title: MEF2B is a potent transactivator expressed in early myogenic lineages.
abstract: There are four members of the myocyte enhancer binding factor 2 (MEF2) family of transcription factors, MEF2A, -B, -C, and -D, that have homology within an amino-terminal MADS box and an adjacent MEF2 domain that together mediate dimerization and DNA binding. MEF2A, -C, and -D have previously been shown to bind an A/T-rich DNA sequence in the control regions of numerous muscle-specific genes, whereas MEF2B was reported to be unable to bind this sequence unless the carboxyl terminus was deleted. To further define the functions of MEF2B, we analyzed its DNA binding and transcriptional activities. In contrast to previous studies, our results show that MEF2B binds the same DNA sequence as other members of the MEF2 family and acts as a strong transactivator through that sequence. Transcriptional activation by MEF2B is dependent on the carboxyl terminus, which contains two conserved sequence motifs found in all vertebrate MEF2 factors. During mouse embryogenesis, MEF2B transcripts are expressed in the developing cardiac and skeletal muscle lineages in a temporospatial pattern distinct from but overlapping with those of the other Mef2 genes. The mouse Mef2b gene maps to chromosome 8 and is unlinked to other Mef2 genes; its intron-exon organization is similar to that of the other vertebrate Mef2 genes and the single Drosophila Mef2 gene, consistent with the notion that these different Mef2 genes evolved from a common ancestral gene.
authors.affiliation: Hamon Center for Basic Cancer Research, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 75235-9148, YSA.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Molkentin
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Firulli
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hustad
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lyons
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Olson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015698:Genomic Library; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology; D064326:MEF2 Transcription Factors; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009115:Muridae; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D018006:Myogenic Regulatory Factors; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D064326:MEF2 Transcription Factors; C578036:Mef2a protein, mouse; C578039:Mef2b protein, mouse; D018006:Myogenic Regulatory Factors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors