Neuron
Volume 3, Issue 5, November 1989, Pages 563-572
Journal home page for Neuron

Article
A brain-specific transcription activator

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Abstract

We have identified a DNA binding protein, named BETA, that interacts with the same (B) transcriptional regulatory sequence as the known transcription factor NF-κB. BETA is found only in gray matter throughout the brain, and not in a variety of other rat tissues. Two binding sites for BETA are present adjacent to the promoter of the rat proenkephalin gene. Transfection of primary brain cultures that express BETA, with a reporter gene driven by the SV40 promoter linked to BETA DNA binding sites, results in transcriptional activation. We infer that that BETA is a brain-specific transcription activator.

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