Disease relevance of MEF2B

• The MEF2B homologue differentially expressed in mouse embryonal carcinoma cells [1].

High impact information on MEF2B

• Here we report a crystal structure of the MADS-box/MEF2S domain of human MEF2B bound to a motif of the transcriptional co-repressor Cabin1 and DNA at 2.2 A resolution [2].
• Although the RSRF mRNAs are expressed in many cell types, RSRFR2 mRNA is expressed at elevated levels in several B-cell lines [3].
• Furthermore, MEF2B overexpression in smooth muscle cells up-regulated the SMHC promoter, suggesting that MEF2B is important for SMHC gene regulation [4].
• Drosophila Mef2 is essential for Drosophila heart development, however, neither MEF2C nor MEF2B are essential for the early stages of murine cardiomyogenesis [5].
• Here, we have characterized the complex between the MEF2-binding motif of class II HDACs and the MADS-box/MEF2S domain of MEF2B by structural and biochemical methods [6].

Biological context of MEF2B

• Functionally, mouse MEF2B did not exhibit DNA binding with the MEF2 consensus element in vitro, but did cause transcriptional activation of the MEF2 element, although it was less effective than human MEF2B [7].
• The predicted amino acid sequence showed strong conservation of the kinase catalytic domain, leucine zipper, potential phosphorylation sites, and MEF2B homologous region, but a relatively unique N:-terminal region [8].
• Endogenous MEF2A and MEF2D, but not MEF2B or MEF2C, were phosphorylated with the induction of apoptosis [9].

References