Cell cycle-regulated repression of B-myb transcription: Cooperation of an E2F site with a contiguous corepressor element

B-myb belongs to a group of cell cycle genes whose transcription is repressed in G(0)/early G(1) through a binding site for the transcription factor E2F. Here, we show that the B-myb repressor element is specifically recognised by heterodimers consisting of DP-1 and E2F-1, E2F-3 or E2F-4. Surprisingly, EPF-mediated repression is dependent on a contiguous compressor element that resembles the CHR previously established as a compressor of the CDE in cell cycle genes derepressed in S/G(2), such as cyclin A, cdc2 and cdc25C. A factor binding to the B-myb CHR was identified in fractionated HeLa nuclear extract and found to interact with the minor groove, as previously shown by in vivo footprinting for the cyclin A CHR. The B-myb and cdc25C CHRs are related with respect to protein binding but are functionally clearly distinct. Our results support a model where both E2F- and CDE-mediated repression, acting at different stages in the cell cycle, are dependent on promoter-specific CHR elements.