scholarly journals 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

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3120-3129 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Ectopic targeting of CG DNA methylation in Arabidopsis with the bacterial SssI methyltransferase

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wanlu Liu ◽  
Javier Gallego-Bartolomé ◽  
Yuxing Zhou ◽  
Zhenhui Zhong ◽  
Ming Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
Basic Research ◽  
Crop Plant ◽  
Open Chromatin ◽  
Histone Marks ◽  
It Impacts ◽  
Finger Protein

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.

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

Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 943-952 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Trans-activation of the human SOX3 promoter by MAZ in NT2/D1 cells

2008 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasa Kovacevic-Grujicic ◽  
Kazunari Yokoyama ◽  
Milena Stevanovic
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Neuronal Differentiation ◽  
Gene Transcription ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Promoter Activity ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Finger Protein ◽  
Sox3 Gene

In this study, we examine the role of three highly conserved putative binding sites for Myc-associated zinc finger protein (MAZ) in regulation of the human SOX3 gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift and supershift assays indicate that complexes formed at two out of three MAZ sites of the human SOX3 promoter involve ubiquitously expressed MAZ protein. Furthermore, in cotransfection experiments we demonstrate that MAZ acts as a positive regulator of SOX3 gene transcription in both undifferentiated and RA-differentiated NT2/D1 cells. Although MAZ increased both basal and RA-induced promoter activity, our results suggest that MAZ does not contribute to RA inducibility of the SOX3 promoter during neuronal differentiation of NT2/D1 cells.

scholarly journals The Zinc Finger Protein A20 Inhibits TNF-induced NF-κB–dependent Gene Expression by Interfering with an RIP- or TRAF2-mediated Transactivation Signal and Directly Binds to a Novel NF-κB–inhibiting Protein ABIN

1999 ◽  
Vol 145 (7) ◽  
pp. 1471-1482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Heyninck ◽  
Dirk De Valck ◽  
Wim Vanden Berghe ◽  
Wim Van Criekinge ◽  
Roland Contreras ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
Nuclear Translocation ◽  
Tnf Receptor ◽  
Cell Leukemia Virus Type ◽  
Finger Protein ◽  
Iκb Kinase ◽  
Human T Cell ◽  
Inhibiting Protein

The zinc finger protein A20 is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)– and interleukin 1 (IL-1)-inducible protein that negatively regulates nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB)–dependent gene expression. However, the molecular mechanism by which A20 exerts this effect is still unclear. We show that A20 does not inhibit TNF- induced nuclear translocation and DNA binding of NF-κB, although it completely prevents the TNF- induced activation of an NF-κB–dependent reporter gene, as well as TNF-induced IL-6 and granulocyte macrophage–colony stimulating factor gene expression. Moreover, NF-κB activation induced by overexpression of the TNF receptor–associated proteins TNF receptor–associated death domain protein (TRADD), receptor interacting protein (RIP), and TNF recep- tor–associated factor 2 (TRAF2) was also inhibited by expression of A20, whereas NF-κB activation induced by overexpression of NF-κB–inducing kinase (NIK) or the human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax was unaffected. These results demonstrate that A20 inhibits NF-κB–dependent gene expression by interfering with a novel TNF-induced and RIP- or TRAF2-mediated pathway that is different from the NIK–IκB kinase pathway and that is specifically involved in the transactivation of NF-κB. Via yeast two-hybrid screening, we found that A20 binds to a novel protein, ABIN, which mimics the NF-κB inhibiting effects of A20 upon overexpression, suggesting that the effect of A20 is mediated by its interaction with this NF-κB inhibiting protein, ABIN.

scholarly journals Zinc Finger Protein Zn72D Promotes Productive Splicing of the maleless Transcript

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (24) ◽  
pp. 8760-8769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Worringer ◽  
Barbara Panning
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Dosage Compensation ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
General Factor ◽  
Finger Protein ◽  
Msl Complex

ABSTRACT In organisms with sex chromosomes, dosage compensation equalizes gene expression between the sexes. In Drosophila melanogaster males, the male-specific lethal (MSL) complex of proteins and two noncoding roX RNAs coat the X chromosome, resulting in a twofold transcriptional upregulation to equalize gene expression with that of females. How MSL complex enrichment on the X chromosome is regulated is not well understood. We performed an RNA interference screen to identify new factors required for dosage compensation. Using a Drosophila Schneider S2 cell line in which green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged MSL2 localizes to the X chromosome, we assayed ∼7,200 knockdowns for their effects on GFP-MSL2 distribution. One factor identified is the zinc finger protein Zn72D. In its absence, the MSL complex no longer coats the X chromosome. We demonstrate that Zn72D is required for productive splicing of the transcript for the MSL protein Maleless, explaining the dosage compensation defect. However, Zn72D is required for the viability of both sexes, indicating its functions are not sex specific. Consistent with this, Zn72D colocalizes with elongating RNA polymerase II, implicating it as a more general factor involved in RNA metabolism.

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