Myeloid-specific transcriptional activation by murine myeloid zinc-finger protein 2

Myeloid zinc finger protein 2 (MZF-2) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that is expressed in myeloid cells, particularly in the cells committed to the neutrophilic lineage. Here we examine the ability of murine MZF-2 (mMZF-2) to activate transcription. The mMZF-2 protein binds to a DNA element (MZF-binding site) through its zinc-finger domain. When the intact mMZF-2 was cotransfected with a reporter gene, it did not activate transcription. However, N-terminal deletion mutants greatly enhanced transcription specifically in myeloid cells. Furthermore, in an in vivo competition assay, the middle region of MZF-2 inhibited the mMZF-2-mediated transcription activation. These results suggest that mMZF-2 is a transcriptional factor that can specifically work in myeloid cells and can be divided into at least three functional domains. The N-terminal domain inhibits transactivation by masking the effect of the activation domain. The middle region recruits a coactivator, which is responsible for myeloid-specific transcriptional activation. The C-terminal zinc-finger domain functions as a DNA-binding domain.