The neuroendocrine protein 7B2 contains unusually potent transcriptional activating sequences.

The expression of the 7B2 protein, secreted from a variety of neural and endocrine tissues, increases dramatically in specific neuroendocrine tumors. We have recently shown that human 7B2 can act as a molecular chaperone in the deaggregation of proteins in vitro. In order to identify polypeptides which might bind 7B2 in vivo, the yeast two-hybrid system was employed. Surprisingly, mere covalent linkage of 7B2 to the DNA-binding domains of two yeast transcription activators, Ace1 and Gal4, activates transcription from the ACE1 and GAL4 operon. 7B2's ability to activate nuclear transcription surpasses that of Ace1 and compares favourably with the strong activation domain of the tumor suppressor protein, p53. Our results suggest that 7B2 must possess an activating sequence, a domain which defines all transcriptional activator proteins. Like the acidic activation domains of some transcriptional activators, 7B2 also binds the yeast TATA-box binding protein, an essential polypeptide in the basic transcription machinery. Deletion analysis of the gene encoding 7B2 reveals two independent transcriptional activating sequences in the 185 amino acid protein. It is therefore conceivable that 7B2 not only has a functional role in the secretory pathway but also in the nucleus. Moreover, these findings raise an intriguing question regarding the activation domains of 7B2 and their possible link to 7B2's oncogenic potential.