title: Functional and physical associations between NF-kappa B and C/EBP family members: a Rel domain-bZIP interaction.
abstract: NF-kappa B and C/EBP represent distinct families of transcription factors that target unique DNA enhancer elements. The heterodimeric NF-kappa B complex is composed of two subunits, a 50- and a 65-kDa protein. All members of the NF-kappa B family, including the product of the proto-oncogene c-rel, are characterized by their highly homologous approximately 300-amino-acid N-terminal region. This Rel homology domain mediates DNA binding, dimerization, and nuclear targeting of these proteins. C/EBP contains the bZIP region, which is characterized by two motifs in the C-terminal half of the protein: a basic region involved in DNA binding and a leucine zipper motif involved in dimerization. The C/EBP family consist of several related proteins, C/EBP alpha, C/EBP beta, C/EBP gamma, and C/EBP delta, that form homodimers and that form heterodimers with each other. We now demonstrated the unexpected cross-coupling of members of the NF-kappa B family three members of the C/EBP family. NF-kappa B p65, p50, and Rel functionally synergize with C/EBP alpha, C/EBP beta, and C/EBP delta. This cross-coupling results in the inhibition of promoters with kappa B enhancer motifs and in the synergistic stimulation of promoters with C/EBP binding sites. These studies demonstrate that NF-kappa B augments gene expression mediated by a multimerized c-fos serum response element in the presence of C/EBP. We show a direct physical association of the bZIP region of C/EBP with the Rel homology domain of NF-kappa B. The cross-coupling of NF-kappa B with C/EBP highlights a mechanism of gene regulation involving an interaction between distinct transcription factor families.
authors.affiliation: Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Cogswell
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Baldwin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D016328:NF-kappa B; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA