Transcription factor ZBP-89 cooperates with histone acetyltransferase p300 during butyrate activation of p21(waf1) transcription in human cells

Inducible p53-independent regulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21(waf1) transcription is mediated through proximal GC-rich sites. Prior studies have shown that Sp1, Sp3, and the histone acetylase co-activator p300 are components of the complexes binding to these sites. Although Sp1 and Sp3 collaborate with p300, a direct interaction between Sp1 and p300 does not occur. This study sought to determine whether ZBP-89 rather than Sp1 is the direct target of p300 during butyrate induction of p21(waf1). ZBP-89 (BFCOL1, BERF-1, ZNF 148) is a Kruppel-type zinc finger transcription factor that binds to GC-rich elements and represses or activates known target genes. Adenoviral-mediated expression of ZBP-89 in HT-29 cells revealed that ZBP-89 potentiates butyrate induction of endogenous p21(waf1) gene expression. Further, cotransfection of a ZBP-89 expression vector with a 2.3-kilobase p21(waf1) reporter recapitulated the potentiation by butyrate. DNase I footprinting analysis of the human p21(waf1) promoter with recombinant ZBP-89 identified a binding site at -245 to -215. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed that both recombinant and endogenous ZBP-89 and Sp1 bind to this element. The potentiation was abolished in the presence of adenoviral protein E1A. Deletion of the N-terminal domain of ZBP-89 abolished the potentiation mediated by butyrate treatment. This same deletion mutant abolished the ZBP-89 interaction with p300. Cotransfection of p300 with ZBP-89 stimulated the p21(waf1) promoter in the absence of butyrate. p300 co-precipitated with ZBP-89 but not with Sp1, whereas ZBP-89 co-precipitated with Sp1. Together, these findings demonstrate that ZBP-89 also plays a critical role in butyrate activation of the p21(waf1) promoter and reveals preferential cooperation of this four-zinc finger transcription factor with p300.