Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 21, 2026

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene
08:18

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene

Published on: December 31, 2014

Analysis of Myc bound loci identified by CpG island arrays shows that Max is essential for Myc-dependent repression

Daniel Y L Mao1, John D Watson, Pearlly S Yan

  • 1Ontario Cancer Institute/Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada.

Current Biology : CB
|May 16, 2003
PubMed

Insights

The transcription factor c-Myc regulates genes in cancer. Researchers found that Myc-associated protein X (Max) binds to these genes, playing a key role in both activating and repressing their transcription.

Area of Science:

  • * Molecular Biology
  • * Oncology
  • * Gene Regulation

Background:

  • * The c-myc proto-oncogene encodes the c-Myc transcription factor, frequently deregulated in human cancers.
  • * Understanding Myc-regulated genes and their regulatory mechanisms is crucial for cancer research.
  • * The precise role of Myc in transcriptional regulation requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To identify genomic loci bound by Myc in vivo.
  • * To investigate the role of Myc-associated protein X (Max) in Myc-mediated gene regulation.
  • * To elucidate the mechanism of Myc-dependent transcriptional activation and repression.

Main Methods:

  • * Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with CpG island arrays to identify Myc binding sites.
  • * Analysis of known and novel Myc target genes.
  • * Investigation of Max binding to regulatory regions in the presence and absence of Myc.

Main Results:

  • * Identified 177 human genomic loci bound by Myc in vivo.
  • * Demonstrated that Max binds to these regulatory regions, irrespective of Myc presence.
  • * Showed that the Myc:Max interaction is essential for both Myc-dependent gene activation and repression.
  • * Identified Myc-repressed genes among Max-bound targets.

Conclusions:

  • * Max plays an essential and universal role in Myc-dependent transcriptional regulation.
  • * The Myc:Max complex is critical for both activating and repressing gene transcription.
  • * This study provides a comprehensive model for Myc's function in gene regulation.

More Related Videos

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers10:28

Repressing Gene Transcription by Redirecting Cellular Machinery with Chemical Epigenetic Modifiers

Published on: September 20, 2018

HOX Loci Focused CRISPR/sgRNA Library Screening Identifying Critical CTCF Boundaries10:10

HOX Loci Focused CRISPR/sgRNA Library Screening Identifying Critical CTCF Boundaries

Published on: March 31, 2019

Related Concept Videos

Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
Abnormal Proliferation02:23

Abnormal Proliferation

Under normal conditions, most adult cells remain in a non-proliferative state unless stimulated by internal or external factors to replace lost cells. Abnormal cell proliferation is a condition in which the cell's growth exceeds and is uncoordinated with normal cells. In such situations, cell division persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli, leading to persistent tumors. The tumor arises from the damaged cells that replicate to pass the damage to the daughter...
Heterochromatin02:38

Heterochromatin

The extent of chromatin compaction can be studied by staining chromatin using specific DNA binding dyes. Under the microscope, the dense-compacted regions that take up more dye are called heterochromatin. Heterochromatin is further classified into two forms – constitutive heterochromatin and facultative heterochromatin.
Constitutive heterochromatin: It is a highly compact region of chromatin that is mostly concentrated in the centromere and telomere. Unlike euchromatin, the amino acid at 9th...
Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors01:58

Prokaryotic Transcriptional Activators and Repressors

The organization of prokaryotic genes in their genome is notably different from that of eukaryotes. Prokaryotic genes are organized, such that the genes for proteins involved in the same biochemical process or function are located together in groups. This group of genes, along with their regulatory elements, are collectively known as an operon. The functional genes in an operon are transcribed together to give a single strand of mRNA known as polycistronic mRNA.
Transcription of prokaryotic...
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...