Here, we characterize the basis for the T-cell-specific activity of the human zinc-finger protein early growth response factor 4 (EGR-4). A yeast two-hybrid screen showed interaction of EGR-4 with NF-kappaB p50. Using recombinant proteins, stable physical complex formation was confirmed for EGR-4 and EGR-3 with p50 and with p65 using glutathione-S-transferase pull-down assays and surface-plasmon-resonance and peptide-spot analyses. In vivo interaction of EGR-4 and EGR-3 with NF-kappaB p65 was demonstrated by immunoprecipitation experiments and fluorescence-resonance-energy transfer (FRET) analysis showing interaction in the nucleus of transfected Jurkat T cells. In transfection assays, EGR-p50 complexes were transcriptionally inactive and EGR-p65 complexes strongly activated transcription of the promoters of the human genes encoding the cytokines interleukin 2, tissue necrosis factor alpha and ICAM-1. The EGR-p65 complexes increased reporter-gene activity about 100-fold and thus exceeded the transcriptional activities of the p65 homodimer and the p65/p50 heterodimers. The major interaction domain for p65 was localized within the third zinc finger of EGR-4 using deletion mutants for pull-down assays and peptide-spot assays. By computer modeling, this interaction domain was localized to an alpha-helical region and shown to have the central amino acids surface exposed and thus accessible for interaction. In summary, in T cells, the two zinc-finger proteins EGR-4 and EGR-3 interact with the specific nuclear mediator NF-kappaB and control transcription of genes encoding inflammatory cytokines.
