title: Activation of transcription factor SAF involves its phosphorylation by protein kinase C.
abstract: The transcription factor serum amyloid A (SAA)-activating factor (SAF), a family of zinc finger proteins, plays a significant role in the induced expression of the SAA gene. Activity of SAF is regulated by a phosphorylation event involving serine/threonine protein kinase (Ray, A., Schatten, H., and Ray, B. K. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 4300-4308; Ray, A., and Ray, B. K. (1998) Mol. Cell. Biol. 18, 7327-7335). However, the identity of the protein kinase has so far remained unknown. Induction of SAA by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a known agonist of protein kinase C (PKC), suggested a potential role of the PKC signaling pathway in the activation process. The DNA binding activity of endogenous SAF was increased by agonists of PKC. In vitro phosphorylation of SAF-1 by PKC-beta markedly increased its DNA binding ability. Consistent with these findings, treatment of cells with activators of PKC or overexpression of PKC-betaII in transfected cells increased expression of an SAF-regulated promoter. Further analysis with a GAL4 reporter system indicated that PKC-mediated phosphorylation mostly increases the DNA binding activity of SAF-1. Together these data indicated that the PKC signaling pathway plays a major role in controlling expression of SAF-regulated genes by increasing the interaction between promoter DNA and phosphorylated SAF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Ray
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism*; D064546:Protein Kinase C beta; D011817:Rabbits; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014162:Transfection; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D014157:Transcription Factors; C076035:c-MYC-associated zinc finger protein; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D064546:Protein Kinase C beta; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate