scholarly journals CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins: structure, function and regulation

2002 ◽  
Vol 365 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipak P. RAMJI ◽  
Pelagia FOKA

CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins (C/EBPs) are a family of transcription factors that all contain a highly conserved, basic-leucine zipper domain at the C-terminus that is involved in dimerization and DNA binding. At least six members of the family have been isolated and characterized to date (C/EBPα—C/EBPζ), with further diversity produced by the generation of different sized polypeptides, predominantly by differential use of translation initiation sites, and extensive protein—protein interactions both within the family and with other transcription factors. The function of the C/EBPs has recently been investigated by a number of approaches, including studies on mice that lack specific members, and has identified pivotal roles of the family in the control of cellular proliferation and differentiation, metabolism, inflammation and numerous other responses, particularly in hepatocytes, adipocytes and haematopoietic cells. The expression of the C/EBPs is regulated at multiple levels during several physiological and pathophysiological conditions through the action of a range of factors, including hormones, mitogens, cytokines, nutrients and certain toxins. The mechanisms through which the C/EBP members are regulated during such conditions have also been the focus of several recent studies and have revealed an immense complexity with the potential existence of cell/tissue- and species-specific differences. This review deals with the structure, biological function and the regulation of the C/EBP family.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 5662
Author(s):  
Maria Hrmova ◽  
Syed Sarfraz Hussain

Transcription factors (TFs) play a significant role in signal transduction networks spanning the perception of a stress signal and the expression of corresponding stress-responsive genes. TFs are multi-functional proteins that may simultaneously control numerous pathways during stresses in plants—this makes them powerful tools for the manipulation of regulatory and stress-responsive pathways. In recent years, the structure-function relationships of numerous plant TFs involved in drought and associated stresses have been defined, which prompted devising practical strategies for engineering plants with enhanced stress tolerance. Vast data have emerged on purposely basic leucine zipper (bZIP), WRKY, homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-Zip), myeloblastoma (MYB), drought-response elements binding proteins/C-repeat binding factor (DREB/CBF), shine (SHN), and wax production-like (WXPL) TFs that reflect the understanding of their 3D structure and how the structure relates to function. Consequently, this information is useful in the tailored design of variant TFs that enhances our understanding of their functional states, such as oligomerization, post-translational modification patterns, protein-protein interactions, and their abilities to recognize downstream target DNA sequences. Here, we report on the progress of TFs based on their interaction pathway participation in stress-responsive networks, and pinpoint strategies and applications for crops and the impact of these strategies for improving plant stress tolerance.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Long Wang ◽  
Yan Zhong ◽  
Zong-Ming Cheng ◽  
Jin-Song Xiong

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors are the most diverse members of dimerizing transcription factors. In the present study, 50, 116, and 47bZIPgenes were identified inMalus domestica(apple),Prunus persica(peach), andFragaria vesca(strawberry), respectively. Species-specific duplication was the main contributor to the large number ofbZIPsobserved in apple. After WGD in apple genome, orthologousbZIPgenes corresponding to strawberry on duplicated regions in apple genome were retained. However, in peach ancestor, these syntenic regions were quickly lost or deleted. Maybe the positive selection contributed to the expansion of clade S to adapt to the development and environment stresses. In addition, purifying selection was mainly responsible forbZIPsequence-specific DNA binding. The analysis of orthologous pairs between chromosomes indicates that these orthologs derived from one gene duplication located on one of the nine ancient chromosomes in the Rosaceae. The comparative analysis ofbZIPgenes in three species provides information on the evolutionary fate ofbZIPgenes in apple and peach after they diverged from strawberry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Sang ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
Bin Ma ◽  
Xianzhong Huang ◽  
Lu Zhuo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In plants, 14-3-3 proteins, also called GENERAL REGULATORY FACTORs (GRFs), encoded by a large multigene family, are involved in protein–protein interactions and play crucial roles in various physiological processes. No genome-wide analysis of the GRF gene family has been performed in cotton, and their functions in flowering are largely unknown. Results In this study, 17, 17, 31, and 17 GRF genes were identified in Gossypium herbaceum, G. arboreum, G. hirsutum, and G. raimondii, respectively, by genome-wide analyses and were designated as GheGRFs, GaGRFs, GhGRFs, and GrGRFs, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that these proteins were divided into ε and non-ε groups. Gene structural, motif composition, synteny, and duplicated gene analyses of the identified GRF genes provided insights into the evolution of this family in cotton. GhGRF genes exhibited diverse expression patterns in different tissues. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays showed that the GhGRFs interacted with the cotton FLOWERING LOCUS T homologue GhFT in the cytoplasm and nucleus, while they interacted with the basic leucine zipper transcription factor GhFD only in the nucleus. Virus-induced gene silencing in G. hirsutum and transgenic studies in Arabidopsis demonstrated that GhGRF3/6/9/15 repressed flowering and that GhGRF14 promoted flowering. Conclusions Here, 82 GRF genes were identified in cotton, and their gene and protein features, classification, evolution, and expression patterns were comprehensively and systematically investigated. The GhGRF3/6/9/15 interacted with GhFT and GhFD to form florigen activation complexs that inhibited flowering. However, GhGRF14 interacted with GhFT and GhFD to form florigen activation complex that promoted flowering. The results provide a foundation for further studies on the regulatory mechanisms of flowering.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 1045
Author(s):  
Yuping Xu ◽  
Yongchun Wang ◽  
Huizhang Zhao ◽  
Mingde Wu ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
...  

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins family is one of the largest and most diverse transcription factors, widely distributed in eukaryotes. However, no information is available regarding the bZIP gene family in Coniothyrium minitans, an important biocontrol agent of the plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In this study, we identified 34 bZIP genes from the C. minitans genome, which were classified into 8 groups based on their phylogenetic relationships. Intron analysis showed that 28 CmbZIP genes harbored a variable number of introns, and 15 of them shared a feature that intron inserted into the bZIP domain. The intron position in bZIP domain was highly conserved, which was related to recognize the arginine (R) and could be treated as a genomic imprinting. Expression analysis of the CmbZIP genes in response to abiotic stresses indicated that they might play distinct roles in abiotic stress responses. Results showed that 22 CmbZIP genes were upregulated during the later stage of conidial development. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis indicated that CmbZIP genes are involved in different stages of mycoparasitism. Among deletion mutants of four CmbZIPs (CmbZIP07, -09, -13, and -16), only ΔCmbZIP16 mutants significantly reduced its tolerance to the oxidative stress. The other mutants exhibited no significant effects on colony morphology, mycelial growth, conidiation, and mycoparasitism. Taken together, our results suggested that CmbZIP genes play important roles in the abiotic stress responses, conidial development, and mycoparasitism. These results provide comprehensive information of the CmbZIP gene family and lay the foundation for further research on the bZIP gene family regarding their biological functions and evolutionary history.


2003 ◽  
Vol 374 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. DEPPMANN ◽  
Tina M. THORNTON ◽  
Fransiscus E. UTAMA ◽  
Elizabeth J. TAPAROWSKY

BATF is a member of the AP-1 (activator protein-1) family of bZIP (basic leucine zipper) transcription factors that form transcriptionally inhibitory, DNA binding heterodimers with Jun proteins. In the present study, we demonstrate that BATF is phosphorylated in vivo on multiple serine and threonine residues and at least one tyrosine residue. Reverse-polarity PAGE revealed that serine-43 and threonine-48 within the DNA binding domain of BATF are phosphorylated. To model phosphorylation of the BATF DNA binding domain, serine-43 was replaced by an aspartate residue. BATF(S43D) retains the ability to dimerize with Jun proteins in vitro and in vivo, and the BATF(S43D):Jun heterodimer localizes properly to the nucleus of cells. Interestingly, BATF(S43D) functions like wild-type BATF to reduce AP-1-mediated gene transcription, despite the observed inability of the BATF(S43D):Jun heterodimer to bind DNA. These data demonstrate that phosphorylation of serine-43 converts BATF from a DNA binding into a non-DNA binding inhibitor of AP-1 activity. Given that 40% of mammalian bZIP transcription factors contain a residue analogous to serine-43 of BATF in their DNA binding domains, the phosphorylation event described here represents a mechanism that is potentially applicable to the regulation of many bZIP proteins.


2000 ◽  
Vol 148 (6) ◽  
pp. 1165-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sirpa Aho ◽  
Monique Buisson ◽  
Tiina Pajunen ◽  
Young W. Ryoo ◽  
Jean-Francois Giot ◽  
...  

The major target tissues for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection are B lymphocytes and epithelial cells of the oropharyngeal zone. The product of the EBV BZLF1 early gene, EB1, a member of the basic leucine-zipper family of transcription factors, interacts with both viral and cellular promoters and transcription factors, modulating the reactivation of latent EBV infection. Here, we characterize a novel cellular protein interacting with the basic domains of EB1 and c-Jun, and competing of their binding to the AP1 consensus site. The transcript is present in a wide variety of human adult, fetal, and tumor tissues, and the protein is detected in the nuclei throughout the human epidermis and as either grainy or punctuate nuclear staining in the cultured keratinocytes. The overexpression of tagged cDNA constructs in keratinocytes revealed that the NH2 terminus is essential for the nuclear localization, while the central domain is responsible for the interaction with EB1 and for the phenotype of transfected keratinocytes similar to terminal differentiation. The gene was identified in tail-to-tail orientation with the periplakin gene (PPL) in human chromosome 16p13.3 and in a syntenic region in mouse chromosome 16. We designated this novel ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein as ubinuclein and the corresponding gene as UBN1.


2004 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 809-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanru Li ◽  
Joel Weidenfeld ◽  
Edward E. Morrisey

ABSTRACT Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 are large multidomain transcriptional regulators belonging to the family of winged-helix DNA binding proteins known as the Fox family. Foxp1 and Foxp2 have been shown to act as transcriptional repressors, while regulatory activity of the recently identified Foxp4 has not been determined. Given the importance of this Fox gene subfamily in neural and lung development, we sought to elucidate the mechanisms by which Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 repress gene transcription. We show that like Foxp1 and Foxp2, Foxp4 represses transcription. Analysis of the N-terminal repression domain in Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 shows that this region contains two separate and distinct repression subdomains that are highly homologous termed subdomain 1 and subdomain 2. However, subdomain 2 is not functional in Foxp4. Screening for proteins that interact with subdomains 1 and 2 of Foxp2 using yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed that subdomain 2 binds to C-terminal binding protein 1, which can synergistically repress transcription with Foxp1 and Foxp2, but not Foxp4. Subdomain 1 contains a highly conserved leucine zipper similar to that found in N-myc and confers homo- and heterodimerization to the Foxp1/2/4 family members. These interactions are dependent on the conserved leucine zipper motif. Finally, we show that the integrity of this subdomain is essential for DNA binding, making Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 the first Fox proteins that require dimerization for DNA binding. These data reveal a complex regulatory mechanism underlying Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 activity, demonstrating that Foxp1, Foxp2, and Foxp4 are the first Fox proteins reported whose activity is regulated by homo- and heterodimerization.


2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Gachon ◽  
Fabienne Fleury Olela ◽  
Olivier Schaad ◽  
Patrick Descombes ◽  
Ueli Schibler

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