RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Several recent reports have connected protein methylation with differentiation. Furthermore, the BTG/TOB proteins have also been implicated in such control. BTG1 and 2 have been shown to interact with PRMT1 (predominant cellular arginine N-methyltransferase of type I). RESULTS: First, we have studied the interaction between PRMT1 and the proteins of the BTG/TOB family. We show that boxC, a sequence present only in BTG1 and BTG2, is essential for this association. Using boxC peptide, we have investigated the importance of PRMT1/BTG protein association during type I protein methylation reactions. Finally, we show that the addition of boxC fused to penetratin interferes with the neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells and ES cell-derived neurones. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these results indicate that PRMT1/BTG proteins could play a key role in the arginine methylation-mediated signalling pathway as well as in neuronal differentiation.