Stepwise Neofunctionalization of the NF-κB Family Member c-Rel during Vertebrate Evolution

SUMMARY Adaptive immunity and the five vertebrate NF-κB/Rel family members first appeared in cartilaginous fish, suggesting that divergence and specialization within the NF-κB family helped facilitate the evolution of adaptive immunity. One specialized function of the NF-κB c-Rel protein in macrophages is the activation of Il12b , which encodes a key regulator of T-cell development. We found that c-Rel is a far more potent regulator of Il12b than of any other inducible genes in macrophages, with c-Rel regulation of Il12b dependent on its heightened intrinsic DNA-binding affinity. c-Rel homodimers regulate Il12b transcription in part via motifs with little resemblance to canonical NF-κB motifs. ChIP-seq experiments further defined distinct c-Rel DNA-binding preferences genome-wide, and X-ray crystallography of a c-Rel/RelA chimeric protein identified key amino acid changes that support the unique c-Rel properties. Unexpectedly, these changes, along with the c-Rel/RelA binding affinity differences, were largely restricted to mammalian species. Together, our findings reveal how a transcription factor family member can undergo a structural transition at a late stage of vertebrate evolution, resulting in an increased intrinsic DNA binding affinity and with clear functional consequences, presumably to support the increasing complexity of immune regulation.