Medical Definition of Zinc finger
1.
A specialised protein group that is characterised by a single zinc atom associated with DNA binding proteins. A loop of 12 amino acids contains either 2 cysteine and 2 histidine groups (a cysteine histidine zinc finger) or 4 cysteines (a cysteine cysteine zinc finger), that directly co ordinate a zinc atom. The loops (usually present in multiples) intercalate directly into the DNA helix. Originally identified in the RNA polymerase III transcription factor TFIIIA.
This entry appears with permission from the Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology
(11 Mar 2008)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Zinc Finger
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