MEF2C is a member of the MEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2) family of transcription factors. In mammals, there are four MEF2C-related genes (MEF2A, MEF2B, MEF2C and MEF2D) that encode proteins that exhibit significant amino acid sequence similarity within their DNA binding domains and, to a lesser extent, throughout the rest of the proteins. The MEF2 family members were originally described as muscle specific DNA binding proteins that recognize MEF2 motifs found within the promoters of many muscle-specific genes. Recently, several groups have reported MEF2 binding activity and MEF2 proteins in a wide variety of cell types where these proteins appear to play an important role in growth factor- and stress-induced early gene responses.
