c-Myc-, N-Myc- and L-Myc-encoded proteins function in cell proliferation, differentiation and neoplastic disease. Myc proteins are nuclear proteins with relatively short half lives. Amplification of the c-Myc gene has been found in several types of human tumors including lung, breast and colon carcinomas, while the N-Myc gene has been found amplified in neuroblastomas. The L-Myc gene has been reported to be amplified and expressed at high level in human small cell lung carcinomas. The presence of three sequence motifs in the c-Myc COOH terminus, including the leucine zipper, the helix-loop-helix and a basic region provided initial evidence for a sequence-specific binding function. A basic region helix-loop-helix leucine zipper motif (bHLH-Zip) protein, designated Max, specifically associates with c-Myc, N-Myc and L-Myc proteins. The Myc-Max complex binds to DNA in a sequence-specific manner under conditions where neither Max nor Myc exhibit appreciable binding. Max can also form heterodimers with at least two additional bHLH-Zip proteins, Mad and Mxi1, and Mad-Max dimers have been shown to repress transcription through interaction with mSin3.
