Among multiple CRE (cyclic AMP response element)-binding proteins, CRE-BP1 (also designated ATF-2) has two unique characteristics: it mediates the adenovirus E1A-induced trans-activation and forms a heterodimer with c-Jun. Two structures, a putative metal finger and a leucine zipper, in CRE-BP1 are responsible for these capacities. As a new member of a CRE-BP1 family that has similar metal finger and leucine zipper structures, we have isolated cDNA clones of CRE-BPa by cross-hybridization with CRE-BP1 cDNA. CRE-BPa protein consists of 508 amino acids and has a molecular weight of 56,840. CRE-BPa protein is highly homologous with CRE-BP1 in four regions: two of them are the regions containing the putative metal finger or the DNA-binding domain consisting of the basic amino acid cluster and the leucine zipper. Like CRE-BP1, CRE-BPa binds to CRE with higher affinity than to the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate response element as a homodimer or a CRE-BPa/c-Jun or CRE-BPa/CRE-BP1 heterodimer. However, using the c-Myb-CRE-BPa fusion protein, it was show that CRE-BPa could not mediate the E1A-induced trans-activation. Expression of CRE-BPa mRNA was found in a limited number of cell lines, and multiple sizes of CRE-BPa mRNA species were detected in some cell lines and tissues. CRE-BPa will be useful to clarify the mechanism of CRE-mediated transcriptional activation by E1A or c-Jun.