InterPro domain: IPR004401

This is a family of DNA-binding proteins. It is restricted to bacteria and plants. Members of this family form homodimers which bind DNA via a tweezer-like structure [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The conformation of the DNA is changed when bound to these proteins [ 5 ]. In bacteria, these proteins may play a role in DNA replication-recovery following DNA damage [ 5 ]. The plant form contains an additional N-terminal region that may serve as a transit peptide and shows a close relationship to the cyanobacterial member, suggesting that it is a chloroplast protein.

The crystal structure YbaB from Haemophilus influenzae revealed a core structure consisting of two layers, alpha/beta; YbaB forms a tight dimer with a 3-layer structure, beta/alpha/beta [ 5 ].

1. Crystal structure of YbaB from Haemophilus influenzae (HI0442), a protein of unknown function coexpressed with the recombinational DNA repair protein RecR. Proteins 50, 375-9
2. DNA-binding by Haemophilus influenzae and Escherichia coli YbaB, members of a widely-distributed bacterial protein family. BMC Microbiol. 9, 137
3. Borrelia burgdorferi EbfC defines a newly-identified, widespread family of bacterial DNA-binding proteins. Nucleic Acids Res. 37, 1973-83
4. EbfC (YbaB) is a new type of bacterial nucleoid-associated protein and a global regulator of gene expression in the Lyme disease spirochete. J. Bacteriol. 194, 3395-406