CEBP Delta: Proteins and Enzymes

C/EBP proteins are DNA-binding proteins that are important transcriptional activators in the regulation of genes involved in immune and inflammatory responses and may play an important role in the regulation of the several genes associated with activation and/or differentiation of macrophages. Members of the C/EBP transcription factor family are related by a high degree of amino acid sequence identity to the basic leucine zipper DNA-binding domain and show distinct but overlapping patterns of tissue- and stage-restricted expression. Osada et al. identified the consensus binding site for the family as RTTGCGYAAY (R = A or G, and Y = C or T). Phosphorylation of C/EBP delta may increase binding activity, whereas phosphorylation of the alpha and beta family members may decrease binding affinity. C/EBP delta is a nuclear protein that binds DNA as a dimer and can form stable heterodimers with all other C/EBP family members.