Cooperation among transcription factors is central for their ability to execute specific transcriptional programmes. The AP1 complex exemplifies a network of transcription factors that function in unison under normal circumstances and during the course of tumour development and progression. This Perspective summarizes our current understanding of the changes in members of the AP1 complex and the role of ATF2 as part of this complex in tumorigenesis.Activator protein 1 (AP1) 1,2 functions in almost all areas of eukaryotic cellular behaviour, from cell cycle proliferation and development to stress response and apoptosis. Indeed, AP1 is activated in response to a plethora of extracellular signals from cytokines and growth factors to stress and inflammation 3,4 . The expansive transcriptional repertoire executed by AP1 complexes is propagated from the diverse compositional array of homodimeric or heterodimeric combinations formed by members of the Jun, Atf, Fos and Maf transcription factor families (BOX 1). The dimeric combinations and transcriptional activity observed in vivo are largely influenced by the tissue-specific expression patterns of the individual proteins, and importantly by their specific activating mechanisms and post-translational modifications that facilitate their individual ability to dimerize with other basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain proteins. This inherently diverse composition of AP1 complexes and their central role in transcriptional regulation places AP1 complexes at a functional epicenter for pathological signal relay in disease, particularly in the context of malignant cellular transformation in which AP1 proteins are often deregulated by oncoprotein signalling [4][5][6] . This Perspective describes the function and cooperation of Jun, Fos and Atf family members in tumour cells, and the emerging function of ATF2 as part of the dynamic AP1 complex.
Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing financial interests. The Ap1 transcription factor complexThe mammalian AP1 proteins are homodimers and heterodimers composed of proteins from the Jun (JUN, JUNB and JUND) and Fos (FOS, FOSB, FRA1 and FRA2) families, and the closely related activating transcription factor (Atf and Creb) subfamily and the Maf subfamily 5 . AP1 constituent proteins are structurally distinguished by a basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain that is composed of leucine zipper and basic domains. It is through these domains that AP1 proteins dimerize and bind to DNA. These proteins are typically activated through phosphorylation by the indicated upstream kinases. The different AP1 dimers bind to DNA with varying affinities and differ in their transactivation efficiencies 8,15 . Jun proteins can form stable dimers that bind to the AP1 DNA recognition element 5′-TGAC/ GTCA-3′ (also known as TPA response element (TRE)) based on their ability to mediate transcriptional induction in response to the phorbol ester tumour promoter TPA 2,15 . Atf proteins, conversely, form dimers that preferentially bind to c...