Fusion of the ets Transcription Factor TEL to Jak2 Results in Constitutive Jak-Stat Signaling

Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 4354-4364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen M.-Y. Ho ◽  
Bryan K. Beattie ◽  
Jeremy A. Squire ◽  
David A. Frank ◽  
Dwayne L. Barber

Abstract To study constitutive Janus kinase signaling, chimeric proteins were generated between the pointed domain of the etstranscription factor TEL and the cytosolic tyrosine kinase Jak2. The effects of these proteins on interleukin-3 (IL-3)–dependent proliferation of the hematopoietic cell line, Ba/F3, were studied. Fusion of TEL to the functional kinase (JH1) domain of Jak2 resulted in conversion of Ba/F3 cells to factor-independence. Importantly, fusion of TEL to the Jak2 pseudokinase (JH2) domain or a kinase-inactive Jak2 JH1 domain had no effect on IL-3–dependent proliferation of Ba/F3 cells. Active TEL-Jak2 constructs (consisting of either Jak2 JH1 or Jak2 JH2+JH1 domain fusions) were constitutively tyrosine-phosphorylated but did not affect phosphorylation of endogeneous Jak1, Jak2, or Jak3. TEL-Jak2 activation resulted in the constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat1, Stat3, and Stat5 as determined by detection of phosphorylation using activation-specific antibodies and by binding of each protein to a preferential GAS sequence in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Elucidation of signaling events downstream of TEL-Jak2 activation may provide insight into the mechanism of leukemogenesis mediated by this oncogenic fusion protein.

Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 4354-4364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jen M.-Y. Ho ◽  
Bryan K. Beattie ◽  
Jeremy A. Squire ◽  
David A. Frank ◽  
Dwayne L. Barber

To study constitutive Janus kinase signaling, chimeric proteins were generated between the pointed domain of the etstranscription factor TEL and the cytosolic tyrosine kinase Jak2. The effects of these proteins on interleukin-3 (IL-3)–dependent proliferation of the hematopoietic cell line, Ba/F3, were studied. Fusion of TEL to the functional kinase (JH1) domain of Jak2 resulted in conversion of Ba/F3 cells to factor-independence. Importantly, fusion of TEL to the Jak2 pseudokinase (JH2) domain or a kinase-inactive Jak2 JH1 domain had no effect on IL-3–dependent proliferation of Ba/F3 cells. Active TEL-Jak2 constructs (consisting of either Jak2 JH1 or Jak2 JH2+JH1 domain fusions) were constitutively tyrosine-phosphorylated but did not affect phosphorylation of endogeneous Jak1, Jak2, or Jak3. TEL-Jak2 activation resulted in the constitutive tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat1, Stat3, and Stat5 as determined by detection of phosphorylation using activation-specific antibodies and by binding of each protein to a preferential GAS sequence in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Elucidation of signaling events downstream of TEL-Jak2 activation may provide insight into the mechanism of leukemogenesis mediated by this oncogenic fusion protein.


1997 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1651-1658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Limin Liu ◽  
Douglas Leaman ◽  
Michel Villalta ◽  
R. Michael Roberts

Abstract CG is required for maintenance of the corpus luteum during pregnancy in higher primates. As CG is a heterodimeric molecule, some form of coordinated control must be maintained over the transcription of its two subunit genes. We recently found that expression of human CG β-subunit (hCGβ) in JAr human choriocarcinoma cells was almost completely silenced by the embryonic transcription factor Oct-3/4, which bound to a unique ACAATAATCA octameric sequence in the hCGβ gene promoter. Here we report that Oct-3/4 is also a potent inhibitor of hCG α-subunit (hCGα) expression in JAr cells. Oct-3/4 reduced human GH reporter expression from the −170 hCGα promoter in either the presence or absence of cAMP by about 70% in transient cotransfection assays, but had no effect on expression from either the −148 hCGα or the −99 hCGα promoter. Unexpectedly, no Oct-3/4-binding site was identified within the −170 to −148 region of the hCGα promoter, although one was found around position −115 by both methylation interference footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Site-directed mutagenesis of this binding site destroyed the affinity of the promoter for Oct-3/4, but did not affect repression of the promoter. Therefore, inhibition of hCGα gene transcription by Oct-3/4 appears not to involve direct binding of this factor to the site responsible for silencing. When stably transfected into JAr cells, Oct-3/4 reduced the amounts of both endogenous hCGα mRNA and protein by 70–80%. Oct-3/4 is therefore capable of silencing both hCGα and hCGβ gene expression. We suggest that as the trophoblast begins to form, reduction of Oct-3/4 expression permits the coordinated onset of transcription from the hCGα and hCGβ genes.


Development ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 147 (22) ◽  
pp. dev189787
Author(s):  
Cody A. Stevens ◽  
Nicole T. Revaitis ◽  
Rumkan Caur ◽  
Nir Yakoby

ABSTRACTThe Janus-kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway regulates the anterior posterior axis of the Drosophila follicle cells. In the anterior, it activates the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway through expression of the BMP ligand decapentaplegic (dpp). In the posterior, JAK/STAT works with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway to express the T-box transcription factor midline (mid). Although MID is necessary for establishing the posterior fate of the egg chamber, we show that it is not sufficient to determine a posterior fate. The ETS-transcription factor pointed (pnt) is expressed in an overlapping domain to mid in the follicle cells. This study shows that pnt is upstream of mid and that it is sufficient to induce a posterior fate in the anterior end, which is characterized by the induction of mid, the prevention of the stretched cells formation and the abrogation of border cell migration. We demonstrate that the anterior BMP signaling is abolished by PNT through dpp repression. However, ectopic DPP cannot rescue the anterior fate formation, suggesting additional targets of PNT participate in the posterior fate determination.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (12) ◽  
pp. 4242-4251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Esbelin ◽  
Yves Jouanneau ◽  
Jean Armengaud ◽  
Catherine Duport

ABSTRACT Bacillus cereus Fnr is a member of the Crp/Fnr (cyclic AMP-binding protein/fumarate nitrate reduction regulatory protein) family of helix-turn-helix transcriptional regulators. It is essential for the expression of hbl and nhe enterotoxin genes independently of the oxygen tension in the environment. We studied aerobic Fnr binding to target sites in promoters regulating the expression of enterotoxin genes. B. cereus Fnr was overexpressed and purified as either a C-terminal His-tagged (FnrHis) fusion protein or an N-terminal fusion protein tagged with the Strep-tag (IBA BioTAGnology) (StrepFnr). Both recombinant Fnr proteins were produced as apoforms (clusterless) and occurred as mixtures of monomers and oligomers in solution. However, apoFnrHis was mainly monomeric, while apoStrepFnr was mainly oligomeric, suggesting that the His-tagged C-terminal extremity may interfere with oligomerization. The oligomeric state of apoStrepFnr was dithiothreitol sensitive, underlining the importance of a disulfide bridge for apoFnr oligomerization. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that monomeric apoFnr, but not oligomeric apoFnr, bound to specific sequences located in the promoter regions of the enterotoxin regulators fnr, resDE, and plcR and the structural genes hbl and nhe. The question of whether apoFnr binding is regulated in vivo by redox-dependent oligomerization is discussed.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (3) ◽  
pp. F657-F665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Martinka ◽  
Leslie A. Bruggeman

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) is caused, in part, by direct infection of kidney epithelial cells by HIV-1. In the spectrum of pathogenic host-virus interactions, abnormal activation or suppression of host transcription factors is common. NF-κB is a necessary host transcription factor for HIV-1 gene expression, and it has been shown that NF-κB activity is dysregulated in many naturally infected cell types. We show here that renal glomerular epithelial cells (podocytes) expressing the HIV-1 genome, similar to infected immune cells, also have a dysregulated and persistent activation of NF-κB. Although podocytes produce p50, p52, RelA, RelB, and c-Rel, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and immunocytochemistry showed a predominant nuclear accumulation of p50/RelA-containing NF-κB dimers in HIV-1-expressing podocytes compared with normal. In addition, the expression level of a transfected NF-κB reporter plasmid was significantly higher in HIVAN podocytes. The mechanism of NF-κB activation involved increased phosphorylation of IκBα, resulting in an enhanced turnover of the IκBα protein. There was no evidence for regulation by IκBβ or the alternate pathway of NF-κB activation. Altered activation of this key host transcription factor likely plays a role in the well-described cellular phenotypic changes observed in HIVAN, such as proliferation. Studies with inhibitors of proliferation and NF-κB suggest that NF-κB activation may contribute to the proliferative mechanism in HIVAN. In addition, because NF-κB regulates many aspects of inflammation, this dysregulation may also contribute to disease severity and progression through regulation of proinflammatory processes in the kidney microenvironment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (39) ◽  
pp. 13677-13690
Author(s):  
Jeong Su Byun ◽  
Mihee Oh ◽  
Seonha Lee ◽  
Jung-Eun Gil ◽  
Yeajin Mo ◽  
...  

Astrocytes perform multiple essential functions in the developing and mature brain, including regulation of synapse formation, control of neurotransmitter release and uptake, and maintenance of extracellular ion balance. As a result, astrocytes have been implicated in the progression of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Despite these critical functions, the study of human astrocytes can be difficult because standard differentiation protocols are time-consuming and technically challenging, but a differentiation protocol recently developed in our laboratory enables the efficient derivation of astrocytes from human embryonic stem cells. We used this protocol along with microarrays, luciferase assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and ChIP assays to explore the genes involved in astrocyte differentiation. We demonstrate that paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 1 (PITX1) is critical for astrocyte differentiation. PITX1 overexpression induced early differentiation of astrocytes, and its knockdown blocked astrocyte differentiation. PITX1 overexpression also increased and PITX1 knockdown decreased expression of sex-determining region Y box 9 (SOX9), known initiator of gliogenesis, during early astrocyte differentiation. Moreover, we determined that PITX1 activates the SOX9 promoter through a unique binding motif. Taken together, these findings indicate that PITX1 drives astrocyte differentiation by sustaining activation of the SOX9 promoter.


2005 ◽  
Vol 202 (10) ◽  
pp. 1399-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Nabarro ◽  
Nourredine Himoudi ◽  
Antigoni Papanastasiou ◽  
Kimberly Gilmour ◽  
Sian Gibson ◽  
...  

Tumors have evolved elaborate mechanisms for evading immune detection, such as production of immunoinhibitory cytokines and down-regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression. We have studied PAX3-FKHR as an example of an oncogenic fusion protein associated with an aggressive metastatic cancer. We show that PAX3-FKHR alters expression of genes that are normally regulated by Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathways. This occurs as a result of a specific interaction between PAX3-FKHR and the STAT3 transcription factor, which results in a dramatic reduction in tumor MHC expression, and an alteration in local cytokine concentrations to inhibit surrounding inflammatory cells and immune detection. Collectively, these data show that an oncogenic transcription factor can promote tumor growth and tissue invasion while inhibiting local inflammatory and immune responses. This is the first time that an immunomodulatory role has been described for an oncogenic fusion protein.


2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
José R. Blesa ◽  
Jesús A. Prieto-Ruiz ◽  
Beth A. Abraham ◽  
Bridget L. Harrison ◽  
Anita A. Hegde ◽  
...  

The human TOMM34 gene encodes a cytosolic protein with chaperone-like activity that helps import some preproteins to the mitochondria by keeping them in an unfolded, import-compatible state. TOMM34 was found to be upregulated frequently in colorectal tumors, suggesting that it also has a role in the growth of cancer cells. In this context, TOMM34 is a potential target for novel anticancer drugs, and it might also be used in the diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Nuclear respiratory factors (NRFs) play an important role in governing the nuclear–mitochondrial interactions implicated in mitochondrial biogenesis. Our previous studies revealed that NRFs promote the expression of the major members of the mitochondrial transport machinery, TOMM70 and TOMM20. Here we report the existence of binding sites for NRF-1, Sp1, and NRF-2 in the 5′ region of the human TOMM34 gene. We determined the effects of mutations at these sites on promoter activity in HeLa S3 and A204 cells, in conjunction with chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, and in vivo methylation analysis of the promoter region. We conclude that NRF-1 is the main transcription factor regulating the expression of TOMM34. Sp1 interacts with NRF-1 to stimulate the promoter's full activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuechao Jiang ◽  
Tingting Li ◽  
Sijie Liu ◽  
Qihua Fu ◽  
Fen Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background TBX1 (T-box transcription factor 1) is a major candidate gene that likely contributes to the etiology of velo-cardio-facial syndrome/DiGeorge syndrome (VCFS/DGS). Although the haploinsufficiency of TBX1 in both mice and humans results in congenital cardiac malformations, little has been elucidated about its upstream regulation. We aimed to explore the transcriptional regulation and dysregulation of TBX1. Methods Different TBX1 promoter reporters were constructed. Luciferase assays and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) were used to identify a cis-regulatory element within the TBX1 promoter region and its trans-acting factor. The expression of proteins was identified by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. Variants in the cis-regulatory element were screened in conotruncal defect (CTD) patients. In vitro functional assays were performed to show the effects of the variants found in CTD patients on the transactivation of TBX1. Results We identified a cis-regulatory element within intron 1 of TBX1 that was found to be responsive to GATA6 (GATA binding protein 6), a transcription factor crucial for cardiogenesis. The expression patterns of GATA6 and TBX1 overlapped in the pharyngeal arches of human embryos. Transfection experiments and EMSA indicated that GATA6 could activate the transcription of TBX1 by directly binding with its GATA cis-regulatory element in vitro. Furthermore, sequencing analyses of 195 sporadic CTD patients without the 22q11.2 deletion or duplication identified 3 variants (NC_000022.11:g.19756832C > G, NC_000022.11:g.19756845C > T, and NC_000022.11:g. 19756902G > T) in the non-coding cis-regulatory element of TBX1. Luciferase assays showed that all 3 variants led to reduced transcription of TBX1 when incubated with GATA6. Conclusions Our findings showed that TBX1 might be a direct transcriptional target of GATA6, and variants in the non-coding cis-regulatory element of TBX1 disrupted GATA6-mediated transactivation.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Jiawei Zhou ◽  
Fenge Li

Klotho (KL), originally discovered as an aging suppressor, was a membrane protein that shared sequence similarity with the β-glucosidase enzymes. Recent reports showed Klotho might have a role in adipocyte maturation and systemic glucose metabolism. However, little is known about the transcription factors involved in regulating the expression of porcine KL gene. Deletion fragment analysis identified KL-D2 (-418 bp to -3 bp) as the porcine KL core promoter. MARC0022311 in KL intron 1 appeared a polymorphism (A or G) in Landrace × DIV pigs, and relative luciferase activity of pGL3-D2-G was significantly higher than pGL3-D2-A. This was possibly the result of a change in KL binding ability with transcription factor organic cation transporter 1 (OCT-1), which was confirmed using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Moreover, OCT-1 regulated endogenous KL expression by RNA interference. Our study indicates SNP MARC0022311 affects porcine KL expression by regulating its promoter activity via OCT-1.


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