Correlation of the side-chain hubs with the functional residues in DNA binding protein structures.

The structure networks of DNA-binding proteins have been constructed and analyzed. The detailed analysis of the networks indicates a strong relation between the positions of the residues interacting with DNA and those that form extensive interactions within the protein structure (called hubs). This study shows that the functional residues in these proteins are held in place by efficient scaffolding of the structure using side-chain interactions, thus highlighting the role of these side-chain hubs with respect to the functional residues in the protein structure.