An ATPase/helicase complex is an essential cofactor for oncogenic transformation by c-Myc.

The c-Myc transactivation domain was used to affinity purify tightly associated nuclear proteins. Two of these proteins were identified as TIP49 and a novel related protein called TIP48, both of which are highly conserved in evolution and contain ATPase/helicase motifs. TIP49 and TIP48 are complexed with c-Myc in vivo, and binding is dependent on a c-Myc domain essential for oncogenic activity. A missense mutation in the TIP49 ATPase motif acts as a dominant inhibitor of c-Myc oncogenic activity but does not inhibit normal cell growth, indicating that functional TIP49 protein is an essential mediator of c-Myc oncogenic transformation. The TIP49 and TIP48 ATPase/helicase proteins represent a novel class of cofactors recruited by transcriptional activation domains that function in diverse pathways.