A NOVEL ETS-RELATED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR, ERT ESX/ESE-1, REGULATES EXPRESSION OF THE TRANSFORMING-GROWTH-FACTOR-BETA TYPE-II RECEPTOR/

A 2.5-kilobase cDNA clone that encodes a 371-amino acid novel transcri ption factor was isolated from a human placenta cDNA library using a y east one-hybrid system, The novel ets-related transcription factor (ER T) showed a homology with the ETS DNA-binding domain, Using constructs of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) type II receptor (R II) promoter linked to the luciferase gene, we have demonstrated that ERT activates transcription of the TGF-beta RII gene through the 5'-TT TCCTGTTTCC-3' response element spanning nucleotides +13 to +24 and mul tiple additional ETS binding sites between -1816 and -82 of the TGF-be ta RII promoter, A specific interaction between ERT and the ETS bindin g sites was also demonstrated using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, Deletion mapping of ERT protein suggests that the transactivati on domain resides in the amino terminus while the DNA-binding domain i s localized to the carboxyl-terminal region, Our results suggest that ERT might be a major transcription factor involved in the transcriptio nal regulation of the TGF-beta RII gene.