Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 2, 2026

In Vitro Selection of Engineered Transcriptional Repressors for Targeted Epigenetic Silencing
Published on: May 5, 2023
Price of disorder in the lac repressor hinge helix
Danielle Seckfort1, B Montgomery Pettitt1,2
1Structural and Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Abstract:
The Lac system of genes has been pivotal in understanding gene regulation. When the lac repressor protein binds to the correct DNA sequence, the hinge region of the protein goes through a disorder to order transition. The structure of this region of the protein is well understood when it is in this bound conformation, but less so when it is not. Structural studies show that this region is flexible. Our simulations show this region is extremely flexible in solution; however, a high concentration of salt can help kinetically trap the hinge helix. Thermodynamically, disorder is more favorable without the DNA present.
Related Concept Videos
Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors
Transcription of prokaryotic...
Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors
Co-activators and Co-repressors
Co-activators and Co-repressors
The DNA Helix
The DNA Helix

