title: NFATp, a cyclosporin-sensitive transcription factor implicated in cytokine gene induction.
abstract: The transcription factor NFATp (nuclear factor of activated T cells, preexisting) is likely to regulate the cyclosporin-sensitive transcription of cytokine genes and other activation-associated genes during the immune response. NFATp is the first identified member of a new family of transcription factors, whose DNA binding domains show a weak sequence similarity to those of the Rel (NF-kappa B) family of proteins. NFATp is expressed in several types of immune cells as a cytosolic protein that translocates to the nucleus following activation. The nuclear translocation is regulated by calcium and calcineurin and inhibited by cyclosporin A and FK506. In the nucleus, NFATp cooperates with Fos-Jun dimers and possibly with other transcription factors at composite elements in the regulatory regions of cytokine genes. The potential roles of NFATp and a related family member, NFATc, in cytokine gene transcription are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000502:physiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016572:Cyclosporine