Transcription factor p65
Also known as: NFKB3, RELA
Function
NF-kappa-B is a pleiotropic transcription factor present in almost all cell types and is the endpoint of a series of signal transduction events that are initiated by a vast array of stimuli related to many biological processes such as inflammation, immunity, differentiation, cell growth, tumorigenesis and apoptosis. NF-kappa-B is a homo- or heterodimeric complex formed by the Rel-like domain-containing proteins RELA/p65, RELB, NFKB1/p105, NFKB1/p50, REL and NFKB2/p52. The heterodimeric RELA-NFKB1 complex appears to be most abundant one. The dimers bind at kappa-B sites in the DNA of their target genes and the individual dimers have distinct preferences for different kappa-B sites that they can bind with distinguishable affinity and specificity. Different dimer combinations act as transcriptional activators or repressors, respectively. The NF-kappa-B heterodimeric RELA-NFKB1 and RELA-REL complexes, for instance, function as transcriptional activators. NF-kappa-B is controlled by various mechanisms of post-translational modification and subcellular compartmentalization as well as by interactions with other cofactors or corepressors. NF-kappa-B complexes are held in the cytoplasm in an inactive state complexed with members of the NF-kappa-B inhibitor (I-kappa-B) family. In a conventional activation pathway, I-kappa-B is phosphorylated by I-kappa-B kinases (IKKs) in response to different activators, subsequently degraded thus liberating the active NF-kappa-B complex which translocates to the nucleus. The inhibitory effect of I-kappa-B on NF-kappa-B through retention in the cytoplasm is exerted primarily through the interaction with RELA. RELA shows a weak DNA-binding site which could contribute directly to DNA binding in the NF-kappa-B complex. Besides its activity as a direct transcriptional activator, it is also able to modulate promoters accessibility to transcription factors and thereby indirectly regulate gene expression. Associates with chromatin at the NF-kappa-B promoter region via association with DDX1. Essential for cytokine gene expression in T-cells. The NF-kappa-B homodimeric RELA-RELA complex appears to be involved in invasin-mediated activation of IL-8 expression. Key transcription factor regulating the IFN response during SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Classification
- Family (Pfam)
- PF16179 RHD_dimer, PF00554 RHD_DNA_bind
- InterPro
- Ig-like_fold, Ig_E-set, IPT_dom, IPT_NFkappaB, NFkB/Dor, p53-like_TF_DNA-bd_sf, RelA_RHD_N, RHD_CS, RHD_dimer, RHD_DNA_bind_dom, RHD_DNA_bind_dom_sf
- Functional cluster
- Homeobox & Zinc-Finger Transcription Factors
Experimental structures · PDB · 88
- 1NFI X-ray 2.70A
- 2LSP NMR
- 2O61 X-ray 2.80A
- 3GUT X-ray 3.59A
- 3QXY X-ray 2.09A
- 3RC0 X-ray 2.19A
- 4KV1 X-ray 1.50A
- 4KV4 X-ray 2.00A
- 5U4K NMR
- 5URN NMR
- 6NV2 X-ray 1.13A
- 6QHL X-ray 1.20A
- … and 76 more
A predicted model is available from AlphaFold.
Gene Ontology · 94
- GO:0000785 chromatin
- GO:0005737 cytoplasm
- GO:0005829 cytosol
- GO:0098978 glutamatergic synapse
- GO:0071159 NF-kappaB complex
- GO:0035525 NF-kappaB p50/p65 complex
- GO:0005654 nucleoplasm
- GO:0005634 nucleus
- GO:0005667 transcription regulator complex
- GO:0042805 actinin binding
- GO:0071532 ankyrin repeat binding
- GO:0003682 chromatin binding
- GO:0031490 chromatin DNA binding
- GO:0003677 DNA binding
- GO:0001228 DNA-binding transcription activator activity, RNA polymerase II-specific
- GO:0003700 DNA-binding transcription factor activity
- GO:0000981 DNA-binding transcription factor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific
- GO:0140297 DNA-binding transcription factor binding
- GO:0001227 DNA-binding transcription repressor activity, RNA polymerase II-specific
- GO:0140296 general transcription initiation factor binding
- GO:0042826 histone deacetylase binding
- GO:0042802 identical protein binding
- GO:0051059 NF-kappaB binding
- GO:0042277 peptide binding
- GO:0042301 phosphate ion binding
- GO:0042803 protein homodimerization activity
- GO:0019901 protein kinase binding
- GO:0000978 RNA polymerase II cis-regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding
- GO:0000979 RNA polymerase II core promoter sequence-specific DNA binding
- GO:0000977 RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding
- GO:0000976 transcription cis-regulatory region binding
- GO:0003713 transcription coactivator activity
- GO:0001223 transcription coactivator binding
- GO:0031625 ubiquitin protein ligase binding
- GO:0140374 antiviral innate immune response
- GO:0007249 canonical NF-kappaB signal transduction
- GO:0006968 cellular defense response
- GO:1904385 cellular response to angiotensin
- GO:0070301 cellular response to hydrogen peroxide
- GO:0071347 cellular response to interleukin-1
- GO:0071354 cellular response to interleukin-6
- GO:0071222 cellular response to lipopolysaccharide
- GO:0071223 cellular response to lipoteichoic acid
- GO:0071316 cellular response to nicotine
- GO:0071224 cellular response to peptidoglycan
- GO:0071356 cellular response to tumor necrosis factor
- GO:0140896 cGAS/STING signaling pathway
- GO:0006325 chromatin organization
- GO:0019221 cytokine-mediated signaling pathway
- GO:0002357 defense response to tumor cell
- GO:0051607 defense response to virus
- GO:0006351 DNA-templated transcription
- GO:0006954 inflammatory response
- GO:0045087 innate immune response
- GO:0070498 interleukin-1-mediated signaling pathway
- GO:0035556 intracellular signal transduction
- GO:0001889 liver development
- GO:0016525 negative regulation of angiogenesis
- GO:0043066 negative regulation of apoptotic process
- GO:1900016 negative regulation of cytokine production involved in inflammatory response
- GO:0045892 negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription
- GO:2001237 negative regulation of extrinsic apoptotic signaling pathway
- GO:1902894 negative regulation of miRNA transcription
- GO:1901223 negative regulation of non-canonical NF-kappaB signal transduction
- GO:0033234 negative regulation of protein sumoylation
- GO:0000122 negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
- GO:0007218 neuropeptide signaling pathway
- GO:0038061 non-canonical NF-kappaB signal transduction
- GO:0070431 nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 signaling pathway
- GO:1902004 positive regulation of amyloid-beta formation
- GO:0043123 positive regulation of canonical NF-kappaB signal transduction
- GO:0008284 positive regulation of cell population proliferation
- GO:1900017 positive regulation of cytokine production involved in inflammatory response
- GO:0045893 positive regulation of DNA-templated transcription
- GO:0010628 positive regulation of gene expression
- GO:0032731 positive regulation of interleukin-1 beta production
- GO:0032755 positive regulation of interleukin-6 production
- GO:0032757 positive regulation of interleukin-8 production
- GO:1904996 positive regulation of leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial cell
- GO:2000630 positive regulation of miRNA metabolic process
- GO:1902895 positive regulation of miRNA transcription
- GO:0045944 positive regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
- GO:0010575 positive regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor production
- GO:0099527 postsynapse to nucleus signaling pathway
- GO:0038161 prolactin signaling pathway
- GO:0050727 regulation of inflammatory response
- GO:0006357 regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II
- GO:0034097 response to cytokine
- GO:0070555 response to interleukin-1
- GO:0010224 response to UV-B
- GO:0034142 toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway
- GO:0038124 toll-like receptor TLR6:TLR2 signaling pathway
- GO:0033209 tumor necrosis factor-mediated signaling pathway
- GO:0038084 vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathway
Disease associations
- mucocutaneous ulceration, chronic MONDO:0032659
Drugs targeting this protein · 1
- EDASALONEXENT inhibitor
Related proteins · sequence + function similarity
- Transcription factor p65 0.99
- Transcription factor p65 0.98
- Transcription factor p65 0.83
- Putative transcription factor p65 homolog 0.83
- Transforming protein rel polyprotein 0.81
- Proto-oncogene c-Rel 0.80
- Transcription factor RelB 0.79
- Proto-oncogene c-Rel 0.78
- Proto-oncogene c-Rel 0.77
- Transcription factor RelB 0.77
- Proto-oncogene c-Rel 0.74
- Transcription factor RelB homolog 0.73
Co-cited proteins · studied together in the literature
- Proto-oncogene c-Rel 4 shared papers
- Nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p105 subunit 8 shared papers
- A-kinase-interacting protein 1 1 shared papers
- PHD finger protein 11 1 shared papers
- Zinc finger translocation-associated protein 1 shared papers
- E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase RNF182 1 shared papers
- Nuclear factor NF-kappa-B p100 subunit 4 shared papers
- Leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 25 1 shared papers
- Persulfide dioxygenase ETHE1, mitochondrial 1 shared papers
- Transcription factor p65 3 shared papers
- F-box only protein 16 1 shared papers
- Copine-1 1 shared papers
Literature · 80 cited papers
- Fbxo16 mediates degradation of NF-kappaB p65 subunit and inhibits inflammatory response in dendritic cells. Front. Immunol. · 2025
- MDA5 Governs the Innate Immune Response to SARS-CoV-2 in Lung Epithelial Cells. Cell Rep. · 2021
- FOXM1D potentiates PKM2-mediated tumor glycolysis and angiogenesis. Mol. Oncol. · 2021
- The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF182 inhibits TLR-triggered cytokine production through promoting p65 ubiquitination and degradation. FEBS Lett. · 2019
- Human Cytomegalovirus DNA Polymerase Subunit UL44 Antagonizes Antiviral Immune Responses by Suppressing IRF3- and NF-kappaB-Mediated Transcription. J. Virol. · 2019
- Zbtb7a is a transducer for the control of promoter accessibility by NF-kappa B and multiple other transcription factors. PLoS Biol. · 2018
- RELA haploinsufficiency in CD4 lymphoproliferative disease with autoimmune cytopenias. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · 2018
- LRRC25 functions as an inhibitor of NF-kappaB signaling pathway by promoting p65/RelA for autophagic degradation. Sci. Rep. · 2017
- Human RELA haploinsufficiency results in autosomal-dominant chronic mucocutaneous ulceration. J. Exp. Med. · 2017
- The DEAD-Box RNA Helicase DDX3 Interacts with NF-kappaB Subunit p65 and Suppresses p65-Mediated Transcription. PLoS ONE · 2016
- Poxvirus protein MC132 from molluscum contagiosum virus inhibits NF-B activation by targeting p65 for degradation. J. Virol. · 2015
- Ubiquitination of ECSIT is crucial for the activation of p65/p50 NF-kappaBs in Toll-like receptor 4 signaling. Mol. Biol. Cell · 2015
- … and 68 more in the literature graph