NOVEL TESTIS-SPECIFIC PROTEIN THAT INTERACTS WITH HEAT-SHOCK FACTOR-2

Although heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) binds to heat shock element (HSE) constitutively during differentiation, development and spermatogenesis , little is known about the nature and mechanism of transcriptional co ntrol of heat shock genes by HSF2. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, we screened a human testis cDNA library for proteins that can associat e with HSF2 by the yeast two-hybrid system, and isolated clones encodi ng a novel protein, designated HSF2-binding protein (HSF2BP), that ass ociates with HSF2 in vitro and in vivo and is specifically synthesized in testis. The interaction seemed to occur between the trimerization domain of HSF2 and the N-terminal hydrophilic region of HSF2BP that co mprises two leucine zipper motifs. HSF2BP may therefore be involved in modulating HSF2 activation in testis. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.