PROSITE documentation PDOC51750

Bro-N domain profile

The baculovirus Bro proteins are encoded by a multigene family. The typical Bro proteins that have been experimentally investigated are BroA, BroC and BroD from Bombyx mori uclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNV). They contain distinct amino- and carboxy-terminal domains (Bro-N and Bro-C, respectively) that are present independently of each other and in distinct contexts in a variety of other viral proteins. The Bro-N domain occurs in a stand-alone form or combined with other domains in proteins from temperate phages that infect Gram-positive bacteria and Myxococcus xanthus, and proteins encoded in the genomes of proteobacteria and Gram positive bacteria. The Bro-N domain appears to define a distinct superfamily of widespread viral DNA-binding domains [1].

Multiple alignment-based secondary-structure prediction of the Bro-N domain reveals a core with two head-to-tail units of a β-hairpin followed by an α-helix. The multiple alignment shows that the Bro-N domains contain two highly conserved aromatic or hydrophobic residues at the end of the second and forth conserved strands [1].

The profile we developed covers the entire Bro-N domain.