Proteins encoded by the v-Rel viral oncogene and its cellular homolog, c-Rel, are members of a family of transcription factors that include the two subunits of the transcription factor NF kB (p50 and p65) and the Drosophila maternal morphogen, dorsal. Both proteins specifically bind to DNA sequences that are the same or slight variations of the 10 bp kB sequence in the immunoglobulin k light chain enhancer. This same sequence is also present in a number of other cellular and viral enhancers. The DNA binding activity of NFkB is activated and NFkB is subsequently transported from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in cells exposed to mitogens or growth factors. cDNAs encoding precursors for two distinct proteins of the same size have been described, designated p105 and p100. The p105 precursor contains p50 at its N-terminus and a C-terminal region that when expressed as a separate molecule, designated pdI, binds to p50 and regulates its activity.
