scholarly journals Exportin Crm1 is important for Swi6 nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and MBF transcription activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Belanger ◽  
William T. Yewdell ◽  
Matthew F. Barber ◽  
Amy N. Russo ◽  
Mark A. Pettit ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Swi6 protein acts as a transcription factor in budding yeast, functioning in two different heterodimeric complexes, SBF and MBF, that activate the expression of distinct but overlapping sets of genes. Swi6 undergoes regulated changes in nucleocytoplasmic localization throughout the cell cycle that correlate with changes in gene expression. While the process of Swi6 nuclear import is well understood, mechanisms underlying its nuclear export remain unclear. Here we investigate Swi6 nuclear export and its impact on Swi6 function. We show that the exportin Crm1, in addition to three other karyopherins previously shown to affect Swi6 localization, is important for Swi6 nuclear export and activity. A truncation of Swi6 that removes a putative Crm1 nuclear export signal results in the loss of changes in nucleocytoplasmic Swi6 localization that normally occur during progression through the cell cycle. Mutagenesis of the NES-like sequence or removal of Crm1 activity using leptomycin B results in a similar decrease in nuclear export as cells enter S-phase. Using two-hybrid analysis, we also show that Swi6 associates with Crm1 in vivo. Alteration of the Crm1 NES in Swi6 results in a decrease in MBF-mediated gene expression, but does not affect expression of an SBF reporter, suggesting that export of Swi6 by Crm1 regulates a subset of Swi6 transcription activation activity. Finally, alteration of the Crm1 NES in Swi6 results in cells that are larger than wild type, but not to the extent of those with a complete Swi6 deletion. Expressing a Swi6 NES mutant in combination with a deletion of Msn5, an exportin involved in Swi6 nuclear export and specifically affecting SBF activation, further increases the large cell phenotype, but still not to the extent observed in a Swi6 deletion mutant. These data suggest that Swi6 has at least two different exportins, Crm1 and Msn5, each of which interacts with a distinct nuclear export signal and influences expression of a different subset of Swi6-controlled genes.Summary StatementPrecise intracellular localization is important for the proper activity of proteins. Here we provide evidence that the Swi6 transcription factor important for cell cycle progression shuttles between the cell nucleus and cytoplasm, its nuclear export is important for its activity, and that it contains a nuclear export signal (NES) recognized by the Crm1 nuclear transport factor.

2002 ◽  
Vol 156 (5) ◽  
pp. 817-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Brunet ◽  
Fumihiko Kanai ◽  
Justine Stehn ◽  
Jian Xu ◽  
Dilara Sarbassova ◽  
...  

14-3-3 proteins regulate the cell cycle and prevent apoptosis by controlling the nuclear and cytoplasmic distribution of signaling molecules with which they interact. Although the majority of 14-3-3 molecules are present in the cytoplasm, we show here that in the absence of bound ligands 14-3-3 homes to the nucleus. We demonstrate that phosphorylation of one important 14-3-3 binding molecule, the transcription factor FKHRL1, at the 14-3-3 binding site occurs within the nucleus immediately before FKHRL1 relocalization to the cytoplasm. We show that the leucine-rich region within the COOH-terminal α-helix of 14-3-3, which had been proposed to function as a nuclear export signal (NES), instead functions globally in ligand binding and does not directly mediate nuclear transport. Efficient nuclear export of FKHRL1 requires both intrinsic NES sequences within FKHRL1 and phosphorylation/14-3-3 binding. Finally, we present evidence that phosphorylation/14-3-3 binding may also prevent FKHRL1 nuclear reimport. These results indicate that 14-3-3 can mediate the relocalization of nuclear ligands by several mechanisms that ensure complete sequestration of the bound 14-3-3 complex in the cytoplasm.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 7106-7118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Eliassen ◽  
Amy Baldwin ◽  
Eric M. Sikorski ◽  
Myra M. Hurt

ABSTRACT Expression of the highly conserved replication-dependent histone gene family increases dramatically as a cell enters the S phase of the eukaryotic cell cycle. Requirements for normal histone gene expression in vivo include an element, designated α, located within the protein-encoding sequence of nucleosomal histone genes. Mutation of 5 of 7 nucleotides of the mouse H3.2 α element to yield the sequence found in an H3.3 replication-independent variant abolishes the DNA-protein interaction in vitro and reduces expression fourfold in vivo. A yeast one-hybrid screen of a HeLa cell cDNA library identified the protein responsible for recognition of the histone H3.2 α sequence as the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1). YY1 is a ubiquitous and highly conserved transcription factor reported to be involved in both activation and repression of gene expression. Here we report that the in vitro histone α DNA-protein interaction depends on YY1 and that mutation of the nucleotides required for the in vitro histone α DNA-YY1 interaction alters the cell cycle phase-specific up-regulation of the mouse H3.2 gene in vivo. Because all mutations or deletions of the histone α sequence both abolish interactions in vitro and cause an in vivo decrease in histone gene expression, the recognition of the histone α element by YY1 is implicated in the correct temporal regulation of replication-dependent histone gene expression in vivo.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1714-1721 ◽  
Author(s):  
F Argenton ◽  
Y Arava ◽  
A Aronheim ◽  
M D Walker

The E2A protein is a mammalian transcription factor of the helix-loop-helix family which is implicated in cell-specific gene expression in several cell lineages. Mouse E2A contains two independent transcription activation domains, ADI and ADII; whereas ADI functions effectively in a variety of cultured cell lines, ADII shows preferential activity in pancreatic beta cells. To analyze this preferential activity in an in vivo setting, we adapted a system involving transient gene expression in microinjected zebra fish embryos. Fertilized one- to four-cell embryos were coinjected with an expression plasmid and a reporter plasmid. The expression plasmids used encode the yeast Gal4 DNA-binding domain (DBD) alone, or Gal4 DBD fused to ADI, ADII, or VP16. The reporter plasmid includes the luciferase gene linked to a promoter containing repeats of UASg, the Gal4-binding site. Embryo extracts prepared 24 h after injection showed significant luciferase activity in response to each of the three activation domains. To determine the cell types in which the activation domains were functioning, a reporter plasmid encoding beta-galactosidase and then in situ staining of whole embryos were used. Expression of ADI led to activation in all major groups of cell types of the embryo (skin, sclerotome, myotome, notochord, and nervous system). On the other hand, ADII led to negligible expression in the sclerotome, notochord, and nervous system and much more frequent expression in the myotome. Parallel experiments conducted with transfected mammalian cells have confirmed that ADII shows significant activity in myoblast cells but little or no activity in neuronal precursor cells, consistent with our observations in zebra fish. This transient-expression approach permits rapid in vivo analysis of the properties of transcription activation domains: the data show that ADII functions preferentially in cells of muscle lineage, consistent with the notion that certain activation domains contribute to selective gene activation in vivo.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Samer ◽  
Rajeev Raman ◽  
Gregor Laube ◽  
Michael R. Kreutz ◽  
Anna Karpova

Abstract Jacob is a synapto-nuclear messenger protein that couples NMDAR activity to CREB-dependent gene expression. In this study, we investigated the nuclear distribution of Jacob and report a prominent targeting to the nuclear envelope that requires NMDAR activity and nuclear import. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed preferential association of Jacob with the inner nuclear membrane where it directly binds to LaminB1, an intermediate filament and core component of the inner nuclear membrane (INM). The association with INM is transient; it involves a functional nuclear export signal in Jacob and a canonical CRM1-/RanGTP-dependent export mechanism that defines the residing time of the protein at the INM. Taken together, the data suggest a stepwise redistribution of Jacob within the nucleus following nuclear import and prior to nuclear export.


2016 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan T. Behrens ◽  
Mounavya Aligeti ◽  
Ginger M. Pocock ◽  
Christina A. Higgins ◽  
Nathan M. Sherer

ABSTRACT HIV-1's Rev protein forms a homo-oligomeric adaptor complex linking viral RNAs to the cellular CRM1/Ran-GTP nuclear export machinery through the activity of Rev's prototypical leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES). In this study, we used a functional fluorescently tagged Rev fusion protein as a platform to study the effects of modulating Rev NES identity, number, position, or strength on Rev subcellular trafficking, viral RNA nuclear export, and infectious virion production. We found that Rev activity was remarkably tolerant of diverse NES sequences, including supraphysiological NES (SNES) peptides that otherwise arrest CRM1 transport complexes at nuclear pores. Rev's ability to tolerate a SNES was both position and multimerization dependent, an observation consistent with a model wherein Rev self-association acts to transiently mask the NES peptide(s), thereby biasing Rev's trafficking into the nucleus. Combined imaging and functional assays also indicated that NES masking underpins Rev's well-known tendency to accumulate at the nucleolus, as well as Rev's capacity to activate optimal levels of late viral gene expression. We propose that Rev multimerization and NES masking regulates Rev's trafficking to and retention within the nucleus even prior to RNA binding. IMPORTANCE HIV-1 infects more than 34 million people worldwide causing >1 million deaths per year. Infectious virion production is activated by the essential viral Rev protein that mediates nuclear export of intron-bearing late-stage viral mRNAs. Rev's shuttling into and out of the nucleus is regulated by the antagonistic activities of both a peptide-encoded N-terminal nuclear localization signal and C-terminal nuclear export signal (NES). How Rev and related viral proteins balance strong import and export activities in order to achieve optimal levels of viral gene expression is incompletely understood. We provide evidence that multimerization provides a mechanism by which Rev transiently masks its NES peptide, thereby biasing its trafficking to and retention within the nucleus. Targeted pharmacological disruption of Rev-Rev interactions should perturb multiple Rev activities, both Rev-RNA binding and Rev's trafficking to the nucleus in the first place.


2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 4675-4689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoko Itahana ◽  
Edward T. H. Yeh ◽  
Yanping Zhang

ABSTRACT Small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteins are conjugated to numerous polypeptides in cells, and attachment of SUMO plays important roles in regulating the activity, stability, and subcellular localization of modified proteins. SUMO modification of proteins is a dynamic and reversible process. A family of SUMO-specific proteases catalyzes the deconjugation of SUMO-modified proteins. Members of the Sentrin (also known as SUMO)-specific protease (SENP) family have been characterized with unique subcellular localizations. However, little is known about the functional significance of or the regulatory mechanism derived from the specific localizations of the SENPs. Here we identify a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a CRM1-dependent nuclear export signal (NES) in the SUMO protease SENP2. Both the NLS and the NES are located in the nonhomologous domains of SENP2 and are not conserved among other members of the SENP family. Using a series of SENP2 mutants and a heterokaryon assay, we demonstrate that SENP2 shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm and that the shuttling is blocked by mutations in the NES or by treating cells with leptomycin B. We show that SENP2 can be polyubiquitinated in vivo and degraded through proteolysis. Restricting SENP2 in the nucleus by mutations in the NES impairs its polyubiquitination, whereas a cytoplasm-localized SENP2 made by introducing mutations in the NLS can be efficiently polyubiquitinated, suggesting that SENP2 is ubiquitinated in the cytoplasm. Finally, treating cells with MG132 leads to accumulation of polyubiquitinated SENP2, indicating that SENP2 is degraded through the 26S proteolysis pathway. Thus, the function of SENP2 is regulated by both nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and polyubiquitin-mediated degradation.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (11) ◽  
pp. 3096-3106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Balusu ◽  
Warren Fiskus ◽  
Rekha Rao ◽  
Daniel G. Chong ◽  
Srilatha Nalluri ◽  
...  

Abstract Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) is an oligomeric, nucleolar phosphoprotein that functions as a molecular chaperone for both proteins and nucleic acids. NPM1 is mutated in approximately one-third of patients with AML. The mutant NPM1c+ contains a 4-base insert that results in extra C-terminal residues encoding a nuclear export signal, which causes NPM1c+ to be localized in the cytoplasm. Here, we determined the effects of targeting NPM1 in cultured and primary AML cells. Treatment with siRNA to NPM1 induced p53 and p21, decreased the percentage of cells in S-phase of the cell cycle, as well as induced differentiation of the AML OCI-AML3 cells that express both NPMc+ and unmutated NPM1. Notably, knockdown of NPM1 by shRNA abolished lethal AML phenotype induced by OCI-AML3 cells in NOD/SCID mice. Knockdown of NPM1 also sensitized OCI-AML3 to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and cytarabine. Inhibition of NPM1 oligomerization by NSC348884 induced apoptosis and sensitized OCI-AML3 and primary AML cells expressing NPM1c+ to ATRA. This effect was significantly less in AML cells coexpressing FLT3-ITD, or in AML or normal CD34+ progenitor cells expressing wild-type NPM1. Thus, attenuating levels or oligomerization of NPM1 selectively induces apoptosis and sensitizes NPM1c+ expressing AML cells to treatment with ATRA and cytarabine.


2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jude Beaudoin ◽  
Simon Labbé

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the fate of the nuclear pool of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe transcription factor Cuf1 in response to variations in copper levels. A nuclear pool of Cuf1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) was generated by expressing a functional cuf1 + -GFP allele in the presence of a copper chelator. We then extinguished cuf1 + -GFP expression and tracked the changes in the localization of the nuclear pool of Cuf1-GFP in the presence of low or high copper concentrations. Treating cells with copper as well as silver ions resulted in the nuclear export of Cuf1. We identified a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), 349LAALNHISAL358, within the C-terminal region of Cuf1. Mutations in this sequence abrogated Cuf1 export from the nucleus. Furthermore, amino acid substitutions that impair Cuf1 NES function resulted in increased target gene expression and a concomitant cellular hypersensitivity to copper. Export of the wild-type Cuf1 protein was inhibited by leptomycin B (LMB), a specific inhibitor of the nuclear export protein Crm1. We further show that cells expressing a temperature-sensitive mutation in crm1 + exhibit increased nuclear accumulation of Cuf1 at the nonpermissive temperature. Although wild-type Cuf1 is localized in the nucleus in both conditions, we observed that the protein can still be inactivated by copper, resulting in the repression of ctr4 + gene expression in the presence of exogenous copper. These results demonstrate that nuclear accumulation of Cuf1 per se is not sufficient to cause the unregulated expression of the copper transport genes like ctr4 + . In addition to nuclear localization, a functional Cys-rich domain or NES element in Cuf1 is required to appropriately regulate copper transport gene expression in response to changes in intracellular copper concentration.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Julner ◽  
Marjan Abbasi ◽  
Victoria Menendez Benito

During mitosis, sister chromatids congress on either side of the spindle equator to facilitate the correct partitioning of the genomic material. Chromosome congression requires a finely tuned control of microtubule dynamics by the kinesin motor proteins. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the kinesin proteins Cin8, Kip1, and Kip3 have pivotal roles in chromosome congression. It has been hypothesized that additional proteins that modulate microtubule dynamics are also involved. Here, we show that the microtubule plus-end tracking protein Bik1 (the budding yeast ortholog of CLIP-170) is essential for chromosome congression. We find that nuclear Bik1 localizes to the kinetochores in a cell-cycle-dependent manner. Disrupting the nuclear pool of Bik1 with a nuclear export signal (Bik1-NES) leads to a slower cell cycle progression characterized by a delayed metaphase-anaphase transition. Bik1-NES cells have mispositioned kinetochores along the spindle in metaphase. Furthermore, using proximity-dependent methods, we identify Cin8 as an interaction partner of Bik1. Deleting CIN8 reduces the amount of Bik1 at the spindle. In contrast, Cin8 retains its typical bilobed distribution in Bik1-NES and does not localize to the unclustered kinetochores characteristic of Bik1-NES cells. Thus, we propose that Bik1 functions together with Cin8 to regulate kinetochore-microtubule dynamics for correct kinetochore positioning and chromosome congression.


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