The genomic response of the Drosophila embryo to JNK signaling.

During Drosophila development, the Jun N-terminal kinase signal transduction pathway regulates morphogenetic tissue closure movements that involve cell shape changes and reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. We analyzed the genome-wide transcriptional response to activation of the JNK pathway in the Drosophila embryo by serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) and identified loci encoding cell adhesion molecules and cytoskeletal regulators as JNK responsive genes. The role of one of the upregulated genes, chickadee (chic), encoding a Drosophila profilin, in embryogenesis was analyzed genetically. chic-deficient embryos fail to execute the JNK-mediated cytoskeletal rearrangements during dorsal closure. This study demonstrates a transcriptional mechanism of cytoskeletal regulation and establishes SAGE as an advantageous approach for genomic experiments in the fruitfly.

Reduced ubiquitin-dependent degradation of c-Jun after phosphorylation by MAP kinases.

The proto-oncogene-encoded transcription factor c-Jun activates genes in response to a number of inducers that act through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathways. The activation of c-Jun after phosphorylation by MAPK is accompanied by a reduction in c-Jun ubiquitination and consequent stabilization of the protein. These results illustrate the relevance of regulated protein degradation in the signal-dependent control of gene expression.

Targeted degradation of c-Fos, but not v-Fos, by a phosphorylation-dependent signal on c-Jun.

The proto-oncogene products c-Fos and c-Jun heterodimerize through their leucine zippers to form the AP-1 transcription factor. The transcriptional activity of the heterodimer is regulated by signal-dependent phosphorylation and dephosphorylation events. The stability of c-Fos was found to also be controlled by intracellular signal transduction. In transient expression and in vitro degradation experiments, the stability of c-Fos was decreased when the protein was dimerized with phosphorylated c-Jun. c-Jun protein isolated from phorbol ester-induced cells did not target c-Fos for degradation, which suggests that c-Fos is transiently stabilized after stimulation of cell growth. v-Fos protein, the retroviral counterpart of c-Fos, was not susceptible to degradation targeted by c-Jun.

Human proto-oncogene c-jun encodes a DNA binding protein with structural and functional properties of transcription factor AP-1.

Nuclear oncogene products have the potential to induce alterations in gene regulation leading to the genesis of cancer. The biochemical mechanisms by which nuclear oncoproteins act remain unknown. Recently, an oncogene, v-jun, was found to share homology with the DNA binding domain of a yeast transcription factor, GCN4. Furthermore, GCN4 and the phorbol ester-inducible enhancer binding protein, AP-1, recognize very similar DNA sequences. The human proto-oncogene c-jun has now been isolated, and the deduced amino acid sequence indicates more than 80 percent identity with v-jun. Expression of cloned c-jun in bacteria produced a protein with sequence-specific DNA binding properties identical to AP-1. Antibodies raised against two distinct peptides derived from v-jun reacted specifically with human AP-1. In addition, partial amino acid sequence of purified AP-1 revealed tryptic peptides in common with the c-jun protein. The structural and functional similarities between the c-jun product and the enhancer binding protein suggest that AP-1 may be encoded by c-jun. These findings demonstrate that the proto-oncogene product of c-jun interacts directly with specific target DNA sequences to regulate gene expression, and therefore it may now be possible to identify genes under the control of c-jun that affect cell growth and neoplasia.

Fos-associated protein p39 is the product of the jun proto-oncogene.

The Fos protein complex and several Fos-related antigens (FRA) bind specifically to a sequence element referred to as the HeLa cell activator protein 1 (AP-1) binding site. A combination of structural and immunological comparisons has identified the Fos-associated protein (p39) as the protein product of the jun proto-oncogene (c-Jun). The p39/Jun protein is one of the major polypeptides identified in AP-1 oligonucleotide affinity chromatography extracts of cellular proteins. These preparations of AP-1 also contain Fos and several FRA's. Some of these proteins bind to the AP-1 site directly whereas others, like Fos, appear to bind indirectly via protein-protein interactions. Cell-surface stimulation results in an increase in c-fos and c-jun products. Thus, the products of two protooncogenes (and several related proteins), induced by extracellular stimuli, form a complex that associates with transcriptional control elements containing AP-1 sites, thereby potentially mediating the long-term responses to signals that regulate growth control and development.

Complex functions of AP-1 transcription factors in differentiation and survival of PC12 cells.

c-Jun activation by mitogen-activated protein kinases has been implicated in various cellular signal responses. We investigated how JNK and c-Jun contribute to neuronal differentiation, cell survival, and apoptosis. In differentiated PC12 cells, JNK signaling can induce apoptosis and c-Jun mediates this response. In contrast, we show that in PC12 cells that are not yet differentiated, the AP-1 family member ATF-2 and not c-Jun acts as an executor of apoptosis. In this context c-Jun expression protects against apoptosis and triggers neurite formation. Thus, c-Jun has opposite functions before and after neuronal differentiation. These findings suggest a model in which the balance between ATF-2 and Jun activity in PC12 cells governs the choice between differentiation towards a neuronal fate and an apoptotic program. Further analysis of c-Jun mutants showed that the differentiation response requires functional dimerization and DNA-binding domains and that it is stimulated by phosphorylation in the transactivation domain. In contrast, c-Jun mutants incompetent for DNA binding or dimerization and also mutants lacking JNK binding and phosphorylation sites that cannot elicit neuronal differentiation efficiently protect PC12 cells from apoptosis. Hence, the protective role of c-Jun appears to be mediated by an unconventional mechanism that is separable from its function as a classical AP-1 transcription factor.

Diverse functions of JNK signaling and c-Jun in stress response and apoptosis.

c-Jun/AP-1 activation has been implicated in various, often opposing cellular responses. For example, although there is considerable evidence that c-Jun activation can be a positive step in the events leading a cell towards apoptosis, there are also many reports stating the opposite: that under certain circumstances c-Jun can inhibit apoptosis and promote proliferation or differentiation instead - and that these responses are important for normal mammalian development. It is clear that the effects of c-Jun on cellular responses depend strongly on the cell type and the context of other regulatory influences that the cell is receiving. This review focuses on recent developments in understanding how activation of JNK and c-Jun contributes to different cellular responses.

Drosophila AP-1: lessons from an invertebrate.

In recent years, studies in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster have contributed significant insights into the molecular and developmental biology of the AP-1 transcription factors Jun and Fos. Powerful genetic and biochemical approaches uncovered a baffling complexity and variability of the signaling connections to and from AP-1. The range of biological processes that Jun and Fos regulate in this organism is equally multi-faceted. Regulatory interactions between AP-1 and JNK, ERK, TGFbeta, Notch or other signaling systems have been implicated in the control of a multitude of embryonic and adult events, including tissue closure processes, patterning of eye, gut and wing, as well as apoptosis. Here we review the information that has been gathered on Drosophila AP-1 in signal transduction and on the developmental and cellular functions controlled by AP-1-mediated signals in the fly. Lessons learned from the studies on AP-1 in Drosophila may contribute to our general understanding, beyond species boundaries, of this fundamental class of transcriptional regulators.

Ubiquitin in signal transduction and cell transformation.

Since the discovery of ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation almost two decades ago, great strides have been made towards a detailed understanding of the biochemistry of this process (reviewed in [1-3]). It was, however, only in recent years that the physiological role of the ubiquitin system in signal transduction and the regulation of several cell functions started to be appreciated and experimentally addressed. As with other principal mechanisms of signal transduction, such as phosphorylation or GTP hydrolysis, much of the information regarding the role of the ubiquitin system as a component of cell regulation and signaling cascades, was gained in studies of transformation and the control of cell growth. It seems, however, that ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis, and possibly other processes that are controlled by protein ubiquitination, play a role in many aspects of cellular function from the control of differentiation to intracellular trafficking [1,3,4]. Here we will review some of the results that implicate ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis in the control of cell growth and that indicate how perturbations of ubiquitin-dependent degradation of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene products may contribute to cell transformation and oncogenesis.

A transcription enhancer acts in vitro over distances of hundreds of base-pairs on both circular and linear templates but not on chromatin-reconstituted DNA.

We have analyzed the effect of nucleosome formation and of the simian virus (SV40) enhancer on the efficiency of in vitro transcription. In a whole cell extract made from HeLa cells, nucleosome assembly on DNA results in the formation of chromatin-like complexes. However, transcription was detectable only when the DNA templates were partially or totally depleted of nucleosomes. On nucleosome-free templates, when the SV40 enhancer was present upstream from the complete SV40 early or rabbit beta-globin promoters, there was a five- to tenfold stimulation of specific transcription. When present upstream from its homologous promoter, the SV40 enhancer activated SV40 early transcription independently of its orientation with respect to the coding sequence. Point mutations known to impair the SV40 enhancer function in vivo had a similar effect in vitro. The extent of the enhancing effect was the same with linear or circular templates. When the SV40 enhancer was inserted upstream from the rabbit beta-globin gene, the activation of transcription was reduced with increasing distance between the enhancer and beta-globin upstream promoter elements, but was still significant over a distance of more than 400 base-pairs.

The deubiquitination enzyme fat facets negatively regulates RTK/Ras/MAPK signalling during Drosophila eye development.

The Drosophila fat facets (faf) gene encodes a deubiquitination enzyme with a putative function in proteasomal protein degradation. Mutants lacking zygotic faf function develop to adulthood, but have rough eyes caused by the presence of one to two ectopic outer photoreceptors per ommatidium. Here we show that faf interacts genetically with the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK)/Ras pathway, which induces photoreceptor differentiation in the developing eye. The results indicate that RTK/Ras signalling is increased in faf mutants, causing normally non-neuronal cells to adopt photoreceptor fate. Consistently, the protein level of at least one component of the Ras signal transduction pathway, the transcription factor D-Jun, is elevated in faf eye discs at the time when the ectopic photoreceptors are induced. We propose that defective ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis leads to increased and prolonged D-Jun expression, which together with other factors contributes to the induction of ectopic photoreceptors in faf mutants. These studies demonstrate the relevance of ubiquitin-dependent protein degradation in the regulation of RTK/Ras signal transduction in an intact organism.

The role of the Drosophila TAK homologue dTAK during development.

The TAK kinases belong to the MAPKKK group and have been implicated in a variety of signaling events. Originally described as a TGF-beta activated kinase (TAK) it has, however, subsequently been demonstrated to signal through p38, Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and Nemo types of MAP kinases, and the NFkappaB inducing kinase. Despite these multiple proposed functions, the in vivo role of TAK family kinases remains unclear. Here we report the isolation and genetic characterization of the Drosophila TAK homologue (dTAK). By employing overexpression and double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi) techniques we have analyzed its function during embryogenesis and larval development. Overexpression of dTAK in the embryonic epidermis is sufficient to induce the transcription of the JNK target genes decapentaplegic and puckered. Furthermore, overexpression of dominant negative (DN) or wild-type forms of dTAK in wing and eye imaginal discs, respectively, results in defects in thorax closure and ommatidial planar polarity, two well described phenotypes associated with JNK signaling activity. Surprisingly, RNAi and DN-dTAK expression studies in the embryo argue for a differential requirement of dTAK during developmental processes controlled by JNK signaling, and a redundant or minor role of dTAK in dorsal closure. In addition, dTAK-mediated activation of JNK in the Drosophila eye imaginal disc leads to an eye ablation phenotype due to ectopically induced apoptotic cell death. Genetic analyses in the eye indicate that dTAK can also act through the p38 and Nemo kinases in imaginal discs. Our results suggest that dTAK can act as a JNKKK upstream of JNK in multiple contexts and also other MAPKs in the eye. However, the loss-of-function RNAi studies indicate that it is not strictly required and thus either redundant or playing only a minor role in the context of embryonic dorsal closure.

Cloning of the cDNA encoding human C/EBP gamma, a protein binding to the PRE-I enhancer element of the human interleukin-4 promoter.

The positive regulatory element-I (PRE-I) is a strong enhancer element essential for expression of the human interleukin-4 (IL-4)-encoding gene. In order to identify transcription factors binding to PRE-I, we screened a cDNA expression library from human Jurkat T-cells. A cDNA encoding the human CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-gamma (hC/EBP gamma) was cloned. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of HC/EBP gamma contains 150 aa with high homology to mouse Ig/EBP-1 and rat C/EBP gamma. The mRNA of hC/EBP gamma is expressed at a high level in Jurkat T-cells in three forms generated via differential polyadenylation. DNA-binding experiments with recombinant protein produced in bacteria demonstrate that hC/EBP gamma binds to PRE-I, but not to unrelated DNA fragments. Our data also show that hC/EBP gamma may cooperate with Fos to bind PRE-I.

Transcription factor phosphorylation: a link between signal transduction and the regulation of gene expression.

Changes in cellular gene transcription patterns induced by extracellular signals are thought to be important for many biological processes, including the control of cell growth. The transmission of gene regulatory signals through the cytoplasm is mediated by signaling pathways, of which protein kinases are important components, and recent evidence suggests that communication between the cytoplasm and nucleus relies on signal-dependent phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of transcription factors. This new information is reviewed and the implications for gene regulation and the control of cell growth are discussed.

Thorax closure in Drosophila: involvement of Fos and the JNK pathway.

Dorsal closure, a morphogenetic movement during Drosophila embryogenesis, is controlled by the Drosophila JNK pathway, D-Fos and the phosphatase Puckered (Puc). To identify principles of epithelial closure processes, we studied another cell sheet movement that we term thorax closure, the joining of the parts of the wing imaginal discs which give rise to the adult thorax during metamorphosis. In thorax closure a special row of margin cells express puc and accumulate prominent actin fibres during midline attachment. Genetic data indicate a requirement of D-Fos and the JNK pathway for thorax closure, and a negative regulatory role of Puc. Furthermore, puc expression co-localises with elevated levels of D-Fos, is reduced in a JNK or D-Fos loss-of-function background and is ectopically induced after JNK activation. This suggests that Puc acts downstream of the JNK pathway and D-Fos to mediate a negative feed-back loop. Therefore, the molecular circuitry required for thorax closure is very similar to the one directing dorsal closure in the embryo, even though the tissues are not related. This finding supports the hypothesis that the mechanism controlling dorsal closure has been co-opted for thorax closure in the evolution of insect metamorphosis and may represent a more widely used functional module for tissue closure in other species as well.

Biochemical analysis of transcriptional activation by Jun: differential activity of c- and v-Jun.

The human proto-oncogene product, c-Jun, is a member of the AP-1 family of transcription factors, which mediate the regulation of gene expression in response to extracellular signaling. Comparison of c-Jun and v-Jun by in vitro transcription assays revealed that v-Jun has significantly greater transcriptional activity than c-Jun. Analysis of Jun mutants expressed in bacteria indicates that this difference in transcriptional activity is due to the presence of a regulatory domain located at the N-terminal region of c-Jun. Other Jun mutants identify an activation domain rich in acidic and proline residues toward the C-terminal end of the molecule, in a region near the DNA binding domain. These findings suggest that during retroviral transduction, a constitutively active Jun protein has been generated by deleting a negatively acting domain. This putative repressor domain may also play a role in the signal-dependent induction of c-Jun activity.

JUN cooperates with the ETS domain protein pointed to induce photoreceptor R7 fate in the Drosophila eye.

R7 photoreceptor fate in the Drosophila eye induced by the activation of the Sevenless receptor tyrosine kinase and the RAS/MAP kinase signal transduction pathway. We show that expression of a constitutively activated JUN isoform in ommatidial precursor cells is sufficient to induce R7 fate independent of upstream signals normally required for photoreceptor determination. We present evidence that JUN interacts with the ETS domain protein Pointed to promote R7 formation. This interaction is cooperative when both proteins are targeted to the same promoter and is antagonized by another ETS domain protein, YAN, a negative regulator of R7 development. Furthermore, phyllopod, a putative transcriptional target of RAS pathway activation during R7 induction, behaves as a suppressor of activated JUN. Taken together, these data suggest that JUN and Pointed act on common target genes to promote neuronal differentiation in the Drosophila eye, and that phyllopod might be such a common target.

Functional dissection of AP-1 transcription factors using the Gal4 adaptor assay.

In the Gal4 adaptor assay, leucine zipper-containing proteins are tethered indirectly to the promoters of Gal4-responsive reporter genes via synthetic protein chimeras consisting of a Gal4 DNA-binding domain with an attached leucine zipper. Ternary complexes composed of the DNA binding site, the adaptor protein, and a leucine zipper factor can stimulate reporter gene activity, provided that the latter component possesses a transcriptional activation domain. This system is used to assay the transcriptional function and the interactions between various AP-1 factors.

Different TRE-related elements are distinguished by sets of DNA-binding proteins with overlapping sequence specificity.

Several promoter elements with sequence similarity to the prototype TPA-responsive element (TRE) were compared by mobility-shift analyses. Activities within whole cell extracts were identified that bind to the TRE-like elements in the collagenase, the somatostatin, and the c-jun promoters. The corresponding factors appeared to differ in their degree of selectivity for these TRE-like sequences. One protein species bound equally well to all TREs. In addition, a subset of specific activities recognised only the somatostatin and the c-jun-derived element and one DNA-protein complex had exclusive specificity for the TRE present in the c-jun promoter. By antibody 'supershift' assays some of the protein components of the specific complexes were identified as CREB- and ATF-related products. Based on these data we postulate that bZip protein dimers differ in their ability to tolerate variations from the canonical TRE sequence. We propose that TRE-like promoter elements are distinguished by this ability to bind to different subsets of a family of related transcription factors.