NPDC-1, a regulator of neural cell proliferation and differentiation, interacts with E2F-1, reduces its binding to DNA and modulates its transcriptional activity.

We have previously identified NPDC-1, a neural factor involved in the control of proliferation and differentiation, and we have shown that the stable introduction of NPDC-1 into transformed cells down-regulates cell proliferation both by increasing the generation time and by suppressing transformed properties. The data presented here indicate that, in vitro, NPDC-1 is able to interact with the transcription factor E2F-1 and some cell cycle proteins, such as D-cyclins and cdk2. In addition, two-hybrid experiments in mammalian cells show that the interaction between NPDC-1 and E2F-1 can also occur in vivo. This interaction reduces the binding of E2F-1 to DNA and its transcriptional activity. Taken together, the data suggest that NPDC-1 could influence cell cycle progression and neural differentiation through its association with E2F-1.