Cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor ATF-3 is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that, in humans, is encoded by the ''ATF3''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
Function
Activating transcription factor 3 is a member of the mammalian activation transcription factor/cAMP responsive element-binding (
CREB
CREB-TF (CREB, cAMP response element-binding protein) is a cellular transcription factor. It binds to certain DNA sequences called cAMP response elements (CRE), thereby increasing or decreasing the transcription of the genes. CREB was first des ...
) protein family of
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription (genetics), transcription of genetics, genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding t ...
s. Multiple transcript variants encoding two different isoforms have been found for this gene. The longer isoform represses rather than activates transcription from promoters with ATF binding elements. The shorter isoform (deltaZip2) lacks the
leucine zipper
A leucine zipper (or leucine scissors) is a common three-dimensional structural motif in proteins. They were first described by Landschulz and collaborators in 1988 when they found that an enhancer binding protein had a very characteristic 30-amin ...
protein-dimerization motif and does not bind to DNA, and it stimulates transcription, it is presumed, by sequestering inhibitory co-factors away from the promoter. It is possible that alternative splicing of the ATF3 gene may be physiologically important in the regulation of target genes.
Clinical significance
''ATF-3'' is induced upon physiological stress in various tissues. It is also a marker of regeneration following injury of dorsal root ganglion neurons, as injured regenerating neurons activate this transcription factor.
Functional validation studies have shown that ATF3 can promote regeneration of peripheral neurons, but is not capable of promoting regeneration of central nervous system neurons.
See also
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Activating transcription factor
Activating transcription factor, ATF, is a group of bZIP transcription factors, which act as homodimers or heterodimers with a range of other bZIP factors. First, they have been described as members of the CREB/ATF family, whereas it turned out l ...
Interactions
ATF3 has been shown to
interact with:
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C-jun
Transcription factor Jun is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''JUN'' gene. c-Jun, in combination with protein c-Fos, forms the AP-1 early response transcription factor. It was first identified as the Fos-binding protein p39 and only l ...
,
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DDIT3[
* JunD,]P53
p53, also known as tumor protein p53, cellular tumor antigen p53 (UniProt name), or transformation-related protein 53 (TRP53) is a regulatory transcription factor protein that is often mutated in human cancers. The p53 proteins (originally thou ...
,SMAD3
Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3 also known as SMAD family member 3 or SMAD3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SMAD3 gene.
SMAD3 is a member of the SMAD (protein), SMAD family of proteins. It acts as a mediator of the signal ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
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{{Transcription factors, g1
Transcription factors