title: Regulated expression of three C/EBP isoforms during adipose conversion of 3T3-L1 cells.
abstract: In an effort to identify protein factors that play a regulatory role in the differentiation of adipocytes, we have isolated two genes that encode polypeptides related to CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP; hereafter termed C/EBP alpha). The proteins encoded by these C/EBP-related genes, termed C/EBP beta and C/EBP delta, exhibit similar DNA-binding specificities and affinities compared with C/EBP alpha. Furthermore, C/EBP beta and C/EBP delta readily form heterodimers with one another as well as with C/EBP alpha. The transcriptional activating capacity of these two newly identified C/EBP isoforms was demonstrated by transient transfection experiments in which expression vectors encoding C/EBP beta and C/EBP delta were observed to induce transcription from the promoter of the serum albumin gene in cultured hepatoma cells. The mRNAs encoding C/EBP beta and C/EBP delta were detected in a number of tissues, most of which corresponded to sites of expression of C/EBP alpha. The expression pattern of C/EBP beta and C/EBP delta during adipose conversion of 3T3-L1 cells was examined by Western and Northern blotting assays. In contrast to the expression profile of the gene encoding C/EBP alpha, whose product is not detectable until the late phase of adipocyte differentiation, the c/ebp beta and c/ebp delta genes were actively expressed very early during adipocyte differentiation. Moreover, transcription of the c/ebp beta and c/ebp delta genes was observed to be induced directly by adipogenic hormones. The accumulation of C/EBP beta and C/EBP delta reached a maximal level during the first 2 days of differentiation and declined sharply before the onset of C/EBP alpha accumulation. The temporal pattern of expression of these three C/EBP isoforms during adipocyte differentiation may reflect the underpinnings of a regulatory cascade that controls the process of terminal cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Embryology, Howard Hughes Research Laboratories, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Baltimore, Maryland 21210.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Umek
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: McKnight
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D004247:DNA