DTGmotif

DTGmotif is a degenerate DNA sequence motif defined by the IUPAC pattern DTG, where D stands for any nucleotide except C (that is A, G, or T), T is thymine, and G is guanine. As a trinucleotide motif, it encompasses the three sequences ATG, GTG, and TTG.

Used in computational genomics, DTGmotif serves as a shorthand for scanning promoter and regulatory regions for potential transcription factor binding sites. Its degeneracy allows it to capture variability at the first position while maintaining a fixed central and terminal base, which can influence protein-DNA interactions.

DTGmotif is identified through motif discovery algorithms and motif scans. When searching genomes, researchers may report occurrences as exact matches (ATG, GTG, TTG) or in degenerate form with IUPAC notation, and assess enrichment relative to background sequence models via statistical tests.

Biological interpretation is context-dependent. The presence of a DTG motif in a promoter region does not guarantee binding by a specific factor; it may reflect a broader affinity for thymine-rich regions or be part of larger motif families. Functional validation is typically required.

See also: IUPAC nucleotide code; transcription factor binding site; promoter; motif discovery.