Binding of the c-myb proto-oncogene product to the simian virus 40 enhancer stimulates transcription.

The proto-oncogene c-myb encodes a nuclear protein which binds to DNA. Here we find that bacterially synthesized c-myb protein binds to one site of the simian virus 40 enhancer. The c-myb protein purified from the human T-cell line, Molt4, was also shown to recognize the same sequence. In co-transfection experiments with a c-myb expression plasmid, tandem repeats of a c-myb-binding sequence were shown to function as a c-myb-dependent enhancer. These results indicate the c-myb protein is a simian virus 40 enhancer-binding protein that can positively regulate transcription.