Sequence-specific DNA binding activity of rat cdc37-related gene product

The rat cdc37-related gene product (RCdc37), which is possibly involved in the regulation of cell cycle progression, contains a putative basic/leucine zipper (bZIP) domain in its N-terminal portion. In this study, we have identified a rat genomic sequence which can interact with RCdc37 using an in vitro binding assay. The specificity of this interaction was confirmed by gel retardation experiments. These results raise a possibility that RCdc37 might play an important role in the control of cell cycle progression via a sequence-specific DNA binding mechanism.