SRCAP (SNF2-related CPB activator protein) belongs to the SNF2 family of proteins whose members participate in various aspects of transcriptional regulation, including chromatin remodeling. It was identified by its ability to bind to cAMP-responsive-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP), and it increases the transactivation function of CBP. The phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) promoter was used as a model system to explore the role of SRCAP in the regulation of transcription mediated by factors that utilize CBP as a coactivator. We show that transcription of a PEPCK chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene activated by protein kinase A (PKA) is enhanced 7-fold by SRCAP. In the absence of PKA this SRCAP-mediated enhancement does not occur, suggesting that SRCAP functions as a coactivator for PKA-activated factors such as CREB. Replacing the PEPCK promoter binding site for CREB with a binding site for Gal4 (⌬CRE (cAMP-responsive element) Gal4 PEPCK-CAT reporter gene) blocks the ability of SRCAP to activate transcription despite the presence of PKA. Expression of a Gal-CREB chimera restores the ability of PKA to regulate transcription of the ⌬CRE Gal4 PEPCK gene and restored the ability of SRCAP to stimulate PKAactivated transcription. In addition, SRCAP in the presence of PKA enhances the ability of the Gal-CREB chimera to activate transcription of a Gal-CAT reporter gene that contains only binding sites for Gal4. SRCAP binds to CBP amino acids 280 -460, a region that is important for CBP to function as a coactivator for CREB. Overexpression of a SRCAP peptide corresponding to this CBP binding domain acts as a dominant negative inhibitor of CREB-mediated transcription. Structurefunction studies were done to explore the mechanism(s) by which SRCAP regulates transcription. These studies indicate that the N-terminal region of SRCAP, which contains five of the seven regions that comprise the ATPase domain, is not needed for activation of CREBmediated transcription. SRCAP apparently has several domains that participate in the activation of transcription.The transcription factor cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) 1 regulates the transcription of a number of genes (for review, see Refs. 1 and 2). It stimulates a low level of basal transcription, which has been proposed to be mediated through action of CREB domains that bind directly to TAF 110, TAF 130, TFIIB and TBP (3-7). CREB also stimulates a much higher level of transcription when it is activated in response to diverse biological stimuli such as neural and hormonal signals. These signals stimulate phosphorylation of CREB within the kinase-inducible domain. Phosphorylation of serine 133 within the kinase-inducible domain by several kinases, including calmodulin kinase II and IV, protein kinase A, ribosomal S6 kinase 1-3, mitogen-and stress-activated protein kinase 1, and mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2/3, leads to the activation of transcription (for review, see Ref. 8). Although phosphorylation o...