324 MYC-ASSOCIATED ZINC-FINGER PROTEIN (MAZ) IS A POTENT REGULATOR OF PROX1-GENE-EXPRESSION IN HUMAN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

AbstractThe ability to target epigenetic marks like DNA methylation to specific loci is important in both basic research and in crop plant engineering. However, heritability of targeted DNA methylation, how it impacts gene expression, and which epigenetic features are required for proper establishment are mostly unknown. Here, we show that targeting the CG-specific methyltransferase M.SssI with an artificial zinc finger protein can establish heritable CG methylation and silencing of a targeted locus in Arabidopsis. In addition, we observe highly heritable widespread ectopic CG methylation mainly over euchromatic regions. This hypermethylation shows little effect on transcription while it triggers a mild but significant reduction in the accumulation of H2A.Z and H3K27me3. Moreover, ectopic methylation occurs preferentially at less open chromatin that lacks positive histone marks. These results outline general principles of the heritability and interaction of CG methylation with other epigenomic features that should help guide future efforts to engineer epigenomes.

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The zinc finger protein EGR-1 is an important activator of IL-2 gene expression

Immunology Letters ◽

10.1016/s0165-2478(97)86410-3 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 56 ◽

pp. 348

Author(s):

E.L. Decker ◽

C. Skerka ◽

P.F. Zipfel

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Zinc Finger ◽

Zinc Finger Protein ◽

Finger Protein

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ming is expressed in neuroblast sublineages and regulates gene expression in the Drosophila central nervous system

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.116.4.943 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 116 (4) ◽

pp. 943-952 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

X. Cui ◽

C.Q. Doe

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Cell Fate ◽

Zinc Finger ◽

Zinc Finger Protein ◽

Cell Lineage ◽

Cell Lineages ◽

Finger Protein ◽

Cell Diversity

Cell diversity in the Drosophila central nervous system (CNS) is primarily generated by the invariant lineage of neural precursors called neuroblasts. We used an enhancer trap screen to identify the ming gene, which is transiently expressed in a subset of neuroblasts at reproducible points in their cell lineage (i.e. in neuroblast ‘sublineages’), suggesting that neuroblast identity can be altered during its cell lineage. ming encodes a predicted zinc finger protein and loss of ming function results in precise alterations in CNS gene expression, defects in axonogenesis and embryonic lethality. We propose that ming controls cell fate within neuroblast cell lineages.

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Zinc finger protein 307 functions as a tumor-suppressor and inhibits cell proliferation by inducing apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Oncology Reports ◽

10.3892/or.2017.5868 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 2229-2236 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yonghao Liang ◽

Qisheng Li ◽

Keli Chen ◽

Wen Ni ◽

Zetao Zhan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Cell Proliferation ◽

Tumor Suppressor ◽

Zinc Finger ◽

Zinc Finger Protein ◽

Finger Protein

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The Cardiac Tissue-Restricted Homeobox Protein Csx/Nkx2.5 Physically Associates with the Zinc Finger Protein GATA4 and Cooperatively Activates Atrial Natriuretic Factor Gene Expression

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.18.6.3120 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 3120-3129 ◽

Cited By ~ 212

Author(s):

Youngsook Lee ◽

Tetsuo Shioi ◽

Hideko Kasahara ◽

Shawn M. Jobe ◽

Russell J. Wiese ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Zinc Finger ◽

Protein Interaction ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Atrial Natriuretic Factor ◽

Target Gene ◽

Cardiac Tissue ◽

Zinc Finger Protein ◽

Finger Protein ◽

Homeobox Protein

ABSTRACT Specification and differentiation of the cardiac muscle lineage appear to require a combinatorial network of many factors. The cardiac muscle-restricted homeobox protein Csx/Nkx2.5 (Csx) is expressed in the precardiac mesoderm as well as the embryonic and adult heart. Targeted disruption of Csx causes embryonic lethality due to abnormal heart morphogenesis. The zinc finger transcription factor GATA4 is also expressed in the heart and has been shown to be essential for heart tube formation. GATA4 is known to activate many cardiac tissue-restricted genes. In this study, we tested whether Csx and GATA4 physically associate and cooperatively activate transcription of a target gene. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate that Csx and GATA4 associate intracellularly. Interestingly, in vitro protein-protein interaction studies indicate that helix III of the homeodomain of Csx is required to interact with GATA4 and that the carboxy-terminal zinc finger of GATA4 is necessary to associate with Csx. Both regions are known to directly contact the cognate DNA sequences. The promoter-enhancer region of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) contains several putative Csx binding sites and consensus GATA4 binding sites. Transient-transfection assays indicate that Csx can activate ANF reporter gene expression to the same extent that GATA4 does in a DNA binding site-dependent manner. Coexpression of Csx and GATA4 synergistically activates ANF reporter gene expression. Mutational analyses suggest that this synergy requires both factors to fully retain their transcriptional activities, including the cofactor binding activity. These results demonstrate the first example of homeoprotein and zinc finger protein interaction in vertebrates to cooperatively regulate target gene expression. Such synergistic interaction among tissue-restricted transcription factors may be an important mechanism to reinforce tissue-specific developmental pathways.

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