By using a yeast two-hybrid assay, cyclic AMP-response-element-binding protein-related protein (CREB-RP), also called activating transcription factor 60 (ATF6beta), was identified-as a cellular protein that interacts with the NS4B protein of hepatitis C virus. An N-terminal half of NS4B and a central portion of CREB-RP/ATF6beta containing the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain were involved in the interaction. The interaction between NS4B and CREB-RP/ATF6beta was demonstrated also in mammalian cells by coimmunoprecipitation and confocal microscopic analyses using specific antibodies. The bZIP domain of ATF6alpha, which shares high sequence similarity with CREB-RP/ATF6beta, was also shown to interact with NS4B in yeast although the interaction was weaker than that between NS4B and CREB-RP/ATF6beta. CREB-RP/ATF6beta and ATF6alpha are known as endoplasmic reticulum, (ER) stress-induced transcription factors. Collectively, our results imply the possibility that NS4B modulates certain cellular responses upon ER stress through the physical interaction with CREB-RP/ATF6beta and ATF6a. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.