Transcription factor

About: Transcription factor is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 82881 publications have been published within this topic receiving 5400448 citations. The topic is also known as: transcription factors.

NRF2, a member of the NFE2 family of transcription factors, is not essential for murine erythropoiesis, growth, and development.

Abstract: The locus control region of the beta-globin gene is composed of four erythroid-specific hypersensitive sites. Hypersensitive site 2 has been shown to be a powerful enhancer and contains a tandem repeat sequence for the transcription factors AP1 and NFE2 (activating protein 1 and nuclear factor erythroid 2, respectively). The human NRF2 (NFE2 related factor 2) has been isolated by bacterial expression screening using this core sequence as a probe. p45-NFE2, NRF1, and NRF2 belong to the CNC ("cap 'n' collar") subfamily of the basic region-leucine zipper transcription factors, which exhibits strong homology at specific regions such as the "CNC" and the DNA binding and leucine zipper domains. Although the erythroid-specific p45-NFE2 has been implicated in globin gene regulation, p45-NFE2 null mice succumb to bleedings due to lack of platelets and those that survive exhibit only a mild anemia. To determine the function of NRF2, which we found to be widely expressed in vivo, we have characterized the genomic structure of the mouse NRF2 gene, disrupted the Nrf2 gene by homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells (ES cells), and generated NRF2-/- mice. Homozygous mutant mice developed normally, were not anemic, reached adulthood, and reproduced. Our studies indicate that NRF2 is dispensable for mouse development.

Proteins of transcription factor ISGF-3: one gene encodes the 91-and 84-kDa ISGF-3 proteins that are activated by interferon alpha.

Abstract: ISGF-3 is an interferon-dependent positive-acting transcription factor that is cytoplasmically activated, possibly through direct interaction with the interferon receptor. The factor has been purified, its component proteins have been separated, and its peptide sequences have been obtained. From the sequences, degenerate oligonucleotide probes were constructed to screen for cDNA clones. Sequencing of the selected clones shows that the 91- and 84-kDa components represent two forms of a previously unknown (to our knowledge) protein. Several antibodies raised against these proteins prove that they indeed do encode protein components of ISGF-3. This work provides reagents to explore the modification of this cytoplasmically activated transcription factor.

Interleukin-3, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and interleukin-5 transduce signals through two STAT5 homologs.

Abstract: Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is an important regulator of hemopoiesis and considerable effort has been directed towards the study of its mechanism of signal transduction. In this paper, we describe the first molecular identification of a STAT transcription factor that is activated by IL-3. STATs exist in a cytoplasmic, transcriptionally inactive form which, in response to extracellular signals, become tyrosine phosphorylated and translocate to the nucleus where they bind to specific DNA elements. Several of these DNA elements were found which bind proteins in an IL-3-responsive manner. Analysis of these bandshift complexes with available antibodies to the known STATs suggests that IL-3 activates the DNA-binding ability of STAT5, a protein which was originally characterized as a prolactin-responsive transcription factor in sheep. IL-5 and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which share a common signaling receptor subunit with IL-3, also activate STAT5. Unexpectedly, two murine STAT5 homologs, 96% identical to each other at the amino acid level, were isolated and IL-3-dependent GAS binding could be reconstituted in COS cells transfected with IL-3 receptor and either STAT5 cDNA. In IL-3-dependent hemopoietic cells, both forms of STAT5 are expressed and activated in response to IL-3.