The Wilms tumour suppressor protein WT1 (+KTS isoform) binds alpha-actinin 1 mRNA via its zinc-finger domain

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 789-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.A. Morrison ◽  
J.P. Venables ◽  
G. Dellaire ◽  
M.R. Ladomery

Mutations in WT1 are associated with developmental syndromes that affect the urogenital system and neoplasms, including Wilms tumour, acute myeloid leukemia, and breast and prostate cancers. The WT1 protein belongs to the early growth response family of zinc-finger transcription factors. Uniquely to WT1, an evolutionarily conserved alternative splice event inserts the tripeptide KTS, between zinc fingers 3 and 4. Whereas –KTS isoforms bind DNA and activate or repress transcription, +KTS isoforms bind DNA less efficiently and interact with splice factors and RNA in vitro and in vivo. Although candidate DNA targets have been found, physiological mRNA targets are yet to be defined. We examined the distribution of WT1 in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes in nuclear extract prepared from M15 cells, a mouse mesonephric fetal kidney cell line. WT1 cofractionated with the splice factor PSF in large RNP particles ≥2 MDa. We also found that PSF co-immunoprecipitated with WT1, suggesting a functional interaction between these 2 multifunctional proteins. Using yeast three-hybrid library constructed from the co-immunoprecipitated RNA we found that WT1 (+KTS) binds close to or at the start codon of alpha-actinin 1 (ACTN1) mRNA. A band shift assay confirmed the ability of the WT1 zinc-finger domain (+KTS) to bind this sequence in vitro. ACTN1 is the first likely physiological mRNA target of WT1.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1048-1061
Author(s):  
I J Lee ◽  
L Tung ◽  
D A Bumcrot ◽  
E S Weinberg

A protein, denoted UHF-1, was found to bind upstream of the transcriptional start site of both the early and late H4 (EH4 and LH4) histone genes of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. A nuclear extract from hatching blastulae contained proteins that bind to EH4 and LH4 promoter fragments in a band shift assay and produced sharp DNase I footprints upstream of the EH4 gene (from -133 to -106) and the LH4 gene (from -94 to -66). DNase I footprinting performed in the presence of EH4 and LH4 promoter competitor DNAs indicated that UHF-1 binds more strongly to the EH4 site. A sequence match of 11 of 13 nucleotides was found within the two footprinted regions: [sequence: see text]. Methylation interference and footprinting experiments showed that UHF-1 bound to the two sites somewhat differently. DNA-protein UV cross-linking studies indicated that UHF-1 has an electrophoretic mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels of approximately 85 kDa and suggested that additional proteins, specific to each promoter, bind to each site. In vitro and in vivo assays were used to demonstrate that the UHF-1-binding site is essential for maximal transcription of the H4 genes. Deletion of the EH4 footprinted region resulted in a 3-fold decrease in transcription in a nuclear extract and a 2.6-fold decrease in expression in morulae from templates that had been injected into eggs. In the latter case, deletion of the binding site did not grossly disrupt the temporal program of expression from the injected EH4 genes. LH4 templates containing a 10-bp deletion in the consensus region or base substitutions in the footprinted region were transcribed at 14 to 58% of the level of the wild-type LH4 template. UHF-1 is therefore essential for maximal expression of the early and late H4 genes.



1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1048-1061 ◽  
Author(s):  
I J Lee ◽  
L Tung ◽  
D A Bumcrot ◽  
E S Weinberg

A protein, denoted UHF-1, was found to bind upstream of the transcriptional start site of both the early and late H4 (EH4 and LH4) histone genes of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. A nuclear extract from hatching blastulae contained proteins that bind to EH4 and LH4 promoter fragments in a band shift assay and produced sharp DNase I footprints upstream of the EH4 gene (from -133 to -106) and the LH4 gene (from -94 to -66). DNase I footprinting performed in the presence of EH4 and LH4 promoter competitor DNAs indicated that UHF-1 binds more strongly to the EH4 site. A sequence match of 11 of 13 nucleotides was found within the two footprinted regions: [sequence: see text]. Methylation interference and footprinting experiments showed that UHF-1 bound to the two sites somewhat differently. DNA-protein UV cross-linking studies indicated that UHF-1 has an electrophoretic mobility on sodium dodecyl sulfate-acrylamide gels of approximately 85 kDa and suggested that additional proteins, specific to each promoter, bind to each site. In vitro and in vivo assays were used to demonstrate that the UHF-1-binding site is essential for maximal transcription of the H4 genes. Deletion of the EH4 footprinted region resulted in a 3-fold decrease in transcription in a nuclear extract and a 2.6-fold decrease in expression in morulae from templates that had been injected into eggs. In the latter case, deletion of the binding site did not grossly disrupt the temporal program of expression from the injected EH4 genes. LH4 templates containing a 10-bp deletion in the consensus region or base substitutions in the footprinted region were transcribed at 14 to 58% of the level of the wild-type LH4 template. UHF-1 is therefore essential for maximal expression of the early and late H4 genes.



1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
M T Diaz-Meco ◽  
M M Municio ◽  
P Sanchez ◽  
J Lozano ◽  
J Moscat

The members of the atypical subfamily of protein kinase C (PKC) show dramatic structural and functional differences from other PKC isotypes. Thus, in contrast to the classical or novel PKCs, they are not activated by diacylglycerol or phorbol esters. However, the atypical PKCs are the target of important lipid second messengers such as ceramide, phosphatidic acid, and 3'-phosphoinositides. The catalytic and pseudosubstrate sequences in the two atypical PKCs (lambda/iota PKC and zeta PKC) are identical but are significantly different from those of conventional or novel PKCs. It has been shown that microinjection of a peptide with the sequence of the pseudosubstrate of the atypical PKC isotypes but not of alpha PKC or epsilon PKC dramatically inhibited maturation and NF-kappa B activation in Xenopus oocytes, as well as reinitiation of DNA synthesis in quiescent mouse fibroblasts. This indicates that either or both atypical isoforms are important in cell signalling. Besides the pseudosubstrate, the major differences in the sequence between lambda/iota PKC and zeta PKC are located in the regulatory domain. Therefore, any functional divergence between the two types of atypical PKCs will presumably reside in that region. We report here the molecular characterization of lambda-interacting protein (LIP), a novel protein that specifically interacts with the zinc finger of lambda/iota PKC but not zeta PKC. We show in this paper that this interaction is detected not only in vitro but also in vivo, that LIP activates lambda/iota PKC but not zeta PKC in vitro and in vivo, and that this interaction is functionally relevant. Thus, expression of LIP leads to the transactivation of a kappa B-dependent promoter in a manner that is dependent on lambda/iota PKC. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the cloning and characterization of a protein activator of a PKC that binds to the zinc finger domain, which has so far been considered a site for binding of lipid modulators. The fact that LIP binds to lambda/iota PKC but not to the highly related zeta PKC isoform suggests that the specificity of the activation of the members of the different PKC subfamilies will most probably be accounted for by proteins like LIP rather than by lipid activators.



2005 ◽  
Vol 386 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafal SWIERCZ ◽  
Maria D. PERSON ◽  
Mark T. BEDFORD

PRMT3 (protein arginine methyltransferase 3) is one of four type I arginine methyltransferases that catalyse the formation of asymmetric dimethylarginine. PRMT3 is unique in that its N-terminus harbours a C2H2 zinc-finger domain that is proposed to confer substrate specificity. In addition, PRMT3 is the only type I enzyme that is restricted to the cytoplasm. Known in vitro substrates for PRMT3 include GST–GAR (a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein containing the glycine- and arginine-rich N-terminal region of fibrillarin), Sam68 (Src-associated substrate during mitosis 68 kDa) and PABP-N1 [poly(A)-binding protein-N1; PABP2]. Here we report the identification of an in vivo substrate for mammalian PRMT3. We found that FLAG-tagged PRMT3 can ‘pull down’ a protein with a molecular mass of 30 kDa from HeLa cell extracts. MS identified this PRMT3-interacting protein as rpS2 (ribosomal protein S2). In vitro studies showed that the zinc-finger domain of PRMT3 is necessary and sufficient for binding to rpS2. In addition, rpS2 is methylated by PRMT3 in vitro and is also methylated in cell lines. Deletion analysis of the rpS2 amino acid sequence identified a N-terminal Arg-Gly repeat as the methylation site. Furthermore, both PRMT3 and rpS2 co-sediment with free ribosomal subunits. These studies implicate PRMT3 in ribosomal function and in the regulation of protein synthesis.



2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1347-1354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruishan Wang ◽  
Yun-wu Zhang ◽  
Ping Sun ◽  
Runzhong Liu ◽  
Xian Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Gamma-secretase, which is responsible for the intramembranous cleavage of Alzheimer's β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), the signaling receptor Notch, and many other substrates, is a multiprotein complex consisting of at least four components: presenilin (PS), nicastrin, APH-1, and PEN-2. Despite the fact that PEN-2 is known to mediate endoproteolytic cleavage of full-length PS and APH-1 and nicastrin are required for maintaining the stability of the complex, the detailed physiological function of each component remain elusive. Unlike that of PS, the transcriptional regulation of PEN-2, APH-1, and nicastrin has not been investigated. Here, we characterized the upstream regions of the human PEN-2 gene and identified a 238-bp fragment located 353 bp upstream of the translational start codon as the key region necessary for the promoter activity. Further analysis revealed a CREB binding site located in the 238-bp region that is essential for the transcriptional activity of the PEN-2 promoter. Mutation of the CREB site abolished the transcriptional activity of the PEN-2 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed the binding of CREB to the PEN-2 promoter region both in vitro and in vivo. Activation of the CREB transcriptional factor by forskolin dramatically promoted the expression of PEN-2 mRNA and protein, whereas the other components of the γ-secretase complex remained unaffected. Forskolin treatment slightly increases the secretion of soluble APPα and Aβ without affecting Notch cleavage. These results demonstrate that expression of PEN-2 is regulated by CREB and suggest that the specific control of PEN-2 expression may imply additional physiological functions uniquely assigned to PEN-2.



1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2663-2673 ◽  
Author(s):  
M C Strobel ◽  
J Abelson

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae leucine-inserting amber suppressor tRNA gene SUP53 (a tRNALeu3 allele) was used to investigate the relationship between precursor tRNA structure and mature tRNA function. This gene encodes a pre-tRNA which contains a 32-base intron. The mature tRNASUP53 contains a 5-methylcytosine modification of the anticodon wobble base. Mutations were made in the SUP53 intron. These mutant genes were transcribed in an S. cerevisiae nuclear extract preparation. In this extract, primary tRNA gene transcripts are end-processed and base modified after addition of cofactors. The base modifications made in vitro were examined, and the mutant pre-tRNAs were analyzed for their ability to serve as substrates for partially purified S. cerevisiae tRNA endonuclease and ligase. Finally, the suppressor function of these mutant tRNA genes was assayed after their integration into the S. cerevisiae genome. Mutant analysis showed that the totally intact precursor tRNA, rather than any specific sequence or structure of the intron, was necessary for efficient nonsense suppression by tRNASUP53. Less efficient suppressor activity correlated with the absence of the 5-methylcytosine modification. Most of the intron-altered precursor tRNAs were successfully spliced in vitro, indicating that modifications are not critical for recognition by the tRNA endonuclease and ligase.



1989 ◽  
Vol 108 (3) ◽  
pp. 765-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Zeitlin ◽  
R C Wilson ◽  
A Efstratiadis

We have used an in vivo system generating assayable amounts of a specific pre-mRNA to study the relationship between splicing and an operationally defined nuclear matrix preparation (NM). When NM is prepared by extraction of DNase I-treated nuclei with an approximately physiological concentration of KCl (0.1 M), a portion of NM-associated precursor can be spliced in vitro in the presence of ATP and Mg2+ and in the absence of splicing extract ("autonomous splicing"). We propose that the autonomous reaction, which does not exhibit a temporal lag and is half-complete in 5 min, occurs in fully assembled, matrix-bound ribonucleoprotein complexes (in vivo spliceosomes). Extraction of the NM with concentrations of KCl greater than 0.4 M eliminates autonomous splicing but leaves behind preassembled complexes that can be complemented for splicing with HeLa cell nuclear extract. The splicing complementing factor, representing one or more activities present in the nuclear extract and also in the cytoplasmic S100 fraction, is relatively heat resistant, devoid of an RNA component, and does not bind to DEAE-Sepharose in 0.1 M KCl. It exists in the nucleus in two forms; bound to autonomous spliceosomes and free in the nucleoplasm. Biochemical features of the complementation reaction, and conditions for reversible uncoupling of the two splicing steps are described and discussed.



1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 2317-2323
Author(s):  
D Zarkower ◽  
P Stephenson ◽  
M Sheets ◽  
M Wickens

The sequence AAUAAA is found near the polyadenylation site of eucaryotic mRNAs. This sequence is required for accurate and efficient cleavage and polyadenylation of pre-mRNAs in vivo. In this study we show that synthetic simian virus 40 late pre-mRNAs are cleaved and polyadenylated in vitro in a HeLa cell nuclear extract, and that cleavage in vitro is abolished by each of four different single-base changes in AAUAAA. In this same extract, precleaved RNAs (RNAs with 3' termini at the polyadenylation site) are efficiently polyadenylated. This in vitro polyadenylation reaction also requires the AAUAAA sequence.



1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5710-5724
Author(s):  
E DesJardins ◽  
N Hay

Transcription of the human proto-oncogene c-myc is governed by two tandem principal promoters, termed P1 and P2. In general, the downstream promoter, P2, is predominant, which is in contrast to the promoter occlusion phenomenon usually observed in genes containing tandem promoters. A shift in human c-myc promoter usage has been observed in some tumor cells and in certain physiological conditions. However, the mechanisms that regulate promoter usage are not well understood. The present studies identify regulators which are required to promote transcription from both human c-myc promoters, P1 and P2, and have a role in determining their relative activities in vivo. A novel regulatory region located 101 bp upstream of P1 was characterized and contains five tandem repeats of the consensus sequence CCCTCCCC (CT element). The integrity of the region containing all five elements is required to promote transcription from P1 and for maximal activity from P2 in vivo. A single copy of this same element, designated CT-I2, also appears in an inverted orientation 53 bp upstream of the P2 transcription start site. This element has an inhibitory effect on P1 transcription and is required for P2 transcription. The transcription factor Sp1 was identified as the factor that binds specifically to the tandem CT elements upstream of P1 and to the CT-I2 element upstream of P2. In addition, the recently cloned zinc finger protein ZF87, or MAZ, was also able to bind these same elements in vitro. The five tandem CT elements can be functionally replaced by a heterologous enhancer that only in the absence of CT-I2 reverses the promoter usage, similar to what is observed in the translocated c-myc allele of Burkitt's lymphoma cells.



1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 2149-2153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Feng ◽  
L E Gunter ◽  
E L Organ ◽  
D R Cavener

The importance to in vivo translation of sequences immediately upstream of the Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) start codon was examined at two developmental stages. Mutations were introduced into the Adh gene in vitro, and the mutant gene was inserted into the genome via germ line transformation. An A-to-T substitution at the -3 position did not affect relative translation rates of the ADH protein at the second-instar larval stage but resulted in a 2.4-fold drop in translation of ADH at the adult stage. A second mutant gene, containing five mutations in the region -1 to -9, was designed to completely block translation initiation. However, transformant lines bearing these mutations still exhibit detectable ADH, albeit at substantially reduced levels. The average fold reduction at the second-instar larval stage was 5.9, while at the adult stage a 12.5-fold reduction was observed.



Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document