title: A general method to design dominant negatives to B-HLHZip proteins that abolish DNA binding.
abstract: We describe a method to design dominant-negative proteins (D-N) to the basic helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (B-HLHZip) family of sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factors. The D-Ns specifically heterodimerize with the B-HLHZip dimerization domain of the transcription factors and abolish DNA binding in an equimolar competition. Thermal denaturation studies indicate that a heterodimer between a Myc B-HLHZip domain and a D-N consisting of a 12-amino acid sequence appended onto the Max dimerization domain (A-Max) is -6.3 kcal.mol-1 more stable than the Myc:Max heterodimer. One molar equivalent of A-Max can totally abolish the DNA binding activity of a Myc:Max heterodimer. This acidic extension also has been appended onto the dimerization domain of the B-HLHZip protein Mitf, a member of the transcription factor enhancer binding subfamily, to produce A-Mitf. The heterodimer between A-Mitf and the B-HLHZip domain of Mitf is -3.7 kcal.mol-1 more stable than the Mitf homodimer. Cell culture studies show that A-Mitf can inhibit Mitf-dependent transactivation both in acidic extension and in a dimerization-dependent manner. A-Max can inhibit Myc-dependent foci formation twice as well as the Max dimerization domain (HLHZip). This strategy of producing D-Ns may be applicable to other B-HLHZip or B-HLH proteins because it provides a method to inhibit the DNA binding of these transcription factors in a dimerization-specific manner.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry, National Cancer Institute, Building 37, Room 4D06, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krylov
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Echlin
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Taparowsky
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arnheiter
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vinson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D019281:Dimerization; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015202:Protein Engineering; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors