Qi Xingzhu, Li Yongqing, Xiao Jing, Yuan Wuzhou, Yan Yan, Wang Yuequn, Liang Shuyuan, Zhu Chuanbing, Chen Yingduan, Liu Mingyao, Wu Xiushan
The Center for Heart Development, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan, PR China.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2006 Jan 27;339(4):1155-64. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.11.124. Epub 2005 Dec 5.
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are evolutionarily conserved enzymes in cell signal transduction connecting cell-surface receptors to critical regulatory targets within cells and control cell survival, adaptation, and proliferation. Previous studies revealed that zinc-finger proteins are involved in the regulation of the MAPK signaling pathways. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a novel human zinc-finger protein, ZNF641. The cDNA of ZNF641 is 4.9kb, encoding 438 amino acids in the nucleus. The protein is highly conserved in evolution across different vertebrate species from mouse to human. Northern blot analysis indicates that ZNF641 is expressed in most of the examined human tissues, with a high level in skeletal muscle. Overexpression of pCMV-Tag2B-ZNF641 in the COS-7 cells activates the transcriptional activities of AP-1 and SRE. Deletion analysis indicates that the linker between KRAB box and C(2)H(2)-type zinc-fingers represents the basal activation domain. These results suggest that ZNF641 may be a positive regulator in MAPK-mediated signaling pathways that lead to the activation of AP-1 and SRE.
丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPKs）是细胞信号转导中进化保守的酶，将细胞表面受体与细胞内的关键调节靶点相连，控制细胞存活、适应和增殖。先前的研究表明锌指蛋白参与MAPK信号通路的调节。在此，我们报告一种新型人类锌指蛋白ZNF641的鉴定和特征。ZNF641的cDNA为4.9kb，在细胞核中编码438个氨基酸。该蛋白在从小鼠到人类的不同脊椎动物物种的进化过程中高度保守。Northern印迹分析表明ZNF641在大多数检测的人类组织中表达，在骨骼肌中表达水平较高。pCMV-Tag2B-ZNF641在COS-7细胞中的过表达激活了AP-1和SRE的转录活性。缺失分析表明KRAB框和C(2)H(2)型锌指之间的连接区代表基础激活域。这些结果表明ZNF641可能是MAPK介导的信号通路中的正调节因子，该信号通路导致AP-1和SRE的激活。
