Nuclear protein 1 (NUPR1) was originally identified as p8, a member of the family of HMG‐I/Y transcription factors induced in response to various cellular stressors. However, the signaling pathway underlying NUPR1 induction by cellular stresses remains to be established. In this study, we found that the expression of NUPR1 by various stresses induced by activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4). Loss of ATF4 using siRNA significantly diminished NUPR1 expression. Overexpression of ATF4 caused NUPR1 levels to rise. NUPR1 expression was associated with enhanced transcriptional activation of genes of ATF4 downstream, suggesting that the protein promoted the transcription of stress‐regulated genes via positive feedback on the ATF4 pathway. © 2009 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 61: 1153–1158, 2009