Targeting of p300 to the interleukin-2 promoter via CREB-Rel cross-talk during mitogen and oncogenic molecular signaling in activated T-cells

In this report, we explore the mechanisms of targeting of p300 to the inter leukin-2 (IL-2) promoter in response to mitogenic and oncogenic molecular s ignals. Recruitment of p300 by cAMP-responsive element-binding protein-Rel cross-talk at the composite CD28 response element (CD28RE)-TRE element of t he IL-2 promoter is essential for promoter inducibility during T-cell activ ation, and CD28RE-TRE is the exclusive target of the human T-cell lymphotro pic virus type I oncoprotein Tax. The intrinsic histone acetyltransferase a ctivity of p300 is dispensable for activation of the IL-2 promoter, and the N-terminal 743 residues contain the minimal structural requirements for sy nergistic transactivation of the CD28RE-TRE, the IL-2 promoter, and endogen ous IL-2 gene expression. Mutational analysis of p300 reveals differential structural requirements for the N-terminal p300 module by individual cis-el ements within the IL-2 promoter. These findings provide evidence that p300 assembles at the IL-2 promoter to form an enhanceosome-like signal transduc tion target that is centrally integrated at the CD28RE-TRE element of the I L-2 promoter through specific protein module-targeted associations in activ ated T-cells.