title: Nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) and cellular senescence.
abstract: NF-Y, also termed CBF, is a major CCAAT-binding transcription factor that specifically recognizes the consensus sequence 5'-CTGATTGGYYRR-3 or 5'-YYRRCCAATCAG-3' (Y = pyrimidines and R = purines) present in the promoter region of many constitutive, inducible, and cell-cycle-dependent eukaryotic genes. The functional NF-Y is a heterotrimeric protein, consisting of three different subunits, A, B, and C. Each of the three subunits contains two or three distinct protein-interacting domains for trimer formation and for interacting with other nuclear proteins. Only the trimeric NF-Y, and not the individual subunit, possess DNA-binding activity. The transcriptional activity of NF-Y can be regulated by differential expression, alternative splicing, protein-protein interactions, and cellular redox potential. The regulation of thymidine kinase (TK) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) genes in human diploid fibroblasts serves as an example of how NF-Y may have a role in replicative senescence by regulating age-dependent G1/S genes.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Molecular Biosciences, and, Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854-8087, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matuoka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yu Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; C402244:nuclear factor Y