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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay
Published on: May 3, 2018
DNA-binding activity of the transcription factor upstream stimulatory factor 1 (USF-1) is regulated by
E Cheung1, P Mayr, F Coda-Zabetta
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, 2.205 Stopford Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K.
Abstract:
The ubiquitous transcription factor upstream stimulatory factor (USF) 1 is a member of the bzHLH (leucine zipper-basic-helix-loop-helix) family, which is structurally related to the Myc family of proteins. It plays a role in the regulation of many genes, including the cyclin B1 gene, which is active during the G2/M and M phases of the cell cycle and may also play a role in the regulation of cellular proliferation. We show that the affinity of recombinant USF-1 for DNA is greatly increased by treatment with active cyclin A2-p34(cdc2) or cyclin B1-p34(cdc2) complexes and that its interaction with DNA is dependent on p34(cdc2)-mediated phosphorylation. We have localized the phosphorylation site(s) to a region that lies outside the minimal DNA-binding domain but overlaps with the previously identified USF-specific region. Deletion studies of USF-1 suggest that amino acids 143-197 regulate DNA-binding activity in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.
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