be an important structural motif that has the capability of binding DNA with it.

 


The two alpha helices are held together by a short chain of amino acids in the monomer and this gets linked to the groove. The proteins that regulate the expression of genes have an HTH motif present in them. There are some types of this motif on the basis of the helices i.e. di-helical, tri-helical, tetra-helical, winged helix turn helix etc.

 

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