Eukaryotic transcriptional regulatory complexes: cooperativity from near and afar

Abstract It is characteristic of eukaryotic transcription that a unique combination of multiple transcriptional regulatory proteins bound to promoter DNA specifically activate or repress downstream target genes; this is referred to as combinatorial gene regulation. Recently determined structures have revealed different modes of protein–protein interaction on the promoter DNA from near (e.g. the Runx1–CBFβ–DNA, NFAT–Fos–Jun–DNA, GABPα–GABPβ–DNA, Ets-1–Pax-5–DNA and PU.1–IRF-4–DNA complexes) and afar with DNA looping (e.g. the c-Myb–C/EBPβ–DNA complex), and their regulatory mechanisms.