BACKGROUND: Small members of the Maf family of transcriptional regulatory proteins share similar basic-leucine zipper domains but have no intrinsic ability to activate transcription. One member of the family (MafK) has been shown to mediate both negative and positive regulation: in addition to forming a homodimer which represses transcription, MafK can also form a heterodimer with p45 (the large subunit of erythroid transcription factor NF-E2) to activate transcription. RESULTS: We examined the expression of mafK during murine development. mafK mRNA was first detected in 7.5 days post coitus (dpc) embryonic mesoderm and persisted in mesodermal derivatives (mesenchymal and haematopoietic cells) thereafter. However, around 13 dpc mafK was also strongly induced in neuronal cells and it is broadly expressed in neurones in postnatal mouse. The neuronal expression of mafK is directed by a distinct promoter located 6 kbp 3' to the mesoderm-specific promoter. mafK in neurones associates with a different partner molecule from p45. In transgenic mice, a regulatory domain in the immediate vicinity of the mesodermal promoter was found to direct mesenchymal, but not haematopoietic, expression of mafK. CONCLUSION: The cell type- and developmental stage-specific expression of MafK suggests that, in addition to its demonstrated role in erythroid transcriptional regulation, MafK also plays an important regulatory role in other mesodermally and neuroectodermally derived tissues during mouse embryonic development.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Motohashi, F. Katsuoka, C. Miyoshi, Y. Uchimura, H. Saitoh, C. Francastel, J. D. Engel, and M. Yamamoto MafG Sumoylation Is Required for Active Transcriptional Repression Mol. Cell. Biol., June 15, 2006; 26(12): 4652 - 4663. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Yamamoto, M. Kyo, T. Kamiya, T. Tanaka, J. D. Engel, H. Motohashi, and M. Yamamoto Predictive base substitution rules that determine the binding and transcriptional specificity of Maf recognition elements Genes Cells, June 1, 2006; 11(6): 575 - 591. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Nohara, X. Pan, S.-i. Tsukumo, A. Hida, T. Ito, H. Nagai, K. Inouye, H. Motohashi, M. Yamamoto, Y. Fujii-Kuriyama, et al. Constitutively Active Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Expressed Specifically in T-Lineage Cells Causes Thymus Involution and Suppresses the Immunization-Induced Increase in Splenocytes J. Immunol., March 1, 2005; 174(5): 2770 - 2777. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Katsuoka, H. Motohashi, J. D. Engel, and M. Yamamoto Nrf2 Transcriptionally Activates the mafG Gene through an Antioxidant Response Element J. Biol. Chem., February 11, 2005; 280(6): 4483 - 4490. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Katsuoka, H. Motohashi, Y. Tamagawa, S. Kure, K. Igarashi, J. D. Engel, and M. Yamamoto Small Maf Compound Mutants Display Central Nervous System Neuronal Degeneration, Aberrant Transcription, and Bach Protein Mislocalization Coincident with Myoclonus and Abnormal Startle Response Mol. Cell. Biol., February 15, 2003; 23(4): 1163 - 1174. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Torocsik, J. M. Angelastro, and L. A. Greene The Basic Region and Leucine Zipper Transcription Factor MafK Is a New Nerve Growth Factor-Responsive Immediate Early Gene That Regulates Neurite Outgrowth J. Neurosci., October 15, 2002; 22(20): 8971 - 8980. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. S. Rim and L. P. Kozak Regulatory Motifs for CREB-binding Protein and Nfe2l2 Transcription Factors in the Upstream Enhancer of the Mitochondrial Uncoupling Protein 1 Gene J. Biol. Chem., September 6, 2002; 277(37): 34589 - 34600. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Takahashi, R. Shimizu, N. Suwabe, T. Kuroha, K. Yoh, J. Ohta, S. Nishimura, K.-C. Lim, J. D. Engel, and M. Yamamoto GATA factor transgenes under GATA-1 locus control rescue germline GATA-1 mutant deficiencies Blood, August 1, 2000; 96(3): 910 - 916. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Onodera, J. A. Shavit, H. Motohashi, F. Katsuoka, J.-e. Akasaka, J. D. Engel, and M. Yamamoto Characterization of the Murine mafF Gene J. Biol. Chem., July 23, 1999; 274(30): 21162 - 21169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. Wang, J.-x. Gao, J. Mimura, A. Kobayashi, K. Sogawa, and Y. Fujii-Kuriyama Structure and Expression of the Mouse AhR Nuclear Translocator (mArnt) Gene J. Biol. Chem., September 18, 1998; 273(38): 24867 - 24873. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Shavit, H. Motohashi, K. Onodera, J.-e. Akasaka, M. Yamamoto, and J. D. Engel Impaired megakaryopoiesis and behavioral defects in mafG-null mutant mice Genes & Dev., July 15, 1998; 12(14): 2164 - 2174. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				K. Onodera, S. Takahashi, S. Nishimura, J. Ohta, H. Motohashi, K. Yomogida, N. Hayashi, J. D. Engel, and M. Yamamoto GATA-1 transcription is controlled by distinct regulatory mechanisms during primitive and definitive erythropoiesis PNAS, April 29, 1997; 94(9): 4487 - 4492. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]