helix-turn-helix

noun

A structural motif where two alpha helices are joined by a short amino acid loop, frequently acting as a DNA binding site.

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Meanings

nounhelix-turn-helix (usually uncountable, plural helix-turn-helices)

plural helix-turn-helices

  1. uncountableusuallybiochemistryA structural motif where two alpha helices are joined by a short amino acid loop, frequently acting as a DNA binding site.

Origin

From helix + turn + helix. The term got its name from its distinct physical geometry; two alpha helices separated by a short amino acid sequence connecting the helices, where one helix recognizes and binds to a specific sequence in DNA.

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Cite this entry
APA

helix-turn-helix. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helix-turn-helix

MLA

“helix-turn-helix.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helix-turn-helix. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “helix-turn-helix,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/helix-turn-helix.

Source: helix-turn-helix on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.