title: ZNF322, a novel human C2H2 Kruppel-like zinc-finger protein, regulates transcriptional activation in MAPK signaling pathways.
abstract: Cardiac differentiation involves a cascade of coordinated gene expression that regulates cell proliferation and matrix protein formation in a defined temporal-spatial manner. The C(2)H(2) zinc finger-containing transcription factors have been implicated as critical regulators of multiple cardiac-expressed genes and are important for human heart development and diseases. Here we have identified and characterized a novel zinc-finger gene named ZNF322 using degenerated primers from a human embryo heart cDNA library. The gene contains four exons and spans 23.2kb in chromosome 6p22.1 region, and transcribes a 2.7kb mRNA that encodes a protein with 402 amino acid residues. The predicted protein contains 9 tandem C(2)H(2)-type zinc-finger motifs. Northern blot analysis shows that ZNF322 is expressed in every human tissue examined at adult stage and during embryonic developmental stages from 80 days to 24 weeks. When overexpressed in COS-7 cells, ZNF322-EGFP fusion protein is detected in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Reporter gene assays show that ZNF322 is a transcriptional activator. Furthermore, overexpression of ZNF322 in COS-7 cells activates the transcriptional activity of SRE and AP-1. Together, these results suggest that ZNF322 is a member of the zinc-finger transcription factor family and may act as a positive regulator in gene transcription mediated by the MAPK signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: The Center for Heart Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan, Peoples' Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yongqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuequn
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Caibo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wuzhou
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chuanbing
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Weiqi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Xiushan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Mingyao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000502:physiology; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C486563:BCL11A protein, human; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases