Altering the Double-Stranded DNA Specificity of the bZIP Domain of Zta with Site-Directed Mutagenesis at N182

[Image: see text] Zta, the Epstein–Barr virus bZIP transcription factor (TF), binds both unmethylated and methylated double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in a sequence-specific manner. We studied the contribution of a conserved asparagine (N182) to sequence-specific dsDNA binding to four types of dsDNA: (i) dsDNA with cytosine in both strands ((DNA(C|C)), (ii, iii) dsDNA with 5-methylcytosine (5mC, M) or 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC, H) in one strand and cytosine in the second strand ((DNA(5mC|C) and DNA(5hmC|C)), and (iv) dsDNA with methylated cytosine in both strands in all CG dinucleotides ((DNA(5mCG)). We replaced asparagine with five similarly sized amino acids (glutamine (Q), serine (S), threonine (T), isoleucine (I), or valine (V)) and used protein binding microarrays to evaluate sequence-specific dsDNA binding. Zta preferentially binds the pseudo-palindrome TRE (AP1) motif (T(–4)G(–3)A(-2G)/(C)(0)T(2)C(3)A(4)). Zta (N182Q) changes binding to A(3) in only one half-site. Zta(N182S) changes binding to G(3) in one or both halves of the motif. Zta(N182S) and Zta(N182Q) have 34- and 17-fold weaker median dsDNA binding, respectively. Zta(N182V) and Zta(N182I) have increased binding to dsDNA(5mC|C). Molecular dynamics simulations rationalize some of these results, identifying hydrogen bonds between glutamine and A(3), but do not reveal why serine preferentially binds G(3), suggesting that entropic interactions may mediate this new binding specificity.