title: The 'zinc knuckle' motif of Early B cell Factor is required for transcriptional activation of B cell-specific genes.
abstract: Early B cell factor (EBF) is a critical regulator of B lymphocyte-specific gene transcription. EBF functions, in part, by binding to regulatory sites of genes required for the pre-B- and mature B cell receptors. These DNA targets include the promoters of the mb-1 and Vpreb1 genes that encode Ig-alpha and one of the components of surrogate light chain, respectively. The biochemical basis of DNA binding and gene activation by EBF is poorly understood. The DNA-binding domain (DBD) of EBF includes a putative zinc-binding motif (HX(3)CX(2)CX(5)C), which we have designated the 'Zn-knuckle'. The Zn-knuckle is required for binding of the mb-1 promoter site in EMSA, but it has not been demonstrated to be important for functional activities of EBF in B cells. Therefore, we expressed EBF with mutations in the Zn-knuckle motif or flanking sequences in plasmacytoma cells in which activation of endogenous mb-1 and Vpreb1 genes is dependent on EBF. EBF with mutations that prevent zinc coordination by the Zn-knuckle did not activate transcription of either target gene. Other mutations affected the sequence preference of DNA binding and differentially inhibited activation of these genes. Our results demonstrate the importance of the Zn-knuckle motif in EBF. These experiments also confirm that EBF can re-activate multiple genes of the early B cell program in plasmacytoma cells, which provide a useful cell-based assay for dissecting mechanisms involving EBF.
authors.affiliation: Integrated Department of Immunology, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, CO 80206, USA.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ternyak
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ostraat
authors.forename: Janie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akerlund
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hagman
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010954:Plasmacytoma / Q000473:pathology; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; D011994:Recombinant Proteins