The AP-1 Family of Transcription Factors

The history of the exploration of transcriptional regulation can be told as a tale of increasing complexity, from single regulatory proteins selecting genes and obeying linear arrays of signals, to huge multiprotein complexes that are embedded in a network of circuitry—involving so many and even seemingly redundant components that it has become difficult to recognize a pattern of rationale. The factor AP-1 can serve as a prime example for this development.