Ig/EBP-1: a ubiquitously expressed immunoglobulin enhancer binding protein that is similar to C/EBP and heterodimerizes with C/EBP.
We report the isolation and characterization of cDNA clones that encode a protein with the same DNA binding specificity as the immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer binding protein E (muEBP-E). We call the gene encoding this protein Ig/EBP-1. A fusion protein encoded by the cDNA binds specifically to muEBP-E-binding sites (E sites) in both the IgH enhancer and the VH1 promoter. Sequence analysis reveals that Ig/EBP-1 is a member of the "basic-zipper" family of DNA-binding proteins that are characterized by basic regions and heptad repeats of leucine residues. Among known family members, Ig/EBP-1 demonstrates highest homology to C/EBP throughout the DNA-binding domain and leucine repeat region. Ig/EBP-1 and C/EBP have highly overlapping binding specificities; both cloned proteins bind to the IgH enhancer and the VH1 promoter E sites, and Ig/EBP-1 binds to previously characterized C/EBP binding sites in the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) LTR and the murine albumin promoter. Consistent with their homology in the leucine repeat region, Ig/EBP-1 and C/EBP form heterodimers; Ig/EBP-1 is the first member of this family that has been found to heterodimerize with the well-characterized C/EBP. Ig/EBP-1 mRNA is present in all tissues and cell lines examined, although its levels vary almost 20-fold from different sources, with highest levels in early B cells. In tissues where Ig/EBP-1 and C/EBP are both present, heterodimers may be functionally important. The presence of Ig/EBP-1 in fibroblasts and other tissues where C/EBP is not expressed suggests that Ig/EBP-1 may be functionally important for the activity of the RSV enhancer in these cell types. Finally, elevated expression of Ig/EBP-1 in early B cells may explain in part the enhancer-independent activity of VH promoters early in B-cell development.[1]References
- Ig/EBP-1: a ubiquitously expressed immunoglobulin enhancer binding protein that is similar to C/EBP and heterodimerizes with C/EBP. Roman, C., Platero, J.S., Shuman, J., Calame, K. Genes Dev. (1990) [Pubmed]
Annotations and hyperlinks in this abstract are from individual authors of WikiGenes or automatically generated by the WikiGenes Data Mining Engine. The abstract is from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.About WikiGenesOpen Access LicencePrivacy PolicyTerms of Useapsburg
