THE CBP COACTIVATOR IS A HISTONE ACETYLTRANSFERASE

THE CBP protein acts as a transcriptional adaptor for many different t ranscription factors by directly contacting DNA-bound activators(1-7). One mechanism by which CBP is thought to stimulate transcription is b y recruiting the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) P/CAF to the promoter s(8). Here we show that CBP has intrinsic HAT activity. The HAT domain of CBP is adjacent to the binding site for the transcriptional activa tor E1A. Although E1A displaces P/CAF from CBP, it does not disrupt th e CBP-associated HAT activity. Thus E1A carries HAT activity when comp lexed with CBP. Targeting CBP-associated HAT activity to specific prom oters may therefore be a mechanism by which E1A acts as a transcriptio nal activator.