Background:
Several members of the Ets gene family are known to encode sequence-specific DNA binding proteins. These include mouse PU.1, mouse and human Ets-1, Drosophila E74, chicken and human Ets-2 and rat GABP-a. Each of these proteins recognizes similar motifs in DNA that share a centrally located 5'-GGAA-3' element. For instance, PEA3 binds the motif 5'-AGGAAG-3' (the PEA-3 motif), but does not bind to the sequence 5'-AGGAAC-3', recognized by PU.1, although PU.1 binds equally well to both sequences.