Dr. Berg is studying the metal-binding domains in nucleic acid binding proteins. The prototype for these proteins is Transcription Factor IIIA which has nine such domains. Approximately 10 other proteins have been discovered that contain repeated units of similar form. In addition, several other classes of nucleic acid binding proteins have sequences that are highly suggestive of metal-binding domains. The research will address three aspects related to these proteins: 1) the three-dimensional structure of the metal-binding domains 2) the function of the metal ion; 3) the design of modules that will have particular metal-binding and nucleic acid binding properties.
