Abstract
Almost 30% of patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) bear structural alterations of tal-1, a presumptive proto-oncogene that encodes sequences homologous to the helix-loop-helix (HLH) DNA-binding and dimerization domain. Analysis of the tal-1 gene product reveals that its HLH domain mediates protein-protein interactions with either of the ubiquitously expressed HLH proteins E47 and E12. The resultant tal-1/E47 and tal-1/E12 heterodimers specifically recognize the E-box DNA sequence motif found in eucaryotic transcriptional enhancers. Hence, the tal-1 protein shares biochemical properties with other tissue-specific HLH proteins that control cell type determination during myogenesis (e.g., MyoD1) and neurogenesis (e.g., achaete-scute). The data suggest that HLH heterodimers involving tal-1 may function in vivo as transcriptional regulatory factors that influence cell type determination during hematopoietic development.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Base Sequence
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
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DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
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Enhancer Elements, Genetic*
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Glutathione Transferase / genetics
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Glutathione Transferase / metabolism
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Humans
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Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / genetics
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Macromolecular Substances
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Oligonucleotide Probes
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Protein Binding
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Protein Biosynthesis
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Proto-Oncogene Mas
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics*
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
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Proto-Oncogenes*
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Recombinant Proteins / metabolism
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T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1
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TCF Transcription Factors
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Transcription Factor 7-Like 1 Protein
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Transcription Factors*
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Transcription, Genetic
Substances
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Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
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DNA-Binding Proteins
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MAS1 protein, human
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Macromolecular Substances
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Oligonucleotide Probes
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Proto-Oncogene Mas
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins
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Recombinant Proteins
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T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1
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TCF Transcription Factors
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TCF7L1 protein, human
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Transcription Factor 7-Like 1 Protein
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Transcription Factors
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TAL1 protein, human
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Glutathione Transferase