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  Domain Name: BIR
Inhibitor of Apoptosis domain. BIR stands for 'Baculovirus Inhibitor of apoptosis protein Repeat'. It is found repeated in inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), and in fact it is also known as IAP repeat. These domains characteristically have a number of invariant residues, including 3 conserved cysteines and one conserved histidine that coordinate a zinc ion. They are usually made up of 4-5 alpha helices and a three-stranded beta-sheet. BIR is also found in other proteins known as BIR-domain-containing proteins (BIRPs), such as Survivin.