Affinage

HIVEP1

Zinc finger protein 40 · UniProt P15822

Length
2718 aa
Mass
296.8 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
19 papers in source corpus 11 papers cited in narrative 11 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 5/5 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

HIVEP1 is a large C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factor that recognizes κB DNA motifs across diverse regulatory elements, including the HIV-1 LTR enhancer and the immunoglobulin κ, MHC class I, and IL-2 receptor enhancers (PMID:2504707, PMID:1727488). It contains two widely separated tandem zinc finger domains, each independently competent to bind the same κB sequence, and its DNA binding is strictly zinc-dependent — removal of zinc from the finger domains abolishes binding (PMID:2037300, PMID:7650680). HIVEP1 also binds the αA-CRYBP1 site in the αA-crystallin promoter, where together with a redundant DE-1 element it is required for lens-specific transcription in vivo (PMID:8332460). Functionally, HIVEP1 is context-dependent: through its C-terminal zinc-finger-containing fragment it forms a nuclear complex with Cirhin (CIRH1A) that transactivates an NF-κB element, an interaction disrupted by the NAIC-associated Cirhin R565W mutation (PMID:19732766), yet in monocytes/macrophages it acts as a negative regulator of NF-κB, binding promoters of NF-κB-responsive genes and suppressing proinflammatory cytokine output during bacterial challenge (PMID:34804025). In TH17 cells it drives proinflammatory differentiation by transcriptionally activating ODC1, the rate-limiting enzyme of polyamine metabolism, linking HIVEP1 to NASH pathology (PMID:41124285).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 10 steps
  1. 1989 High

    Established HIVEP1 as a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein for the HIV-1 enhancer κB site, defining its founding biochemical activity.

    Evidence Southwestern cloning and DNase I footprinting with recombinant protein from E. coli

    PMID:2504707

    Open questions at the time
    • No cellular function or transcriptional output assayed
    • Affinity/specificity relative to other κB-binding factors not quantified
  2. 1991 Medium

    Resolved the protein architecture, showing two widely separated zinc finger domains each binding the same κB motif, and mapped the gene to 6p22.3-p24.

    Evidence cDNA analysis and chromosomal mapping by in situ hybridization and somatic cell hybrids

    PMID:2037300

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional role of dual independent binding domains unresolved
    • No in vivo target genes defined
  3. 1990 Medium

    Demonstrated the αA-CRYBP1/HIVEP1 binding site is a functional, cell-type- and copy-number-dependent transcriptional element in lens promoters, extending HIVEP1's targets beyond immune enhancers.

    Evidence Transient transfection of TK reporter constructs in lens and non-lens cell lines

    PMID:2247086

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct HIVEP1 occupancy at endogenous promoter not shown
    • Activator versus repressor role not distinguished
  4. 1992 Medium

    Showed HIVEP1 produces multiple κB-binding isoforms by alternative splicing but does not activate the HIV LTR in a GAL4-fusion context, indicating it is not a straightforward LTR transactivator.

    Evidence DNA-binding assays and GAL4-fusion cotransfection with HIV LTR-CAT reporter

    PMID:1727488

    Open questions at the time
    • Native promoter context may differ from GAL4-fusion readout
    • Isoform-specific functions not separated
  5. 1993 High

    Identified tissue-specific HIVEP1 protein forms (50, 90, >200 kDa) bound to the αA-CRYBP1 site and established functional redundancy of the αA-CRYBP1 and DE-1 sites for lens expression in transgenic mice.

    Evidence UV-crosslinking, double-label immunoblotting; site-directed mutagenesis and transgenic mouse CAT reporter assays

    PMID:8332460 PMID:8406008

    Open questions at the time
    • Origin of size variants (processing vs splicing) unresolved
    • Which isoform mediates lens activity unknown
  6. 1995 Medium

    Demonstrated zinc coordination is essential for HIVEP1 DNA binding and that selective zinc chelators can discriminate HIVEP1 from NF-κB, providing a tool to dissect the two κB-site factors.

    Evidence In vitro DNA-binding inhibition assays with NMR confirmation of zinc chelation

    PMID:7650680

    Open questions at the time
    • Cellular efficacy of chelators not established
    • No structural model of the finger-DNA complex
  7. 1996 Medium

    Confirmed and refined the zinc-dependence mechanism with more potent pyridine-aminoalkanethiol chelators acting by a distinct mechanism.

    Evidence In vitro DNA-binding inhibition assays with purified HIVEP1 (IC50 ~4 µM)

    PMID:8558519

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo activity untested
    • Selectivity across zinc-finger proteins beyond NF-κB not assessed
  8. 2009 High

    Identified a direct nuclear protein partner, Cirhin, and showed the HIVEP1 C-terminal fragment–Cirhin complex transactivates an NF-κB element, with a disease-associated Cirhin mutation weakening both interaction and transactivation.

    Evidence Yeast two-hybrid, reciprocal Co-IP from nuclear extracts, and NF-κB reporter assay in HeLa cells

    PMID:19732766

    Open questions at the time
    • Endogenous target genes of the complex not defined
    • Physiological cell type for the interaction unclear
  9. 2021 High

    Reframed HIVEP1 as a negative regulator of NF-κB in innate immune cells, binding NF-κB target promoters and suppressing cytokine production in vitro and in vivo.

    Evidence Overexpression, KO, RNA-seq, ChIP in macrophages, and HIVEP1-knockdown zebrafish infection model

    PMID:34804025

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism reconciling activation (with Cirhin) versus repression in macrophages unresolved
    • Direct repressive cofactors not identified
  10. 2025 High

    Established a metabolic-immune axis in which HIVEP1 drives TH17 differentiation by transcriptionally activating ODC1, contributing to NASH.

    Evidence scATAC-seq, scRNA-seq, conditional Hivep1 KO in T cells, target identification, and pharmacological ODC1 inhibition in vivo

    PMID:41124285

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct HIVEP1 binding at the ODC1 locus versus indirect activation not fully delineated
    • Relationship to its NF-κB regulatory functions in T cells unknown

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How HIVEP1 switches between activating (Cirhin-associated, ODC1) and repressive (macrophage NF-κB) transcriptional outputs across cell types remains unresolved.
  • No structural basis for context-dependent cofactor selection
  • Genome-wide direct target sets across cell types not integrated
  • Post-translational regulation of activity unknown

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0003677 DNA binding 5 GO:0140110 transcription regulator activity 3
Localization
GO:0005634 nucleus 1
Pathway
R-HSA-74160 Gene expression (Transcription) 5 R-HSA-168256 Immune System 2
Partners
Complex memberships
HIVEP1–Cirhin nuclear complex

Evidence

Reading pass · 11 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
1989 HIVEP1 (HIV-EP1) was identified as a zinc finger protein that specifically binds to the HIV-1 enhancer (NF-κB binding site, GGGACTTTCC). DNase I footprinting with recombinant protein expressed in E. coli demonstrated direct, specific binding to the HIV-1 enhancer sequence. The protein contains two tandem C2H2-type zinc finger sequences required for DNA binding. Southwestern cloning, DNase I footprinting with recombinant protein expressed in E. coli The Journal of biological chemistry High 2504707
1991 HIVEP1 (HIV-EP1/MBP-1/PRDII-BF1) encodes a ~298-kDa protein with two widely separated zinc finger DNA-binding domains, each of which binds the same κB DNA sequence. The gene was mapped to human chromosome 6p22.3-p24. cDNA analysis, chromosomal mapping by in situ hybridization and somatic cell hybrid analysis Genomics Medium 2037300
1992 HIVEP1 (PRDII-BF1) produces two protein isoforms via alternative splicing, both of which specifically bind to the HIV NF-κB motif and related enhancer elements in the immunoglobulin κ, class I MHC, and IL-2 receptor genes. When fused to the GAL4 DNA-binding domain, PRDII-BF1-derived proteins did not stimulate basal or Tat-induced HIV gene expression, indicating HIVEP1 does not act as a transcriptional activator of HIV LTR in this context. DNA-binding assays, GAL4 fusion cotransfection with HIV LTR-CAT reporter Journal of virology Medium 1727488
1990 The α A-CRYBP1 regulatory site (to which HIVEP1/αA-CRYBP1 binds) in the mouse αA-crystallin promoter activated transcription in a mouse lens epithelial cell line in a copy-number- and cell-type-dependent manner; a single copy conferred lens specificity while multiple copies extended expression to non-lens cells including fibroblasts and B cells. Transient transfection of thymidine kinase reporter constructs in lens and non-lens cell lines Molecular and cellular biology Medium 2247086
1993 Multiple HIVEP1 (αA-CRYBP1) antigenically related proteins of different sizes (50 kDa, 90 kDa, and >200 kDa) interact with the αA-CRYBP1 regulatory sequence, as shown by UV-crosslinking and double-label immunoblotting with a specific antibody. The large isoform (>200 kDa) was detected only in fibroblasts, not in lens cells, suggesting differential processing or alternative splicing generates tissue-specific forms. UV-crosslinking of protein-DNA complexes, double-label immunoblotting with specific antibody against αA-CRYBP1 Gene Medium 8406008
1993 The DE-1 and αA-CRYBP1 binding sites in the mouse αA-crystallin promoter are functionally redundant for lens-specific expression in transgenic mice; individual site mutations preserved lens activity, but simultaneous mutation or deletion of both sites abolished lens expression entirely. Site-directed mutagenesis, stable transformation of lens cells, transgenic mouse CAT reporter assay Nucleic acids research High 8332460
1995 Novel zinc-chelating heterocyclic compounds inhibit the DNA-binding activity of HIVEP1 (HIV-EP1) by removing zinc from its C2H2 zinc finger domain, demonstrating that zinc coordination is essential for HIVEP1 DNA-binding activity. Distinct compounds selectively inhibited either HIVEP1 or NF-κB DNA binding without affecting the other, enabling functional discrimination between the two κB-site-binding proteins. In vitro DNA-binding inhibition assay, NMR confirmation of zinc chelation Journal of medicinal chemistry Medium 7650680
1996 Novel pyridine-aminoalkanethiol zinc chelators inhibit HIVEP1 DNA-binding with IC50 ~4 µM (10-fold more potent than histidine-based inhibitors), and do so by a mechanism distinct from histidine-based chelators, further confirming that zinc coordination in the zinc finger domain is the critical determinant of HIVEP1 DNA-binding activity. In vitro DNA-binding inhibition assay with purified HIVEP1 protein Journal of medicinal chemistry Medium 8558519
2009 HIVEP1 (via its C-terminal fragment Cirip/CIRIP, which retains the zinc fingers) physically interacts with Cirhin (CIRH1A) in the nuclei of HeLa cells. This interaction upregulates transcription through a canonical NF-κB element. The NAIC-associated R565W mutation in Cirhin weakens this interaction and reduces transactivation of the NF-κB element, establishing a functional Cirhin–HIVEP1 complex in transcriptional regulation. Yeast two-hybrid screening, co-immunoprecipitation from nuclear extracts, mammalian cell NF-κB reporter assay Experimental cell research High 19732766
2021 HIVEP1 functions as a negative regulator of NF-κB in monocytes/macrophages. In complementary overexpression and gene-deletion experiments, HIVEP1 inhibited NF-κB activity and induction of NF-κB-responsive genes. HIVEP1 was shown to bind promoter regions of NF-κB-responsive genes by ChIP. In LPS-stimulated murine Hivep1-knockout macrophages and HIVEP1-knockdown zebrafish infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae, cytokine production was increased, demonstrating HIVEP1 suppresses proinflammatory responses to bacterial stimuli in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression and gene deletion experiments, RNA sequencing, transcription factor binding site analysis, ChIP (promoter binding), murine Hivep1 KO macrophages, HIVEP1-knockdown zebrafish infection model Frontiers in immunology High 34804025
2025 HIVEP1 acts as a transcription factor that promotes TH17 cell differentiation and cytokine production by transcriptionally activating ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1), the rate-limiting enzyme of polyamine metabolism. Specific knockout of Hivep1 in IL-17A+ and CD4+ T cells in mice impaired TH17 differentiation and alleviated NASH development, and pharmacological inhibition of ODC1 phenocopied the protective effect. scATAC-seq, scRNA-seq, conditional Hivep1 knockout in IL-17A+ and CD4+ T cells, transcriptional target identification (ODC1), pharmacological ODC1 inhibition in vivo Science translational medicine High 41124285

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 19 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
1995 Schnurri is required for Drosophila Dpp signaling and encodes a zinc finger protein similar to the mammalian transcription factor PRDII-BF1. Cell 178 7774018
1989 Putative metal finger structure of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 enhancer binding protein HIV-EP1. The Journal of biological chemistry 80 2504707
2015 Biochemical characterization of a D-psicose 3-epimerase from Treponema primitia ZAS-1 and its application on enzymatic production of D-psicose. Journal of the science of food and agriculture 57 25809188
1991 HIV-EP2, a new member of the gene family encoding the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 enhancer-binding protein. Comparison with HIV-EP1/PRDII-BF1/MBP-1. The Journal of biological chemistry 55 2022670
1992 Regulation of human immunodeficiency virus enhancer function by PRDII-BF1 and c-rel gene products. Journal of virology 36 1727488
2001 Structure of the human zinc finger protein HIVEP3: molecular cloning, expression, exon-intron structure, and comparison with paralogous genes HIVEP1 and HIVEP2. Genomics 30 11161801
1995 Novel zinc chelators with dual activity in the inhibition of the kappa B site-binding proteins HIV-EP1 and NF-kappa B. Journal of medicinal chemistry 25 7650680
1990 Species-specific lens activation of the thymidine kinase promoter by a single copy of the mouse alpha A-CRYBP1 site and loss of tissue specificity by multimerization. Molecular and cellular biology 25 2247086
1993 Functional redundancy of the DE-1 and alpha A-CRYBP1 regulatory sites of the mouse alpha A-crystallin promoter. Nucleic acids research 24 8332460
1996 Metal-chelating inhibitors of a zinc finger protein HIV-EP1. Remarkable potentiation of inhibitory activity by introduction of SH groups. Journal of medicinal chemistry 23 8558519
2022 Response surface methodological optimization of L-asparaginase production from the medicinal plant endophyte Acinetobacter baumannii ZAS1. Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology 19 35138483
1993 Binding of tissue-specific forms of alpha A-CRYBP1 to their regulatory sequence in the mouse alpha A-crystallin-encoding gene: double-label immunoblotting of UV-crosslinked complexes. Gene 17 8406008
1991 Localization of the zinc finger DNA-binding protein HIV-EP1/MBP-1/PRDII-BF1 to human chromosome 6p22.3-p24. Genomics 17 2037300
2021 HIVEP1 Is a Negative Regulator of NF-κB That Inhibits Systemic Inflammation in Sepsis. Frontiers in immunology 12 34804025
2009 Cirhin up-regulates a canonical NF-kappaB element through strong interaction with Cirip/HIVEP1. Experimental cell research 12 19732766
2025 HIVEP1 aggravates NASH by reprogramming polyamine metabolism in TH17 cells. Science translational medicine 5 41124285
2022 Novel HIVEP1-ALK fusion in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma demonstrating sensitivity to alectinib: a case report. Translational lung cancer research 3 35693284
2018 Control of mitotic chromosome condensation by the fission yeast transcription factor Zas1. The Journal of cell biology 3 29735745
2014 WITHDRAWN: Modulation of TLR3, TLR4 and TLR7 mediated IFN-β, Rantes and TNFα production by HIVEP1. The Journal of biological chemistry 0 24719322

Missed literature

Know a paper Affinage missed for HIVEP1? Flag it for the maintainers and the community.

No submissions yet.