A Heterodimeric Transcriptional Represser Becomes Crystal Clear

摘要

Over the past decade or so, studies of cell-type determination in budding yeast have consistently affirmed the predictive power of genetics-complex hypotheses, based solely on the analysis, of mutants, have largely withstood the scrutiny of biochemists and molecular biologists. Now, the crystal structure of al/α2 represser, solved,by Li et al. and described in this issue, provides a decisive molecular view of interactions suggested by genetic functional studies in vivo. In addition, the structure provides a first glimpse at what is likely to be a common mechanism by which the activity of transcriptional regulatory proteins is altered by interaction with different partners.