A C/EBPβ Isoform Recruits the SWI/SNF Complex to Activate Myeloid Genes

• Published in: Molecular cell Vol. 4; no. 5; pp. 735 - 743
• Main Authors: Kowenz-Leutz, Elisabeth, Leutz, Achim
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.11.1999
• Subjects: Acetyltransferases; Adenosine Triphosphatases; Animals; Binding Sites; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; Cell Cycle Proteins; Cell Line; Chromatin - genetics; Chromatin - metabolism; DNA Helicases; DNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Drosophila Proteins; Erythroblasts - cytology; Erythroblasts - metabolism; Fibroblasts - cytology; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Humans; mim-1 gene; Multienzyme Complexes - metabolism; Myb protein; Nuclear Proteins - chemistry; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Nuclear Proteins - metabolism; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Protein Binding; Protein Isoforms - chemistry; Protein Isoforms - metabolism; Proteins - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myb - metabolism; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Sequence Deletion - genetics; SWI/SNF complex; Trans-Activators - genetics; Trans-Activators - metabolism; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transcriptional Activation - genetics
• ISSN: 1097-2765; 1097-4164
• DOI: 10.1016/S1097-2765(00)80384-6

The activation of many genes requires the concerted effort of two or more transcription factors. Although C/EBPβ is known to cooperate with Myb to induce transcription of the granulocyte-specific mim-1 gene, the molecular mechanism of this cooperativity is undefined. We show that the N terminus of the full-length C/EBPβ isoform, which is essential for induction of the mim-1 gene in chromatin, interacts specifically with the SWI/SNF complex. Grafting this domain onto Myb generates a chimeric activator that recruits SWI/SNF and induces mim-1 transcription in the absence of C/EBPβ. Interaction between C/EBPβ and SWI/SNF is essential for activating a subgroup of resident target genes in chromatin and may represent a major determinant of combinatorial gene regulation in eukaryotes.