MINIREVIEW: Cyclic AMP Response Element Binding Proteins: A Cornucopia of Transcription Factors

Abstract

The expression of many cellular genes in higher eukaryotes is controlled by hormones. At the level of transcription the regulation of genes is mediated through the interactions of DNA-binding proteins with specific DNA promoter elements which are generally located in the 5′-flanking regions of the genes upstream from the transcription start sites (1–3). In the circumstances of the steroid and thyroid hormones, substances that readily pass through the plasma membrane and enter cells, the DNA-binding proteins are the hormone receptors themselves (4). Binding of ligand to the receptor either evokes translocation of the receptor to the nucleus where it binds to the DNA control element and activates transcription (steroid hormone receptors) and/or activates prebound receptors (T3, retinoic acid receptors).