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Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain of X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and similar proteins: a DNA-binding and dimerization domain XBP1, a member of the Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) family, is the key transcription factor that orchestrates the unfolded protein response (UPR). It is the most conserved component of the UPR and is critical for cell fate determination in response to ER stress. The inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1)-XBP1 pathway is one of the three major sensors at the ER membrane that initiates the UPR upon activation. IRE1, a type I transmembrane protein kinase and endoribonuclease, oligomerizes upon ER stress leading to its increased activity. It splices the XBP1 mRNA, producing a variant that translocates to the nucleus and activates its target genes, which are involved in protein folding, degradation, and trafficking. 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.
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