title: MyoD is a sequence-specific DNA binding protein requiring a region of myc homology to bind to the muscle creatine kinase enhancer.
abstract: MyoD is a skeletal muscle-specific protein that is able to induce myogenesis in a wide variety of cell types. In this report, we show that MyoD is a DNA binding protein capable of specific interaction with two regions of the mouse muscle creatine kinase gene upstream enhancer, both of which are required for full muscle-specific enhancer activity. MyoD shares antigenicity and DNA binding specificity with MEF1, a myocyte-specific DNA binding factor. The contiguous basic and myc homology regions of MyoD that are necessary and sufficient for specific DNA interaction are the same regions of the protein required to convert 10T1/2 fibroblasts into muscle. These findings suggest that the biological activity of MyoD is mediated via its capacity for specific DNA interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Lassar
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Buskin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lockshon
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Apone
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hauschka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weintraub
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D051379:Mice; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D009132:Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D017570:MyoD Protein; D009857:Oncogenes; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D017570:MyoD Protein; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D003402:Creatine Kinase