A large class of arthropod transcription factors is formed by proteins with a characteristic N-terminal Zinc-finger-Associated Domain (ZAD) which contains four cysteine residues that coordinate a zinc ion. The number of putative proteins with ZAD in the Drosophila genome exceeds 90, and the degree of sequence similarity between these domains can be as low as 23%. Efficient binding of ZADs from the proteins Grau, ZIPIC, and Zw5 to the translation elongation factor EF1α1 in nuclear and cytoplasmic extracts has been demonstrated. EF1α1 is probably involved in the regulation of the activity of ZAD-containing transcription factors.
Keywords: Drosophila; EF1α1; GST-pulldown; ZAD domain; insulators; mass spectrometry; transcription factors.