Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1998 Sep 4;94(5):585-94.
doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81600-1.

Crystal structure of a Smad MH1 domain bound to DNA: insights on DNA binding in TGF-beta signaling

Y Shi  1 , Y F Wang, L Jayaraman, H Yang, J Massagué, N P Pavletich
Affiliations
Free article

Crystal structure of a Smad MH1 domain bound to DNA: insights on DNA binding in TGF-beta signaling

Y Shi et al. Cell. .
Free article

Abstract

The Smad family of proteins, which are frequently targeted by tumorigenic mutations in cancer, mediate TGF-beta signaling from cell membrane to nucleus. The crystal structure of a Smad3 MH1 domain bound to an optimal DNA sequence determined at 2.8 A resolution reveals a novel DNA-binding motif. In the crystals, base-specific DNA recognition is provided exclusively by a conserved 11-residue beta hairpin that is embedded in the major groove of DNA. A surface loop region, to which tumorigenic mutations map, has been identified as a functional surface important for Smad activity. This structure establishes a framework for understanding how Smad proteins may act in concert with other transcription factors in the regulation of TGF-beta-responsive genes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types

Associated data