scholarly journals The proto-oncogene HLF and the related basic leucine zipper protein TEF display highly similar DNA-binding and transcriptional regulatory properties

Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (11) ◽  
pp. 4607-4617 ◽  
Author(s):  
SP Hunger ◽  
S Li ◽  
MZ Fall ◽  
L Naumovski ◽  
ML Cleary

Genes encoding transcription factors are frequently altered by chromosomal translocations in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), suggesting that aberrant transcriptional regulation plays a prominent role in leukemogenesis. E2A-hepatic leukemia factor (HLF), a chimeric transcription factor created by the t(17;19), consists of the amino terminal portion of E2A proteins, including two experimentally defined transcriptional activation domains (TADs), fused to the HLF DNA binding and protein dimerization basic leucine zipper (bZIP) domain. To understand the mechanisms by which E2A-HLF induces leukemia and the crucial functions contributed by each constituent of the chimera, it is essential to define the normal transcriptional regulatory properties of HLF and related bZIP proteins. To address these questions, we cloned the human homologue of TEF/VBP, a bZIP protein closely related to HLF. Using a binding site selection assay, we found that TEF bound preferentially to the consensus sequence 5′-GTTACGTAAT-3′, which is identical to the previously determined HLF recognition site. TEF and HLF activated transcription of consensus site-containing reporter genes in several different cell types with similar potencies. Using GAL4 chimeric proteins, a TAD was mapped to a discrete approximate 40 amino acid region of TEF and HLF within which they share 72% amino acid identity and 85% similarity. The TEF/HLF activation domain (THAD) has a predicted helical secondary structure, but shares no sequence homology with previously reported TADs. The THAD contained most, if not all, of the transcriptional activation properties present in both TEF and HLF and its deletion completely abrogated transcriptional activity of TEF and HLF in both mammalian cells and yeast. Thus, TEF and HLF share indistinguishable DNA-binding and transcriptional regulatory properties, whose alteration in leukemia may be pathogenetically important.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 5986-5996
Author(s):  
S P Hunger ◽  
R Brown ◽  
M L Cleary

The t(17;19) translocation in acute lymphoblastic leukemias results in creation of E2A-hepatic leukemia factor (HLF) chimeric proteins that contain the DNA-binding and protein dimerization domains of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) protein HLF fused to a portion of E2A proteins with transcriptional activation properties. An in vitro binding site selection procedure was used to determine DNA sequences preferentially bound by wild-type HLF and chimeric E2A-HLF proteins isolated from various t(17;19)-bearing leukemias. All were found to selectively bind the consensus sequence 5'-GTTACGTAAT-3' with high affinity. Wild-type and chimeric HLF proteins also bound closely related sites identified previously for bZIP proteins of both the proline- and acidic amino acid-rich (PAR) and C/EBP subfamilies; however, E2A-HLF proteins were significantly less tolerant of certain deviations from the HLF consensus binding site. These differences were directly attributable to loss of an HLF ancillary DNA-binding domain in all E2A-HLF chimeras and were further exacerbated by a zipper mutation in one isolate. Both wild-type and chimeric HLF proteins displayed transcriptional activator properties in lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells on reporter genes containing HLF or C/EBP consensus binding sites. But on reporter genes with nonoptimal binding sites, their transcriptional properties diverged and E2A-HLF competitively inhibited activation by wild-type PAR proteins. These findings establish a spectrum of binding site-specific transcriptional properties for E2A-HLF which may preferentially activate expression of select subordinate genes as a homodimer and potentially antagonize expression of others through heteromeric interactions.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 5986-5996 ◽  
Author(s):  
S P Hunger ◽  
R Brown ◽  
M L Cleary

The t(17;19) translocation in acute lymphoblastic leukemias results in creation of E2A-hepatic leukemia factor (HLF) chimeric proteins that contain the DNA-binding and protein dimerization domains of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) protein HLF fused to a portion of E2A proteins with transcriptional activation properties. An in vitro binding site selection procedure was used to determine DNA sequences preferentially bound by wild-type HLF and chimeric E2A-HLF proteins isolated from various t(17;19)-bearing leukemias. All were found to selectively bind the consensus sequence 5'-GTTACGTAAT-3' with high affinity. Wild-type and chimeric HLF proteins also bound closely related sites identified previously for bZIP proteins of both the proline- and acidic amino acid-rich (PAR) and C/EBP subfamilies; however, E2A-HLF proteins were significantly less tolerant of certain deviations from the HLF consensus binding site. These differences were directly attributable to loss of an HLF ancillary DNA-binding domain in all E2A-HLF chimeras and were further exacerbated by a zipper mutation in one isolate. Both wild-type and chimeric HLF proteins displayed transcriptional activator properties in lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells on reporter genes containing HLF or C/EBP consensus binding sites. But on reporter genes with nonoptimal binding sites, their transcriptional properties diverged and E2A-HLF competitively inhibited activation by wild-type PAR proteins. These findings establish a spectrum of binding site-specific transcriptional properties for E2A-HLF which may preferentially activate expression of select subordinate genes as a homodimer and potentially antagonize expression of others through heteromeric interactions.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 6035-6043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeshi Inukai ◽  
Toshiya Inaba ◽  
Satoshi Ikushima ◽  
A. Thomas Look

ABSTRACT The chimeric oncoprotein E2A-HLF, generated by the t(17;19) chromosomal translocation in pro-B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, incorporates the transactivation domains of E2A and the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) DNA-binding and protein dimerization domain of HLF (hepatic leukemic factor). The ability of E2A-HLF to prolong the survival of interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine pro-B cells after IL-3 withdrawal suggests that it disrupts signaling pathways normally responsible for cell suicide, allowing the cells to accumulate as transformed lymphoblasts. To determine the structural motifs that contribute to this antiapoptotic effect, we constructed a panel of E2A-HLF mutants and programmed their expression in IL-3-dependent murine pro-B cells (FL5.12 line), using a zinc-inducible vector. Neither the E12 nor the E47 product of the E2A gene nor the wild-type HLF protein was able to protect the cells from apoptosis induced by IL-3 deprivation. Surprisingly, different combinations of disabling mutations within the HLF bZIP domain had little effect on the antiapoptotic property of the chimeric protein, so long as the amino-terminal portion of E2A remained intact. In the context of a bZIP domain defective in DNA binding, mutants retaining either of the two transactivation domains of E2A were able to extend cell survival after growth factor deprivation. Thus, the block of apoptosis imposed by E2A-HLF in pro-B lymphocytes depends critically on the transactivating regions of E2A. Since neither DNA binding nor protein dimerization through the bZIP domain of HLF is required for this effect, we propose mechanisms whereby protein-protein interactions with the amino-terminal region of E2A allow the chimera to act as a transcriptional cofactor to alter the expression of genes regulating the apoptotic machinery in pro-B cells.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2285-2293 ◽  
Author(s):  
C E Ibanez ◽  
J S Lipsick

The v-myb oncogene causes acute myelomonocytic leukemia in chickens and transforms avian myeloid cells in vitro. Its product, p48v-myb, is a short-lived nuclear protein which binds DNA. We demonstrate that p48v-myb can function as a trans activator of gene expression in transient DNA transfection assays. trans activation requires the highly conserved amino-terminal DNA-binding domain and the less highly conserved carboxyl-terminal domain of p48v-myb, both of which are required for transformation. Multiple copies of a consensus sequence for DNA binding by p48v-myb inserted upstream of a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter are strongly stimulatory for transcriptional activation by a v-myb-VP16 fusion protein but not by p48v-myb itself, suggesting that the binding of p48v-myb to DNA may not be sufficient for trans activation.


Development ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 127 (18) ◽  
pp. 4023-4037 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Veraksa ◽  
N. McGinnis ◽  
X. Li ◽  
J. Mohler ◽  
W. McGinnis

The basic-leucine zipper protein Cap ‘n’ collar B (CncB) suppresses the segmental identity function of the Hox gene Deformed (Dfd) in the mandibular segment of Drosophila embryos. CncB is also required for proper development of intercalary, labral and mandibular structures. In this study, we provide evidence that the CncB-mediated suppression of Dfd requires the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian small Maf proteins, Maf-S, and that the suppression occurs even in the presence of high amounts of Dfd protein. Interestingly, the CncB/Maf-S suppressive effect can be partially reversed by overexpression of Homothorax (Hth), suggesting that Hth and Extradenticle proteins antagonize the effects of CncB/Maf-S on Dfd function in the mandibular segment. In embryos, multimers of simple CncB/Maf-S heterodimer sites are transcriptionally activated in response to CncB, and in tissue culture cells the amino-terminal domain of CncB acts as a strong transcriptional activation domain. There are no good matches to CncB/Maf binding consensus sites in the known elements that are activated in response to Dfd and repressed in a CncB-dependent fashion. This suggests that some of the suppressive effect of CncB/Maf-S proteins on Dfd protein function might be exerted indirectly, while some may be exerted by direct binding to as yet uncharacterized Dfd response elements. We also show that ectopic CncB is sufficient to transform ventral epidermis in the trunk into repetitive arrays of ventral pharynx. We compare the functions of CncB to those of its vertebrate and invertebrate homologs, p45 NF-E2, Nrf and Skn-1 proteins, and suggest that the pharynx selector function of CncB is highly conserved on some branches of the evolutionary tree.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 2285-2293 ◽  
Author(s):  
C E Ibanez ◽  
J S Lipsick

The v-myb oncogene causes acute myelomonocytic leukemia in chickens and transforms avian myeloid cells in vitro. Its product, p48v-myb, is a short-lived nuclear protein which binds DNA. We demonstrate that p48v-myb can function as a trans activator of gene expression in transient DNA transfection assays. trans activation requires the highly conserved amino-terminal DNA-binding domain and the less highly conserved carboxyl-terminal domain of p48v-myb, both of which are required for transformation. Multiple copies of a consensus sequence for DNA binding by p48v-myb inserted upstream of a herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter are strongly stimulatory for transcriptional activation by a v-myb-VP16 fusion protein but not by p48v-myb itself, suggesting that the binding of p48v-myb to DNA may not be sufficient for trans activation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 402 (1) ◽  
pp. 163-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex B. Lopez ◽  
Chuanping Wang ◽  
Charlie C. Huang ◽  
Ibrahim Yaman ◽  
Yi Li ◽  
...  

The adaptive response to amino acid limitation in mammalian cells inhibits global protein synthesis and promotes the expression of proteins that protect cells from stress. The arginine/lysine transporter, cat-1, is induced during amino acid starvation by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. It is shown in the present study that the transient induction of cat-1 transcription is regulated by the stress response pathway that involves phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor, eIF2 (eukaryotic initiation factor-2). This phosphorylation induces expression of the bZIP (basic leucine zipper protein) transcription factors C/EBP (CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein)-β and ATF (activating transcription factor) 4, which in turn induces ATF3. Transfection experiments in control and mutant cells, and chromatin immunoprecipitations showed that ATF4 activates, whereas ATF3 represses cat-1 transcription, via an AARE (amino acid response element), TGATGAAAC, in the first exon of the cat-1 gene, which functions both in the endogenous and in a heterologous promoter. ATF4 and C/EBPβ activated transcription when expressed in transfected cells and they bound as heterodimers to the AARE in vitro. The induction of transcription by ATF4 was inhibited by ATF3, which also bound to the AARE as a heterodimer with C/EBPβ. These results suggest that the transient increase in cat-1 transcription is due to transcriptional activation caused by ATF4 followed by transcriptional repression by ATF3 via a feedback mechanism.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 5735-5745 ◽  
Author(s):  
G F Yuan ◽  
Y H Fu ◽  
G A Marzluf

nit-4, a pathway-specific regulatory gene in the nitrogen circuit of Neurospora crassa, is required for the expression of nit-3 and nit-6, the structural genes which encode nitrate and nitrite reductase, respectively. The complete nucleotide sequence of the nit-4 gene has been determined. The predicted NIT4 protein contains 1,090 amino acids and appears to possess a single Zn(II)2Cys6 binuclear-type zinc finger, which may mediate DNA binding. Site-directed mutagenesis studies demonstrated that cysteine and other conserved amino acid residues in this possible DNA-binding domain are necessary for nit-4 function. A stretch of 27 glutamines, encoded by a CAGCAA repeating sequence, occurs in the C terminus of the NIT4 protein, and a second glutamine-rich domain occurs further upstream. A NIT4 protein deleted for the polyglutamine region was still functional in vivo. However, nit-4 function was abolished when both the polyglutamine region and the glutamine-rich domain were deleted, suggesting that the glutamine-rich domain might function in transcriptional activation. The homologous regulatory gene from Aspergillus nidulans, nirA, encodes a protein whose amino-terminal half has approximately 60% amino acid identity with NIT4 but whose carboxy terminus is completely different. A hybrid nit-4-nirA gene was constructed and found to function in N. crassa.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (20) ◽  
pp. 8792-8808 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne E. Wardell ◽  
Stanley C. Kwok ◽  
Lori Sherman ◽  
Robert S. Hodges ◽  
Dean P. Edwards

ABSTRACT We previously identified a small basic leucine zipper (bZIP) protein, Jun dimerization protein 2 (JDP-2), that acts as a coregulator of the N-terminal transcriptional activation domain of progesterone receptor (PR). We show here that JDP-2, through interaction with the DNA binding domain (DBD), induces or stabilizes structure in the N-terminal domain in a manner that correlates with JDP-2 stimulation of transcriptional activity. Circular dichroism spectroscopy experiments showed that JDP-2 interaction caused a significant increase in overall helical content of a two-domain PR polypeptide containing the N-terminal domain and DBD and that the change in structure resides primarily in the N-terminal domain. Thermal melt curves showed that the JDP-2/PR complex is significantly more stable than either protein alone, and partial proteolysis confirmed that JDP-2 interaction alters conformation of the N-terminal domain of PR. Functional analysis of N-terminal domain mutants and receptor chimeras provides evidence that the stimulatory effect of JDP-2 on transcriptional activity of PR is mediated through an interdomain communication between the DBD and the N-terminal domain and that transcriptional activity and functional response to JDP-2 are mediated by multiple elements of the N-terminal domain as opposed to a discrete region.


2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Kanai ◽  
Shinsaku Aramata ◽  
Sayo Katakami ◽  
Kunio Yasuda ◽  
Kohsuke Kataoka

MAFA is a member of the MAF family of basic leucine zipper transcription factors and is a critical regulator of insulin gene expression and islet β-cell function. To be degraded by the proteasome, MAFA must be phosphorylated by GSK3 and MAP kinases at multiple serine and threonine residues (Ser49, Thr53, Thr57, Ser61, and Ser65) within its amino-terminal domain. In this study, we report that MAFA degradation is stimulated by PA28γ (REGγ and PSME3), a member of a family of proteasome activators that bind and activate the 20S proteasome. To date, only a few PA28γ-proteasome pathway substrates have been identified, including steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC3) and the cell cycle inhibitor p21 (CIP1). PA28γ binds to MAFA, induces its proteasomal degradation, and thereby attenuates MAFA-driven transcriptional activation of the insulin promoter. Co-expression of GSK3 enhanced the PA28γ-mediated degradation of MAFA, but mutants that contained alanine substitutions at the MAFA phosphorylation sites did not bind PA28γ and were resistant to degradation. We also found that a PA28γ mutant (N151Y) that did not stimulate p21 degradation enhanced MAFA degradation, and another mutant (K188D) that promoted greater p21 degradation did not enhance MAFA degradation. These results suggest that PA28γ stimulates MAFA degradation through a novel molecular mechanism that is distinct from that for the degradation of p21.


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