TGGCA-binding proteins are nuclear proteins with high affinity for double-stranded DNA homologous to the prototype recognition sequence 5'YTGGCANNNTGCCAR 3'. Their ubiquitous tissue distribution in higher vertebrates characterizes them as a class of highly conserved proteins which may exert a basic function. To obtain clues to this function, specific binding sites were mapped on three viral genomes. Recognition sites were identified in the enhancer region of the BK virus, in the LTR of the mouse mammary tumor virus, and in the origin of replication of adenovirus 12. The TGGCA-binding protein from HeLa cells appears to be identical to nuclear factor I described by others, which stimulates initiation of adenovirus DNA replication in vitro. However, data from MMTV, BKV, and from cellular genes suggest that this specific protein-DNA interaction may also be involved in the control of gene activity.
