KRAB Zinc Finger Proteins coordinate across evolutionary time scales to battle retroelements
Citations Over Time
Abstract
KRAB Zinc Finger Proteins (KZNFs) are the largest and fastest evolving family of human transcription factors 1,2 . The evolution of this protein family is closely linked to the tempo of retrotransposable element (RTE) invasions, with specific KZNF family members demonstrated to transcriptionally repress specific families of RTEs 3,4 . The competing selective pressures between RTEs and the KZNFs results in evolutionary arms races whereby KZNFs evolve to recognize RTEs, while RTEs evolve to escape KZNF recognition 5 . Evolutionary analyses of the primate-specific RTE family L1PA and two of its KZNF binders, ZNF93 and ZNF649, reveal specific nucleotide and amino changes consistent with an arms race scenario. Our results suggest a model whereby ZNF649 and ZNF93 worked together to target independent motifs within the L1PA RTE lineage. L1PA elements eventually escaped the concerted action of this KZNF “team” over ∼30 million years through two distinct mechanisms: a slow accumulation of point mutations in the ZNF649 binding site and a rapid, massive deletion of the entire ZNF93 binding site.
Related Papers
- → FOG, a Multitype Zinc Finger Protein, Acts as a Cofactor for Transcription Factor GATA-1 in Erythroid and Megakaryocytic Differentiation(1997)717 cited
- → Stress induced and nuclear localized HIPP26 from Arabidopsis thaliana interacts via its heavy metal associated domain with the drought stress related zinc finger transcription factor ATHB29(2008)137 cited
- → Thionein (apometallothionein) can modulate DNA binding and transcription activation by zinc finger containing factor Spl(1991)253 cited
- Fiz1: A Novel Zinc–finger Protein Binds the NRL Transcription Factor Using Internal Domains Different from its RTK–Binding Domains(2004)
- → Faculty Opinions recommendation of The zinc finger transcription factor Gfi1, implicated in lymphomagenesis, is required for inner ear hair cell differentiation and survival.(2003)