Human KLF17 is a new member of the Sp/KLF family of transcription factors

• Published in: Genomics (San Diego, Calif.) Calif.), 2006-04, Vol.87 (4), p.474-482
• Main Authors: van Vliet, Jane, Crofts, Linda A., Quinlan, Kate G.R., Czolij, Robert, Perkins, Andrew C., Crossley, Merlin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Binding Sites; Biological and medical sciences; CACCC box; Cell Line; Cercopithecus aethiops; Cloning, Molecular; Computational Biology; Conserved Sequence; COS Cells; Databases, Factual; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; Expressed Sequence Tags; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GC box; Gene Expression; Genes. Genome; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Humans; Insecta - cytology; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors - genetics; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors - metabolism; Krüppel-like factor; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protein Binding; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Sp1 Transcription Factor - genetics; Sp1 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Transcription Factors - chemistry; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Zinc - chemistry; Zinc finger protein 393; Zinc Fingers - genetics; ZNF393
• ISSN: 0888-7543; 1089-8646
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2005.12.011

The Sp/KLF transcription factors perform a variety of biological functions, but are related in that they bind GC-box and CACCC-box sequences in DNA via a highly conserved DNA-binding domain. A database homology search, using the zinc finger DNA-binding domain characteristic of the family, has identified human KLF17 as a new family member that is most closely related to KLFs 1–8 and 12. KLF17 appears to be the human orthologue of the previously reported mouse gene, zinc finger protein 393 ( Zfp393), although it has diverged significantly. The DNA-binding domain is the most conserved region, suggesting that both the murine and the human forms recognize the same binding sites in DNA and may retain similar functions. We show that human KLF17 can bind G/C-rich sites via its zinc fingers and is able to activate transcription from CACCC-box elements. This is the first report of the DNA-binding characteristics and transactivation activity of human KLF17, which, together with the homology it displays to other KLF proteins, put it in the Sp/KLF family.