Hi Everyone, One of the proteins I work with is a transcription factor that binds to two direct repeats in its cognate binding site. That my protein binds direct repeats is unlike most other members of its family that bind to inverted repeats. One of the reviewers of a paper that my colleagues and I submitted would like to know what the significance of having a direct repeat is vs. an inverted repeat is.
So I dug around and learned the following about inverted repeats: (1) Inverted repeats can form intramolecular hairpin or cruciform structures. (2) Inverted repeats play diverse roles in biological processes (DNA replication, transcriptional regulation, translational control etc). (3) Inverted repeats can cause genome instability and genomic rearrangements. (4) Inverted repeats are associated with several human diseases. Is there anything known about whether one type of repeat or the other predominates in nature? Is anyone able to add anything more than the above about the particular significance of why nature may have chosen a direct repeat in the case of my protein instead of an inverted repeat? Also, any pointers towards relevant literature would be great. My searches thus far haven't yielded much more than what I've shared above. Many thanks! Raji -- Raji Edayathumangalam Instructor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School Research Associate, Brigham and Women's Hospital Visiting Research Scholar, Brandeis University
