Molecular and Cellular Biology, July 2000, p. 4814-4825, Vol. 20, No. 13
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Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology1 and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology,2 Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Received 10 November 1999/Returned for modification 16 December 1999/Accepted 29 March 2000
Heterodimeric transcription factors, including the basic
region-leucine zipper (bZIP) protein ATF-2-c-jun, are
well-characterized components of an enhanceosome that mediates virus
induction of the human beta interferon (IFN-
) gene. Here we report
that within the IFN-
enhanceosome the ATF-2-c-jun heterodimer binds
in a specific orientation, which is required for assembly of a complex between ATF-2-c-jun and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3). We
demonstrate that correct orientation of the ATF-2-c-jun binding site
is required for virus induction of the IFN-
gene and for IRF-3-dependent activation of a composite ATF-2- c-jun-IRF site in the IFN-
promoter. We also show that in vitro the DNA-bound ATF-2-c-jun heterodimer adopts a fixed orientation upon the binding of
IRF-3 at an adjacent site in the IFN-
enhancer and that the DNA-binding domain of IRF-3 is sufficient to mediate this effect. In
addition, we show that the DNA-binding domain of ATF-2 is necessary and
sufficient for selective protein-protein interactions with IRF-3.
Strikingly, in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments with
IFN-
reporter constructs reveal that recruitment of IRF-3 to the
IFN-
promoter upon virus infection is dependent on the orientation
of the ATF-2-c-jun heterodimer binding site. These observations
demonstrate functional and physical cooperativity between the bZIP and
IRF transcription factor families and illustrate the critical role of
heterodimeric transcription factors in formation of the IFN-
enhanceosome.
Present address: GeneSoft Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080.
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