Unusual Rel-like architecture in the DNA-binding domain of the transcription factor NFATc.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Transcription factors of the NFAT family regulate the production of effector proteins that coordinate the immune response. The immunosuppressive drugs FK506 and cyclosporin A (CsA) act by blocking a Ca2+-mediated signalling pathway leading to NFAT. Although FK506 and CsA have enabled human organs to be transplanted routinely, the toxic side-effects of these drugs limit their usage. This toxicity might be absent in antagonists that target NFAT directly. As a first step in the structure-based search for NFAT antagonists, we now report the identification and solution structure of a 20K domain of NFATc (NFATc-DBD) that is both necessary and sufficient to bind DNA and activate transcription cooperatively. Although the overall fold of the NFATc DNA-binding domain is related to that of NF-kappaB p50 (refs 2, 3), the two proteins use significantly different strategies for DNA recognition. On the basis of these results, we present a model for the cooperative complex formed between NFAT and the mitogenic transcription factor AP-1 on the interleukin-2 enhancer.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Wolfe, SA; Zhou, P; Dötsch, V; Chen, L; You, A; Ho, SN; Crabtree, GR; Wagner, G; Verdine, GL
Published Date
- January 9, 1997
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 385 / 6612
Start / End Page
- 172 - 176
PubMed ID
- 8990122
Pubmed Central ID
- 8990122
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0028-0836
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1038/385172a0
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- England