The molecular basis of DNA-protein recognition inferred from the structure of cro repressor.

Recognition by cro repressor protein of its specific DNA binding sites appears to occur via multidentate hydrogen bonds between amino acid side chains of the protein and base-pair atoms in the major groove of right-handed B-form DNA. Most of the sequence-specific interactions between cro and DNA, as well as a number of sequence-independent ones, are mediated by a two-alpha-helical unit which appears to be common to many proteins that regulate gene expression.