Definition for View source for Leucine zipper

A leucine zipper, aka leucine scissors, is a common three-dimensional structural motif in proteins. These motifs are usually found as part of a DNA-binding domain in various transcription factors, and are therefore involved in regulating gene expression. Leucine zippers are found in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic regulatory proteins, but are mainly a feature of eukaryotes.

The leucine zipper is a super-secondary structure that functions as a dimerization domain, and its presence generates adhesion forces in parallel alpha helices. A single leucine zipper consists of multiple leucine residues at approximately 7-residue intervals, which forms an amphipathic alpha helix with a hydrophobic region running along one side. This hydrophobic region provides an area for dimerization, allowing the motifs to "zip" together. Furthermore, the hydrophobic leucine region is absolutely required for DNA binding.