Characterization of the Drosophila group ortholog to the amino-terminus of the alpha-thalassemia and mental retardation X-Linked (ATRX) vertebrate protein.

The human ATRX gene encodes hATRX, a chromatin-remodeling protein harboring an helicase/ATPase and ADD domains. The ADD domain has two zinc fingers that bind to histone tails and mediate hATRX binding to chromatin. dAtrx, the putative ATRX homolog in Drosophila melanogaster, has a conserved helicase/ATPase domain but lacks the ADD domain.