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PubMed2004

CREB binds to multiple loci on human chromosome 22.

The cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) is an important transcription factor that can be activated by hormonal stimulation and regulates neuronal function and development. An unbiased, global analysis of where CREB binds has not been performed. We have mapped for the first time the binding distribution of CREB along an entire human chromosome. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of CREB-associated DNA and subsequent hybridization of the associated DNA to a genomic DNA microarray containing all of the nonrepetitive DNA of human chromosome 22 revealed 215 binding sites corresponding to 192 different loci and 100 annotated potential gene targets. We found binding near or within many genes involved in signal transduction and neuronal function. We also found that only a small fraction of CREB binding sites lay near well-defined 5' ends of genes; the majority of sites were found elsewhere, including introns and unannotated regions. Several of the latter lay near novel unannotated transcriptionally active regions. Few CREB targets were found near full-length cyclic AMP response element sites; the majority contained shorter versions or close matches to this sequence. Several of the CREB targets were altered in their expression by treatment with forskolin; interestingly, both induced and repressed genes were found. Our results provide novel molecular insights into how CREB mediates its functions in humans.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1998

CREB and memory.

The cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) is a nuclear protein that modulates the transcription of genes with cAMP responsive elements in their promoters. Increases in the concentration of either calcium or cAMP can trigger the phosphorylation and activation of CREB. This transcription factor is a component of intracellular signaling events that regulate a wide range of biological functions, from spermatogenesis to circadian rhythms and memory. Here we review the key features of CREB-dependent transcription, as well as the involvement of CREB in memory formation. Evidence from Aplysia, Drosophila, mice, and rats shows that CREB-dependent transcription is required for the cellular events underlying long-term but not short-term memory. While the work in Aplysia and Drosophila only involved CREB function in very simple forms of conditioning, genetic and pharmacological studies in mice and rats demonstrate that CREB is required for a variety of complex forms of memory, including spatial and social learning, thus indicating that CREB may be a universal modulator of processes required for memory formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

DNA-binding and dimerization domains of adenosine 3',5'- cyclic monophosphate-responsive protein CREB reside in the carboxyl-terminal 66 amino acids.

The expression of genes in response to cAMP is mediated by one or more trans-activator proteins, CREBs, that bind to cAMP-responsive enhancers (CREs) of the general motif 5'-TGACGTCA-3'. The carboxyl-terminal amino acid sequences of two isoforms of CREB, CREB-327 and CREB-341, deduced from the cDNAs consist of a positively charged (basic) region adjacent to a leucine zipper motif. Three peptides corresponding to the hypothetical DNA-binding and dimerization domains of CREB-327 were synthesized. A peptide that includes both the basic and leucine zipper domains binds to the CRE specifically. Moreover, this peptide readily forms CRE-binding heterodimers with full-length CREB both synthesized by in vitro cell-free translation and isolated from PC-12 cells, but did not heterodimerize with in vitro translated jun or fos. Two other peptides, either partially or totally lacking the basic region, but containing the intact leucine zipper domain, readily form dimers but do not bind to the CRE. We conclude that the carboxy-terminal basic and leucine zipper regions are necessary and sufficient for specific binding of CREB to the CRE as a homodimer. The leucine zipper domain is responsible for the dimerization, and the basic region confers binding specificity for the CRE. Heterodimerization of CREB-327 does not form heterodimers with jun or fos.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Involvement of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate regulatory element binding protein (CREB) in both basal and hormone-mediated expression of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) gene.

Transcription of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and PEPCK-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) genes is induced by cAMP and glucocorticoids and is inhibited by insulin in H4IIE cells, as it is in liver. In contrast, PEPCK-CAT expression in HepG2 cells is not affected by insulin but is induced by cAMP, which in turn is repressed by glucocorticoids. Mutations were introduced into well defined transcription factor binding sites to investigate possible interactions between the cAMP regulatory element (CRE) binding protein (CREB) and glucocorticoid response unit (GRU) binding proteins. H4IIE rat hepatoma cells were transfected with PEPCK-CAT plasmids with or without an expression vector for protein kinase A (PKA). Glucocorticoid-induced CAT activity was dependent upon the GRU and was decreased in plasmids lacking the CRE. To determine the direct effects of CREB, the DNA binding and dimerization domain of GAL4 was substituted for that of CREB (CRG), and the PEPCK CRE was replaced with a GAL4 binding site (G4PEPCK-CAT). CRG elevated basal and glucocorticoid-induced activities of G4PEPCK-CAT equally and restored responsiveness to PKA. The basal activity of CRG was not diminished by concomitant treatment with PKA plus its inhibitor peptide, PKI, or by mutation of the PKA phosphorylation. Deletion of C-terminal regions of the CREB activation domain from CRG diminished basal activation without affecting induction by PKA. The glucocorticoid-induced level of CAT activity decreased in proportion to the reduced ability of CREB to activate basal transcription. Induction by glucocorticoid, in the absence or presence of PKA, was not affected by CRG, indicating that interaction of GRU-bound factors with CREB is not required for glucocorticoid induction of PEPCK. These results indicate that CREB is directly involved in basal and PKA-induced expression of PEPCK, and that CREB supports glucocorticoid-induced PEPCK expression through its positive effect on basal transcription.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Interaction of the transcription factor CREB with pancreatic islet cell-specific enhancer elements.

The cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-binding transcription factor CREB confers basal as well as cAMP- and calcium-induced transcription. Activation of CREB occurs by phosphorylation on serine-119 stimulating its transactivating potency. However, the regulation of CREB-DNA binding by posttranslational modification is not established. In this study, using binding and functional assays, the interaction of CREB with pancreatic islet cell-specific enhancer elements of the rat somatostatin (SMS-UE), glucagon (Glu-G3) and insulin I genes (Ins-E1) was investigated, which share a functional regulatory sequence, PISCES, with islet-specific activity. CREB bound to the SMS-UE. Bacterially expressed recombinant CREB bound equally well to the SMS-UE and to the somatostatin CRE. However, cellular CRE-binding proteins with CREB-like immunoreactivity recognized the SMS-UE markedly less well than the somatostatin CRE suggesting the existence of a posttranslational modification of CREB that alters its binding specificity.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Deficits in memory tasks of mice with CREB mutations depend on gene dosage.

Studies in Aplysia, Drosophila, and mice have shown that the transcription factor CREB is involved in formation and retention of long-term memory. To analyze the impact of differential CREB levels on learning and memory, we varied the gene dosage of CREB in two strains of mutant mice: (1) CREBalphadelta mice, in which the alpha and delta isoforms are disrupted, but a third isoform beta is strongly up-regulated; (2) CREBcomp, a compound strain with one alphadelta allele and one CREBnull allele in which all CREB isoforms are disrupted. To minimize genetic background effects, CREB mutations were backcrossed into a C57BL/6 and a FVB/N strain, respectively, and studies were performed in F1 hybrids from these lines. CREBcomp but not CREBalphadelta F1 hybrids were impaired in water maze learning and fear conditioning, demonstrating a CREB gene dosage effect. However, analysis of the platform searching strategies in the water maze task suggested that CREBcomp mutants are impaired in behavioral flexibility rather than in spatial memory. In contrast to previous experiments using CREBalphadelta mice with different genetic background, the F1 hybrid CREBalphadelta and CREBcomp mice did not show deficits in a social transmission of food preference task nor in dentate gyrus and CA1 LTP as recorded from slice preparations. These data indicate that the hybrid vigor typical for F1 hybrids may compensate for a reduction in CREB levels in some tests. On the other hand, the persistence of clear behavioral deficits as shown by the F1 hybrid CREBcomp mice in water maze and fear conditioning indicates a robust and repeatable phenomenon that will permit further functional analysis of CREB.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Involvement of cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) in the synovial cell hyperfunction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate a possible role of cAMP responsive element binding protein (CREB) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial cell function, we have studied CREB expression of synovial cells and the effects of an inhibitor of the cAMP/CREB signal pathway on synovial cell function in patients with RA. METHODS: We examined CREB expression by immunohistochemical staining, immunocytochemical staining, and gel shift assays. Effects of cAMP/CREB inhibitor on the proliferation of RA synovial cells were assessed by [3H]-TdR incorporation, and those on proinflammatory cytokine and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production by reverse transcription PCR and ELISAs. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining of synovial tissue revealed that CREB is expressed mainly in the lining and sublining layers of synovium in patients with RA. DNA binding activity of CREB was ascertained by a gel shift assay. We also confirmed nuclear translocation and phosphorylation of CREB in TNF-alpha stimulated RA fibroblast-like synovial cells by immunocytochemical staining. Modulators of cAMP/CREB signaling pathway, such as Rp-cAMP, had an inhibitory potential on RA synovial cell proliferation in vitro. Rp-cAMP also inhibited the proinflammatory cytokine and MMP production. CONCLUSION: CREB is involved in the synovial cell activity in patients with RA. Inhibition of CREB activity by its inhibitor brings about the correction of aberrant synovial cell functions in patients with RA, thus suggesting a possible clinical application of cAMP/CREB inhibitors.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Regulation of tumor growth and metastasis of human melanoma by the CREB transcription factor family.

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of CREB and its associated proteins in melanoma progression. We used MeWo human melanoma cells transfected with a dominant negative construct of CREB, KCREB. KCREB has a mutation in its DNA-binding domain and can not bind the CRE element. Expression of KCREB yields proper heterodimerization with CREB and its associated proteins, but the proteins associated with KCREB do not confer the same degree of transcriptional activity as they would in the case of wild-type CREB. Here, we demonstrate that expression of KCREB in MeWo melanoma cells leads to a decrease in their tumorigenicity and metastatic potential in nude mice. We identified two mechanisms that explain at least partially this effect of KCREB. The first, is one in which CREB and its associated proteins play an essential role in invasion. We showed that the invasive properties of KCREB-transfected MeWo cells were reduced due to the downregulation of the CRE-dependent expression of the type IV collagenase MMP-2 and the adhesion molecule MCAM/MUC18. In the second mechanism, CREB and its associated proteins act as survival factors for human melanoma cells. Here we demonstrated that expression of KCREB in MeWo cells rendered them susceptible to apoptosis induced by thapsigargin, which in turn increased the intracellular level of Ca2+. Thapsigargin induced CREB and ATF-1 phosphorylation and activated CRE-dependent transcription in MeWo cells. Collectively, our data demonstrate that CREB and its associated proteins play an important role in tumor growth and metastasis of human melanoma.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Direct interaction of CREB protein with 21 bp Tax-response elements of HTLV-ILTR.

The three 21-bp repeats (Tax-responsive elements) of the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I) mediates the response of the Tax protein. All three Tax-responsive elements (TREs) contain a TGACG motif, reminiscent of the CREB/ATF-binding site TGACGTCA. DNA-affinity chromatography with the 5'-TRE resulted in a previous study in proteins of about 32, 36 to 42, 50 and 110 kDa. Here we demonstrate that the 42 kDa protein is the cAMP-response element-binding (CREB) protein. This is shown by phosphorylation of the proteins eluted from the DNA-affinity column with protein kinase A (PKA) in vitro and subsequent indirect immunoprecipitation with a CREB-specific antiserum raised against an internal CREB-specific peptide. This method allows detection of phosphorylated proteins by autoradiography with high sensitivity and is superior to metabolic labeling. One of the phosphorylated proteins co-migrates with immuno-affinity-purified CREB protein--also phosphorylated in vitro--and competes with the peptide antigen, which proves the specificity of the reaction. The purified CREB protein leads to specific DNA-protein complexes in DNA mobility-shift analyses with all three TREs. Comparison of these TRE-CREB complexes with those formed by nuclear extracts from the HTLV-I-transformed T-cell line C81-66-45 indicates that additional cellular factors contribute to the complexes, especially to the middle TRE. This is also shown by using CREB-depleted instead of complete nuclear extracts for DNA mobility-shift assays. Antibodies against CREB but not Tax affect the mobility of the DNA-protein complex.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1996

Chronic antidepressant administration increases the expression of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in rat hippocampus.

The present study demonstrates that chronic, but not acute, adminstration of several different classes of antidepressants, including serotonin- and norepinephrine-selective reuptake inhibitors, increases the expression of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) mRNA in rat hippocampus. In contrast, chronic administration of several nonantidepressant psychotropic drugs did not influence expression of CREB mRNA, demonstrating the pharmacological specificity of this effect. In situ hybridization analysis demonstrates that antidepressant administration increases expression of CREB mRNA in CA1 and CA3 pyramidal and dentate gyrus granule cell layers of the hippocampus. In addition, levels of CRE immunoreactivity and of CRE binding activity were increased by chronic antidepressant administration, which indicates that expression and function of CREB protein are increased along with its mRNA. Chronic administration of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors rolipram or papaverine also increased expression of CREB mRNA in hippocampus, demonstrating a role for the cAMP cascade. Moreover, coadministration of rolipram with imipramine resulted in a more rapid induction of CREB than with either treatment alone. Increased expression and function of CREB suggest that specific target genes may be regulated by these treatments. We have found that levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and trkB mRNA are also increased by administration of antidepressants or PDE inhibitors. These findings indicate that upregulation of CREB is a common action of chronic antidepressant treatments that may lead to regulation of specific target genes, such as BDNF and trkB, and to the long-term effects of these treatments on brain function.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1996

FGF and stress regulate CREB and ATF-1 via a pathway involving p38 MAP kinase and MAPKAP kinase-2.

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) activates a protein kinase cascade in SK-N-MC cells that regulates gene expression at a cyclic-AMP response element (CRE) by stimulating the transcriptional activity of CREB. The activation of CREB is prevented by a dominant negative mutant of Ras and triggered via the same site (Ser133) that becomes phosphorylated in response to cyclic AMP and Ca2+. However, the effect of FGF is not mediated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, TPA-sensitive isoforms of protein kinase-C, p70S6K or p90rsk (all of which phosphorylate CREB at Ser133 in vitro). Instead, we identify the FGF-stimulated CREB kinase as MAP kinase-activated protein (MAPKAP) kinase-2, an enzyme that lies immediately downstream of p38 MAP kinase, in a pathway that is also stimulated by cellular stresses. We show that MAPKAP kinase-2 phosphorylates CREB at Ser133 in vitro, that the FGF- or stress-induced activation of MAPKAP kinase-2 and phosphorylation of CREB and ATF-1 are prevented by similar concentrations of the specific p38 MAP kinase inhibitor SB 203580, and that MAPKAP kinase-2 is the only detectable SB 203580-sensitive CREB kinase in SK-N-MC cell extracts. We also show that transfection of RK/p38 MAP kinase in SK-N-MC cells, but not transfection of p44 MAP kinase, activates Gal4-CREB-dependent transcription via Ser133. These findings identify a new growth factor and stress-activated signaling pathway that regulates gene expression at the CRE.

Activating Transcription Factor 1↗
PubMed1998

The induction of megakaryocyte differentiation is accompanied by selective Ser133 phosphorylation of the transcription factor CREB in both HEL cell line and primary CD34+ cells.

The addition of thrombopoietin (TPO) to HEL cells, cultured in a chemically defined serum-free medium, induced a rapid and dose-dependent phosphorylation of the transcription factor CREB on serine133 (PSer133), as detected by Western blot analysis. TPO also significantly increased the transactivation of CRE-dependent promoter, as determined in transient transfection experiments. On the other hand, neither erythropoietin (Epo; 1 to 10 U) nor hemin (10 (-7) mol/L) were able to significantly stimulate CREB-PSer133 or to activate CRE-promoter in HEL cells. Although pharmacological inhibitors of protein kinase C (chelerytrine and BIM) and protein kinase A (H-89) failed to block the TPO-mediated CREB phosphorylation, a specific inhibitor of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (PD98059) completely blocked the ability of TPO to stimulate CREB-PSer133. Moreover, PD98059 significantly decreased the ability of TPO to upregulate the surface expression of the alphaIIIbbeta3 megakaryocytic marker in HEL cells. In parallel, primary CD34+ hematopoietic cells were seeded in liquid cultures supplemented with 100 ng/mL of TPO and examined by immunofluorescence for the coexpression of alphaIIIbbeta3 and CREB-PSer133 at various time points. High levels of nuclear CREB-PSer133 were unequivocally demonstrated in alphaIIIbbeta3+ cells, including morphologically recognizable megakaryocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that CREB plays a role in modulating the expression of genes critical for megakaryocyte differentiation and that the TPO-mediated CREB phosphorylation seems to be regulated via mitogen-activated protein kinases.

Antigens, CD34↗
PubMed2005

Multiple kinase pathways mediate the early sciatic ligation-associated activation of CREB in the rat spinal dorsal horn.

Phosphorylation of the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in the spinal dorsal horn may critically contribute to chronic pain following peripheral nerve injury. We employed inhibitors and activators of protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) to examine whether these kinases individually or in concert mediate the increase in CREB phosphorylation that is evident as early as 2 h after loose ligation of the sciatic nerve. Specific inhibitors of each kinase significantly attenuated the ligation-associated CREB phosphorylation when compared to saline-treated animals. Combined application of the ERK1/2 and CaMKII inhibitors also attenuated the ligation-associated CREB activation but not to a greater extent than either inhibitor alone. Specific activators of PKA, PKC and ERK1/2 elicited significant increases in CREB phosphorylation 2 h after drug application in the spinal dorsal horn of control, peripherally uninjured animals. Pre-treatment of animals with the ERK1/2 inhibitor abolished the increases elicited by either the PKA or the PKC activator. Significant increases in ERK1/2 phosphorylation were also detected 2 h after sciatic ligation confirming a role for the ERK pathway in injury-related responses in the dorsal horn. Each kinase inhibitor significantly attenuated the ligation-associated activation of ERK1/2 as well. These data suggest that early, sciatic ligation-elicited phosphorylation of CREB in the spinal dorsal horn is mediated by multiple kinase pathways, and that PKA, PKC and CaMKII activate CREB at least in part by way of the ERK pathway.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Restraint stress influences AP-1 and CREB DNA-binding activity induced by chronic lithium treatment in the rat frontal cortex and hippocampus.

The therapeutic efficacy of mood stabilizers may involve the regulation of gene expression mediated by transcription factor activation. In this study, we investigated AP-1 and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) DNA-binding activity in the rat frontal cortex and hippocampus of rats fed a control diet, a lithium diet for 7 wk, or 6 wk of lithium, followed by withdrawal for 7 d. Subsequently, animals were exposed to restraint stress or no stress and the DNA-binding activities assessed at 2, 8 and 24 h post-stress. AP-1 activity was increased in both brain regions by lithium, an effect that persisted with lithium discontinuation. Restraint stress induced AP-1 activity in the frontal cortex of the control group. This stress-induced effect on AP-1 activity was attenuated in lithium-treated and lithium-withdrawn animals. AP-1 DNA binding was also induced by stress in the hippocampus of control animals and the activity diminished over time in the lithium and lithium-withdrawn groups. CREB activity also increased in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of the lithium-treated group. Stress increased CREB activity in the frontal cortex of the controls, and was slightly attenuated with lithium treatment. CREB activity in the hippocampus was insensitive to stress. The proteins involved in the AP-1 and CREB transcription complexes were also characterized. Our findings of increased AP-1 and CREB binding after lithium are consistent with lithium's inhibitory effect on glycogen synthase kinase-3beta, which has been show to negatively regulate AP-1 and CREB transcriptional activity.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2002

Structurally distinct modes of recognition of the KIX domain of CBP by Jun and CREB.

Gene expression is coordinated in part by interactions between transcriptional activators and other transcription factors such as coactivators. The KIX domain of the coactivator and histone acetyltransferase CREB binding protein (CBP) binds numerous mammalian and viral transcriptional activators such as BRCA1, CREB, c-Jun, c-Myb, p53, papillomavirus E2, and HTLV-1 Tax. Formation of the CREB-CBP complex depends on phosphorylation of the KID region of CREB and involves induced folding of KID upon binding a hydrophobic groove of the KIX domain of CBP. Here we investigate the formation of the complex formed by human KIX and the N-terminal activation domain of human c-Jun. The c-Jun activation domain and KID do not share significant sequence similarity. Circular dichroism spectroscopy shows that the Jun N-terminal activation domain is intrinsically disordered in isolation and that KIX binding is independent of Jun phosphorylation. In contrast to the mode of binding exhibited by CREB, NMR chemical shift mapping indicates that the c-Jun activation domain binds to a distinctly different surface of KIX than used by CREB. Moreover, NMR and sedimentation equilibrium studies show that the activation domains of c-Jun and CREB can simultaneously bind the KIX domain of CBP. The results illustrate a new mode of binding and combinatorial recruitment via the KIX domain of CBP by multiple transcriptional activators.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

5-Aminolaevulinate synthase gene promoter contains two cAMP-response element (CRE)-like sites that confer positive and negative responsiveness to CRE-binding protein (CREB).

The first and rate-controlling step of the haem biosynthetic pathway in mammals and fungi is catalysed by the mitochondrial-matrix enzyme 5-aminolaevulinate synthase (ALAS). The purpose of this work was to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in the cAMP regulation of rat housekeeping ALAS gene expression. Thus we have examined the ALAS promoter for putative transcription-factor-binding sites that may regulate transcription in a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA)-induced context. Applying both transient transfection assays with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene driven by progressive ALAS promoter deletions in HepG2, and electrophoresis mobility-shift assays we have identified two putative cAMP-response elements (CREs) at positions -38 and -142. Functional analysis showed that both CRE-like sites were necessary for complete PKA induction, but only one for basal expression. Co-transfection with a CRE-binding protein (CREB) expression vector increased PKA-mediated induction of ALAS promoter transcriptional activity. However, in the absence of co-transfected PKA, CREB worked as a specific repressor for ALAS promoter activity. A CREB mutant deficient in a PKA phosphorylation site was unable to induce expression of the ALAS gene but could inhibit non-stimulated promoter activity. Furthermore, a DNA-binding mutant of CREB did not interfere with ALAS promoter basal activity. Site-directed-mutagenesis studies showed that only the nearest element to the transcription start site was able to inhibit the activity of the promoter. Therefore, we conclude that CREB, through its binding to CRE-like sites, mediates the effect of cAMP on ALAS gene expression. Moreover, we propose that CREB could also act as a repressor of ALAS transcription, but is able to reverse its role after PKA activation. Dephosphorylated CREB would interfere in a spatial-disposition-dependent manner with the transcriptional machinery driving inhibition of gene expression.

5-Aminolevulinate Synthetase↗
PubMed1996

A positive genetic selection for disrupting protein-protein interactions: identification of CREB mutations that prevent association with the coactivator CBP.

The Escherichia coli tet-repressor (TetR) operator system was used to develop a variation of the yeast two-hybrid assay in which disruptions of protein-protein interactions can be identified by a positive selection. This assay, designated the "split-hybrid system," contains a two-component reporter. The first component contains LexA binding sites upstream of the TetR gene and the second contains TetR operator binding sites upstream of HIS3. Interaction of one protein fused to the LexA DNA binding domain with a second protein fused to the VP16 activation domain results in TetR expression. TetR subsequently binds to the tet operators, blocking the expression of HIS3 and preventing yeast growth in media lacking histidine. The utility of the split-hybrid system was analyzed by examining the phosphorylation-dependent interaction of CREB and its coactivator CREB binding protein (CBP). CREB and CBP associate through an interaction that depends upon CREB phosphorylation at Ser-133. Mutation of this phosphorylation site prevents yeast growth in the standard two-hybrid assay but allows growth in the split-hybrid strains. The split-hybrid system was used to identify other CREB mutations that disrupt its association with CBP. These mutations localized around the site of CREB phosphorylation, indicating that only a small portion of the CREB activation domain is required for CBP interaction. The yeast split-hybrid system should be useful in identifying mutations, proteins, peptides, and drugs that disrupt protein-protein interactions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Consensus and variant cAMP-regulated enhancers have distinct CREB-binding properties.

Recent determination of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) basic leucine zipper (bZIP) consensus CRE crystal structure revealed key dimerization and DNA binding features that are conserved among members of the CREB/CREM/ATF-1 family of transcription factors. Dimerization appeared to be mediated by a Tyr(307)-Glu(312) interhelical hydrogen bond and a Glu(319)-Arg(314) electrostatic interaction. An unexpected hexahydrated Mg(2+) ion was centered above the CRE in the dimer cavity. In the present study, we related these features to CREB dimerization and DNA binding. A Y307F substitution reduced dimer stability and DNA binding affinity, whereas a Y307R mutation produced a stabilizing effect. Mutation of Glu(319) to Ala or Lys attenuated dimerization and DNA binding. Mg(2+) ions enhanced the binding affinity of wild-type CREB to the palindromic CRE by approximately 20-fold but did not do so for divergent CREs. Similarly, mutation of Lys(304), which mediates the CREB interaction with the hydrated Mg(2+), blocked CREB binding to the palindromic but not the variant CRE sequences. The distinct binding characteristics of the K304A mutants to the consensus and variant CRE sequences indicate that CREB binding to these elements is differentially regulated by Mg(2+) ions. We suggest that CREB binds the consensus and variant CRE sequences through fundamentally distinct mechanisms.

Base Sequence↗