The GI tract abundantly expresses growth factors many of which bind and activate the EGF receptor present on mucosal cells. One such factor is the zinc finger protein (ZBP-89) that binds to a GC-rich DNA element in the gastrin promoter and confers EGF responsiveness. The full-length protein functions as a repressor of growth factor signals regulating the gastrin promoter. Several other growth related promoters are also regulated by ZBP-89. ZBP-89 is one of a family of related transcriptional regulators. It has been reported in recent studies that ZBP-89 regulates growth in part by stimulating the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21waf1, in a butyrate-dependent manner through recruitment of the histone acetyl transferase p300. Moreover, ZBP-89 triggers growth arrest in a p53-dependent manner by preventing nuclear export of p53. ZBP-89 also induces apoptosis, but this process occurs independent of p53.