Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain of uncharaterized Plant BZIP transcription factors: a DNA-binding and dimerization domain
This subfamily is composed of uncharacterized plant bZIP transciption factors with similarity to Glycine max BZIP46, which may be a drought-responsive gene. Plant bZIPs are involved in developmental and physiological processes in response to stimuli/stresses such as light, hormones, and temperature changes. bZIP factors act in networks of homo and heterodimers in the regulation of a diverse set of cellular processes. The bZIP structural motif contains a basic region and a leucine zipper, composed of alpha helices with leucine residues 7 amino acids apart, which stabilize dimerization with a parallel leucine zipper domain. Dimerization of leucine zippers creates a pair of the adjacent basic regions that bind DNA and undergo conformational change. Dimerization occurs in a specific and predictable manner resulting in hundreds of dimers having unique effects on transcription.