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histone-like DNA-binding protein HU This subfamily includes HU and HU-like domains. HU is a conserved nucleoid-associated protein (NAP) which binds non-specifically to duplex DNA with a particular preference for targeting nicked and bent DNA. It is highly basic and contributes to chromosomal compaction and maintenance of negative supercoiling, thus often referred to as histone-like protein. HU can induce DNA bends, condense DNA in a fiber and also interact with single stranded DNA. It contains two homologous subunits, alpha and beta, typically forming homodimers (alpha-alpha and beta-beta), except in E. coli and other enterobacteria, which form heterodimers (alpha-beta). In E. coli, HU binds uniformly to the chromosome, with a preference for damaged or distorted DNA structures and can introduce negative supercoils into closed circular DNA in the presence of topoisomerase I. Anabaena HU (AHU) shows preference for A/T-rich region in the center of its DNA binding site.
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Jiyao W et al.(2023). "The conserved domain database in 2023.",