Relief of YY1 transcriptional repression by adenovirus E1A is mediated by E1A-associated protein p300

YY1 represses transcription when bound upstream of transcriptional initiation sites. This repression can be relieved by adenovirus E1A. Here, we present genetic evidence that the ability of E1A to relieve YY1 repression was impaired by mutations that affect E1A binding to its associated protein p300. This suggests that E1A may modulate the repressor activity of YY1 by binding to p300, which may be physically complexed with YY1. A YY1/p300 protein complex in vivo was demonstrated by several independent approaches, and the YY1-interacting domain was mapped to the carboxy-terminal region of p300, distinct from the E1A-binding site. Unlike E2F/RB, the YY1/p300 complex is not disrupted by E1A. Functional studies using recombinant p300 demonstrated unequivocally that p300 is capable of mediating E1A-induced transcriptional activation through YY1. Taken together, these results reveal, for the first time, a YY1/p300 complex that is targeted by E1A and demonstrate a function for p300 in mediating interactions between YY1 and E1A. Our data thus identify YY1 as a partner protein for p300 and uncover a molecular mechanism for the relief of YY1-mediated repression by E1A.