Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The MEF-2 proteins are a family of transcriptional activators that have been detected in a wide variety of cell types. In skeletal muscle cells, MEF-2 proteins interact with members of the MyoD family of transcriptional activators to synergistically activate gene expression. Similar interactions with tissue or lineage-specific cofactors may also underlie MEF-2 function in other cell types. In order to screen for such cofactors, we have used a transcriptionally inactive mutant of Xenopus MEF2D in a yeast two-hybrid screen. This approach has identified a novel protein expressed in the early embryo that binds to XMEF2D and XMEF2A. The MEF-2 interacting transcription repressor (MITR) protein binds to the N-terminal MADS/MEF-2 region of the MEF-2 proteins but does not bind to the related Xenopus MADS protein serum response factor. In the early embryo, MITR expression commences at the neurula stage within the mature somites and is subsequently restricted to the myotomal muscle. In functional assays, MITR negatively regulates MEF-2-dependent transcription and we show that this repression is mediated by direct binding of MITR to the histone deacetylase HDAC1. Thus, we propose that MITR acts as a co-repressor, recruiting a specific deacetylase to downregulate MEF-2 activity.

Original publication

DOI

10.1093/emboj/18.18.5085

Type

Journal article

Journal

EMBO J

Publication Date

15/09/1999

Volume

18

Pages

5085 - 5098

Keywords

Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Base Sequence, Carrier Proteins, DNA, Complementary, DNA-Binding Proteins, Female, Gene Expression, Histone Deacetylases, Humans, In Situ Hybridization, In Vitro Techniques, MADS Domain Proteins, MEF2 Transcription Factors, Molecular Sequence Data, Muscle, Skeletal, Mutation, Myogenic Regulatory Factors, Repressor Proteins, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Transcription Factors, Transcriptional Activation, Two-Hybrid System Techniques, Xenopus, Xenopus Proteins