ABSTRACT
Structural biology has made a tremendous impact on our understanding of how transcription factors bind to and recognize their specific DNA targets. Over the last 15 years the structures of several hundred protein—DNA complexes have been determined by X-ray crystallography or NMR spectroscopy. These include many DNA-binding domains from both prokaryotic and eukaryotic transcriptional regulators (Lilley, 1995) and more recently, the structures of an increasing number of multiprotein—DNA complexes (Chen, 1999). As a result of these structures we are beginning to understand the myriad of protein—DNA and protein—protein interactions that bring about the precise regulation of gene transcription.
