The LIM domain: regulation by association

The LIM domain is a zinc finger structure that is present in several types of proteins, including homeodomain transcription factors, kinases and prote ins that consist of several LIM domains. Proteins containing LIM domains ha ve been discovered to play important roles in a variety of fundamental biol ogical processes including cytoskeleton organization, cell lineage specific ation and organ development, but also for pathological functions such as on cogenesis, leading to human disease. The LIM domain has been demonstrated t o be a protein-protein interaction motif that is critically involved in the se processes. The recent isolation and analysis of more LIM domain-containi ng proteins from several species have confirmed and broadened our knowledge about LIM protein function. Furthermore, the identification and characteri zation of factors that interact with LIM domains illuminates mechanisms of combinatorial developmental regulation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland L td. All rights reserved.