Identification of a novel mouse nuclear protein termed activator of basal transcription 1 (mABT1) that associates with the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and enhances basal transcription activity of class II promoters is described. We also identify mABT1 homologous counterparts in Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and show the homologous yeast gene to be essential for growth. The mABT1 associated with TBP in HeLa nuclear extracts and with purified mouse TBP in vitro. In addition, ectopically expressed mABT1 was coimmunoprecipitated with endogenous TBP in transfected cells. More importantly, mABT1 significantly enhanced transcription from an adenovirus major late promoter in a reconstituted cell-free system. We furthermore demonstrate that mABT1 consistently enhanced transcription from a reporter gene with a minimal core promoter as well as from reporter genes with various enhancer elements in a cotransfection assay. Taken together, these results suggest that mABT1 is a novel TBP-binding protein which can function as a basal transcription activator.Most genes in eukaryotes show a regulated pattern of expression during the course of development, in the cell cycle, or in response to changes in the cellular environment. The protein-coding genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) are predominantly regulated at the level of transcription (4,6,53), and this transcriptional control of RNA Pol II is governed by specific DNA elements and protein factors assembled on these elements. Two types of DNA elements exist: (i) common core promoter elements on which RNA Pol II and general transcription factors (GTFs) such as TFIIA, -B, -D, -E, -F, and -H assemble to form a preinitiation complex and (ii) genespecific DNA elements that are recognized by regulatory factors (53, 56). According to this scheme, RNA Pol II and cognate GTFs can initiate a low level of intrinsic basal transcription from the core promoter. This basal transcription machinery is an ultimate target of various gene-and cell typespecific regulatory factors, which lend positive and negative signals to modulate transcriptional activity.The TATA-binding protein (TBP) has been isolated and characterized as a TATA element-binding component of the general transcription factor TFIID (13,20,22,23,25,32). TBP is associated with a variety of factors that play important roles in basal or gene-specific regulation of gene expression. For example, TBP interacts with TBP-associated factors (TAF II s) and forms the TFIID complex, which was initially identified as an essential GTF. Mammalian or Drosophila TFIID can mediate basal and activated transcription in vitro, whereas TBP by itself can mediate only basal transcription, suggesting that mammalian or Drosophila TAF II s are required for activated transcription (50,67 TBP plays a key role together with TAF II s in communicating transcriptional regulatory factors and in the basic transcription machinery (67). TBP binds to a variety of factors including c-Fos (45,52),40), and p53 (58,64). More recently, other...