The Pleiotropic Face of CREB Family Transcription Factors

• Published in: Molecules and cells Vol. 46; no. 7; pp. 399 - 413
• Main Authors: Chowdhury, Md Arifur Rahman, An, Jungeun, Jeong, Sangyun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 31.07.2023; 한국분자세포생물학회
• Subjects: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein - genetics; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein - metabolism; Minireview; Phosphorylation; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Transcription, Genetic; 생물학; neurodegenerative diseases; CREB; differential phosphorylation; pleiotropic; cAMP responsive element
• ISSN: 1016-8478; 0219-1032
• DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2023.2193

cAMP responsive element-binding protein (CREB) is one of the most intensively studied phosphorylation-dependent transcription factors that provide evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of differential gene expression in vertebrates and invertebrates. Many cellular protein kinases that function downstream of distinct cell surface receptors are responsible for the activation of CREB. Upon functional dimerization of the activated CREB to -acting cAMP responsive elements within the promoters of target genes, it facilitates signal-dependent gene expression. From the discovery of CREB, which is ubiquitously expressed, it has been proven to be involved in a variety of cellular processes that include cell proliferation, adaptation, survival, differentiation, and physiology, through the control of target gene expression. In this review, we highlight the essential roles of CREB proteins in the nervous system, the immune system, cancer development, hepatic physiology, and cardiovascular function and further discuss a wide range of CREB-associated diseases and molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of these diseases.