c-Myb protein interacts with Rcd-1, a component of the CCR4 transcription mediator complex

Transcriptional initiation of eukaryotic genes depends on the cooperative interaction of various transcription factors. Using the yeast two-hybrid assay, we have identified the murine Rcd-1 protein as a cofactor of the c-myb proto-oncogene product. Rcd-1 is evolutionarily conserved among many species, and moreover the yeast homologue CAF40 is part of the carbon catabolite repressor protein transcriptional mediator thought to be involved in the negative regulation of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II. Rcd-1 is located mainly in the nucleus, and it interacts with c-Myb both in vitro and in vivo. The activation of the myeloid c-myb-specific mim-1 promoter is repressed by Rcd-1. Interestingly, rcd-1 is an erythropoietin regulated gene, which also represses the action of the AP-1 transcription factor on its target genes.