Interaction of a common cellular transcription factor, ATF, with regulatory elements in both E1a- and cyclic AMP-inducible promoters.

We have previously identified a cellular transcription factor, ATF, which is involved in the expression of multiple adenovirus E1a-inducible genes. Here we show that ATF also binds to regulatory elements in cellular cAMP-inducible promoters. In these cellular promoters, ATF binds to a consensus sequence that has been previously shown to be necessary and in some instances sufficient for cAMP-inducible transcription. Furthermore, we show that binding of ATF to these promoter elements is required for the constitutive in vitro transcriptional activity of the cAMP-inducible somatostatin gene. Taken together, our results suggest that a common cellular transcription factor, ATF, can be regulated in vivo by two apparently unrelated inducing agents: the adenovirus E1a protein and cAMP.