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Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain of Activating Transcription Factor-2 (ATF-2) and similar proteins: a DNA-binding and dimerization domain ATF-2 is a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein that belongs to the Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family of transcription factors. In response to stress, it activates a variety of genes including cyclin A, cyclin D, and c-Jun. ATF-2 also plays a role in the DNA damage response that is independent of its transcriptional activity. bZIP factors act in networks of homo and heterodimers in the regulation of a diverse set of cellular processes. The bZIP structural motif contains a basic region and a leucine zipper, composed of alpha helices with leucine residues 7 amino acids apart, which stabilize dimerization with a parallel leucine zipper domain. Dimerization of leucine zippers creates a pair of the adjacent basic regions that bind DNA and undergo conformational change. Dimerization occurs in a specific and predictable manner resulting in hundreds of dimers having unique effects on transcription.
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