C/EBPβ function is regulated by multiple mechanisms, including phosphorylation, acetylation, activation, autoregulation, and repression via other transcription factors, oncogenic elements, or chemokines. C/EBPβ can interact with CREB, NF-κB, and other proteins, leading to a trans-activation potential.
Phosphorylation of C/EBPβ can have an activation or a repression effect. For example, phosphorylation of threonine 235 in human C/EBPβ, or of threonine 188 in mouse and rat C/EBPβ, is important for C/EBPβ trans-activation capacity. Phosphorylation(s) of C/EBPβ in its regulatory domain can also modulate its function.
It was shown in C. elegans that multiple cis elements of cebp-1 mRNA 3UTR interact with mak-2' to upregulate expression of CEBP-1 in neuronal development.