Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Acute Myeloid Leukemia, including details on aml, symptoms, treatment, information.

The DEK protein--an abundant and ubiquitous constituent of mammalian chromatin.

Waldmann T, Scholten I, Kappes F, Hu HG, Knippers R

University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, 78457 Konstanz, Germany. Tanja.Waldmann@gmx.de

The protein DEK is an abundant and ubiquitous chromatin protein in multicellular organisms (not in yeast). It is expressed in more than a million copies/nucleus of rapidly proliferating mammalian cells. DEK has two DNA binding modules of which one includes a SAP box, a sequence motif that DEK shares with a number of other chromatin proteins. DEK has no apparent affinity to specific DNA sequences, but preferentially binds to superhelical and cruciform DNA, and induces positive supercoils into closed circular DNA. The available evidence strongly suggests that DEK could function as an architectural protein in chromatin comparable to the better known classic architectural chromatin proteins, the high-mobility group or HMG proteins.

Published 26 November 2004 in Gene, 343(1): 1-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research Today. All Rights Reserved.