title: Specification of DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB proteins.
abstract: Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a pleiotropic mediator of inducible and specific gene regulation involving diverse biological activities including immune response, inflammation, cell proliferation, and death. The fine-tuning of the NF-kappaB DNA binding activity is essential for its fundamental function as a transcription factor. An increasing body of literature illustrates that this process can be elegantly and specifically controlled at multiple levels by different protein subsets. In particular, the recent identification of a non-Rel subunit of NF-kappaB itself provides a new way to understand the selective high-affinity DNA binding specificity of NF-kappaB conferred by a synergistic interaction within the whole complex. Here, we review the mechanism of the specification of DNA binding activity of NF-kappaB complexes, one of the most important aspects of NF-kappaB transcriptional control.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Fengyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lenardo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D002843:Chromatin / Q000737:chemistry; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D016328:NF-kappa B; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C498143:RELA protein, human; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA