Two nearby sites bind zen protein independently

The region upstream from the zerknullt (zen) gene contains three sites that specifically bind the zen protein product of the gene. Evidence for these binding sites was obtained by the filter binding technique and the DNase footprinting technique. The filter binding technique was used to scan various segments of DNA for the presence of possible specific binding sites. Segments that were selectively retained by the filter binding technique invariably contained one or more specific binding sites according to the DNase footprinting technique. Two of the zen protein binding sites were spaced only 30 base pairs apart. These sites could be separated without any loss in their specific binding properties. It is concluded that these two sites function independently in the binding of zen protein.