Purification and characterization of a 43-kDa transcription factor required for rat somatostatin gene expression

A 43-kDa DNA binding protein which recognizes the TGACGTCA element of the rat somatostatin promoter has been purified from rat brain. Purification of the protein involved initial separation of three sequence-specific binding activities, b1-b3, from each other using DEAE-Sepharose chromatography. The protein corresponding to the b2 complex was further purified to apparent homogeneity by two cycles of sequence-specific DNA affinity chromatography, yielding a single species with an apparent mass of 43,000 daltons on a silver-stained polyacrylamide gel. Sequence-specific DNA binding of this purified protein was demonstrated by Southwestern blotting, renaturation, and DNase I footprinting studies. The 43-kDa protein was phosphorylated on serine residue(s) by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, as shown by phosphoamino acid analysis. Furthermore, the purified protein specifically stimulated transcription from the rat somatostatin promoter in an in vitro transcription system. These results indicate that this 43-kDa protein is a transcription factor required for somatostatin gene expression.