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. 1999 Nov 15;344(Pt 1):145–152.

DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USF-1) is regulated by cyclin-dependent phosphorylation.

E Cheung 1, P Mayr 1, F Coda-Zabetta 1, P G Woodman 1, D S Boam 1
PMCID: PMC1220624  PMID: 10548544

Abstract

The ubiquitous transcription factor upstream stimulatory factor (USF) 1 is a member of the bzHLH (leucine zipper-basic-helix-loop-helix) family, which is structurally related to the Myc family of proteins. It plays a role in the regulation of many genes, including the cyclin B1 gene, which is active during the G2/M and M phases of the cell cycle and may also play a role in the regulation of cellular proliferation. We show that the affinity of recombinant USF-1 for DNA is greatly increased by treatment with active cyclin A2-p34(cdc2) or cyclin B1-p34(cdc2) complexes and that its interaction with DNA is dependent on p34(cdc2)-mediated phosphorylation. We have localized the phosphorylation site(s) to a region that lies outside the minimal DNA-binding domain but overlaps with the previously identified USF-specific region. Deletion studies of USF-1 suggest that amino acids 143-197 regulate DNA-binding activity in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.

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Selected References

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