Transcription factors: positive and negative regulators of cell growth and disease.

Recent advances in our understanding of transcription factors that regulate RNA polymerase II transcribed genes are described. This review considers the role of alternate protein-protein interactions to yield positive or negative regulation, the consequences of deregulated factor activity on cell function and approaches to establish factor-binding specificities.

Bag1-Hsp70 mediates a physiological stress signalling pathway that regulates Raf-1/ERK and cell growth.

Survival after stress requires the precise orchestration of cell-signalling events to ensure that biosynthetic processes are alerted and cell survival pathways are initiated. Here we show that Bag1, a co-chaperone for heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70), coordinates signals for cell growth in response to cell stress, by downregulating the activity of Raf-1 kinase. Raf-1 and Hsp70 compete for binding to Bag1, such that Bag1 binds to and activates Raf-1, subsequently activating the downstream extracellular signal-related kinases (ERKs). When levels of Hsp70 are elevated after heat shock, or in cells conditionally overexpressing Hsp70, Bag1-Raf-1 is displaced by Bag1-Hsp70, and DNA synthesis is arrested. Mutants Bag1C204A and Bag1E208A, which cannot bind Hsp70, constitutively activate Raf-1/ERK kinases but are unaffected by Hsp70; consequently neither Bag1-Raf-1 nor DNA synthesis is negatively affected during heat shock. Likewise, mutants Hsp70F245S, Hsp70R262W and Hsp70L282R, which retain chaperone activity but do not bind to Bag1, fail to repress Bag1 activation of Raf-1/ERK kinase. We propose that Bag1 functions in the heat-shock response to coordinate cell growth signals and mitogenesis, and that Hsp70 functions as a sensor in stress signalling.

Heat-shock protein 70 inhibits apoptosis by preventing recruitment of procaspase-9 to the Apaf-1 apoptosome.

The cellular-stress response can mediate cellular protection through expression of heat-shock protein (Hsp) 70, which can interfere with the process of apoptotic cell death. Stress-induced apoptosis proceeds through a defined biochemical process that involves cytochrome c, Apaf-1 and caspase proteases. Here we show, using a cell-free system, that Hsp70 prevents cytochrome c/dATP-mediated caspase activation, but allows the formation of Apaf-1 oligomers. Hsp70 binds to Apaf-1 but not to procaspase-9, and prevents recruitment of caspases to the apoptosome complex. Hsp70 therefore suppresses apoptosis by directly associating with Apaf-1 and blocking the assembly of a functional apoptosome.

Mutational analysis of the human HSP70 protein: distinct domains for nucleolar localization and adenosine triphosphate binding.

The human HSP70 gene was modified in vitro using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to add sequences encoding a peptide from the testis-specific form of human lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to the carboxy terminus of HSP70. The peptide-tagged HSP70 can be distinguished from the endogenous HSP70 protein using an LDH peptide-specific antiserum in indirect immunofluorescence assays of cells transiently transfected with an expression vector containing the tagged HSP70 gene regulated by the human HSP70 promoter. A series of deletion mutants within the HSP70 protein coding region were generated. Using double-label indirect immunofluorescence with the LDH peptide-specific antiserum and HSP70-specific mAbs, we compared the intracellular distribution of the deletion mutants to that of endogenous HSP70. We have determined that sequences in the carboxy terminus of HSP70 are necessary for proper nucleolar localization after heat shock. In contrast, sequences in the amino terminus of HSP70 are responsible for the ATP-binding ability of the protein. Mutants that were unable to bind ATP, however, still displayed nucleolar association, indicating that ATP binding is apparently not required for interaction with substrate. Additional support that HSP70 appears to be composed of at least two domains follows from the results of trypsin digestions of wild type and mutant HSP70. Protease digestion of the mutant HSP70 proteins identified a region of HSP70 that, when deleted, affected HSP70 conformation.

Cell cycle-dependent association of HSP70 with specific cellular proteins.

In asynchronous populations of HeLa cells maintained at control or heat shock temperatures, HSP70 levels and its subcellular distribution exhibit substantial heterogeneity as demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence with HSP70-specific monoclonal antibodies. Of particular interest is a subpopulation of cells in which the characteristic nuclear accumulation and nucleolar association of HSP70 is not detected after heat shock treatment. This apparent variation in the heat shock response is not observed when synchronized cells are examined. In this study, we demonstrate that three monoclonal antibodies to HSP70, in particular, do not detect nucleolar-localized HSP70 in heat-shocked G2 cells. This is not due to an inability of G2 cells to respond to heat shock as measured by increased HSP70 mRNA and protein synthesis, or due to a lack of accumulation of HSP70 after heat shock in G2. Rather the epitopes recognized by the various antibodies appear to be inaccessible, perhaps due to the association of HSP70 with other proteins. Non-denaturing immunoprecipitations with these HSP70-specific antibodies suggest that HSP70 may interact with other cellular proteins in a cell cycle-dependent manner.

Intron-independent association of splicing factors with active genes.

The cell nucleus is organized as discrete domains, often associated with specific events involved in chromosome organization, replication, and gene expression. We have examined the spatial and functional relationship between the sites of heat shock gene transcription and the speckles enriched in splicing factors in primary human fibroblasts by combining immunofluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The hsp90alpha and hsp70 genes are inducibly regulated by exposure to stress from a low basal level to a high rate of transcription; additionally the hsp90alpha gene contains 10 introns whereas the hsp70 gene is intronless. At 37 degrees C, only 30% of hsp90alpha transcription sites are associated with speckles whereas little association is detected with the hsp70 gene, whose constitutive expression is undetectable relative to the hsp90alpha gene. Upon exposure of cells to heat shock, the heavy metal cadmium, or the amino acid analogue azetidine, transcription at the hsp90alpha and hsp70 gene loci is strongly induced, and both hsp transcription sites become associated with speckles in >90% of the cells. These results reveal a clear disconnection between the presence of intervening sequences at specific gene loci and the association with splicing factor-rich regions and suggest that subnuclear structures containing splicing factors are associated with sites of transcription.

Molecular chaperone machines: chaperone activities of the cyclophilin Cyp-40 and the steroid aporeceptor-associated protein p23.

Molecular chaperones are essential proteins that participate in the regulation of steroid receptors in eukaryotes. The steroid aporeceptor complex contains the molecular chaperones Hsp90 and Hsp70, p48, the cyclophilin Cyp-40, and the associated proteins p23 and p60. In vitro folding assays showed that Cyp-40 and p23 functioned as molecular chaperones in a manner similar to that of Hsp90 or Hsp70. Although neither Cyp-40 nor p23 could completely refold an unfolded substrate, both proteins interacted with the substrate to maintain a nonnative folding-competent intermediate. Thus, the steroid aporeceptor complexes have multiple chaperone components that maintain substrates in an intermediate folded state.

Activation of heat shock transcription factor 3 by c-Myb in the absence of cellular stress.

In vertebrates, the presence of multiple heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) indicates that these factors may be regulated by distinct stress signals. HSF3 was specifically activated in unstressed proliferating cells by direct binding to the c-myb proto-oncogene product (c-Myb). These factors formed a complex through their DNA binding domains that stimulated the nuclear entry and formation of the transcriptionally active trimer of HSF3. Because c-Myb participates in cellular proliferation, this regulatory pathway may provide a link between cellular proliferation and the stress response.

Effect of sodium salicylate on the human heat shock response.

Sodium salicylate, an anti-inflammatory agent, was examined for its effects on the heat shock response in cultured human cells. Salicylate activation of DNA binding by the heat shock transcription factor (HSF) was comparable to activation attained during heat shock. However, sodium salicylate did not induce heat shock gene transcription even though the HSF was bound in vivo to the heat shock elements upstream of the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) gene. These results reveal that activation of the heat shock transcriptional response is a multistep process. Modulation of extracellular pH augments sensitivity to salicylate-induced activation of HSF.

Complex regulation of heat shock- and glucose-responsive genes in human cells.

We have isolated a human genomic clone that encodes the glucose-responsive protein GRP78 and have used this cloned gene probe, together with a cloned HSP70 gene, to study the expression of both stress-induced genes in response to inhibitors of cellular metabolism. On the basis of the effects of this group of chemicals on GRP78 and HSP70 expression, we have identified three classes of stress gene inducers. The first class induces GRP78 expression and includes inhibitors of glycoprotein processing. The second class results in coordinate activation of both GRP78 and HSP70 synthesis and includes amino acid analogs and heavy metals. Chemicals in the third class coordinately induce GRP78 and repress HSP70 expression; this class includes the calcium ionophore A23187 and the glucose analog 2-deoxyglucose. Whereas induction of GRP78 or HSP70 expression is primarily due to transcriptional activation, chemicals that repress HSP70 expression act through posttranscriptional regulation. These results reveal that the regulation of GRP78 and HSP70 expression is complex and may be dependent on the specificity and magnitude of physiological damage.

Maximal stress-induced transcription from the human HSP70 promoter requires interactions with the basal promoter elements independent of rotational alignment.

Transcription of the human HSP70 gene is regulated by a complex array of cis-acting promoter elements that respond to conditions that include normal conditions of cell growth and induction following physiological stress. We have examined the requirements of the basal and inducible promoter elements by using promoter mutations and a transient transfection assay. Multiple forms of stress-induced transcription, including heat shock and incubation with heavy metals or amino acid analogs, are mediated by a single heat shock element (HSE) between -105 and -91 consisting of three contiguous 5-base-pair units, NGAAN, that are inverted relative to adjacent units. Maximal inducible expression requires a fully functional basal promoter. Spacing mutations which alter the relative helical orientation of adjacent genetic elements have only minimal effects on basal and stress-inducible expression and show no effects of periodicity. In addition, placement of the HSE adjacent to the basal promoter removes the requirements for a fully functional basal promoter for maximal stress-inducible expression. These results suggest that factors bound at the HSE and the basal promoter can function through multiple interactions.

Heat shock-induced interactions of heat shock transcription factor and the human hsp70 promoter examined by in vivo footprinting.

Genomic footprinting of the human hsp70 promoter reveals that heat shock induces a rapid binding of a factor, presumably heat shock transcription factor, to a region encompassing five contiguous NGAAN sequences, three perfect and two imperfect matches to the consensus sequence. Arrays of inverted NGAAN sequences have been defined as the heat shock element. No protein is bound to the heat shock element prior to or after recovery from heat shock. Heat shock does not perturb the binding of factors to other regulatory elements in the promoter which contribute to basal expression of the hsp70 gene.

Repression of the heat shock factor 1 transcriptional activation domain is modulated by constitutive phosphorylation.

Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) is constitutively expressed in mammalian cells and negatively regulated for DNA binding and transcriptional activity. Upon exposure to heat shock and other forms of chemical and physiological stress, these activities of HSF1 are rapidly induced. In this report, we demonstrate that constitutive phosphorylation of HSF1 at serine residues distal to the transcriptional activation domain functions to repress transactivation. Tryptic phosphopeptide analysis of a collection of chimeric GAL4-HSF1 deletion and point mutants identified a region of constitutive phosphorylation encompassing serine residues 303 and 307. The significance of phosphorylation at serines 303 and 307 in the regulation of HSF1 transcriptional activity was demonstrated by transient transfection and assay of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter construct. Whereas the transfected wild-type GAL4-HSF1 chimera is repressed for transcriptional activity and derepressed by heat shock, mutation of serines 303 and 307 to alanine results in derepression to a high level of constitutive activity. Similar results were obtained with mutation of these serine residues in the context of full-length HSF1. These data reveal that constitutive phosphorylation of serines 303 and 307 has an important role in the negative regulation of HSF1 transcriptional activity at control temperatures.

Selection of new HSF1 and HSF2 DNA-binding sites reveals difference in trimer cooperativity.

Multiple heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) have been discovered in several higher eukaryotes, raising questions about their respective functions in the cellular stress response. Previously, we had demonstrated that the two mouse HSFs (mHSF1 and mHSF2) interacted differently with the HSP70 heat shock element (HSE). To further address the issues of cooperativity and the interaction of multiple HSFs with the HSE, we selected new mHSF1 and mHSF2 DNA-binding sites through protein binding and PCR amplification. The selected sequences, isolated from a random population, were composed primarily of alternating inverted arrays of the pentameric consensus 5'-nGAAn-3', and the nucleotides flanking the core GAA motif were nonrandom. The average number of pentamers selected in each binding site was four to five for mHSF1 and two to three for mHSF2, suggesting differences in the potential for cooperative interactions between adjacent trimers. Our comparison of mHSF1 and mHSF2 binding to selected sequences further substantiated these differences in cooperativity as mHSF1, unlike mHSF2, was able to bind to extended HSE sequences, confirming previous observations on the HSP70 HSE. Certain selected sequences that exhibited preferential binding of mHSF1 or mHSF2 were mutagenized, and these studies demonstrated that the affinity of an HSE for a particular HSF and the extent of HSF interaction could be altered by single base substitutions. The domain of mHSF1 utilized for cooperative interactions was transferable, as chimeric mHSF1/mHSF2 proteins demonstrated that sequences within or adjacent to the mHSF1 DNA-binding domain were responsible. We have demonstrated that HSEs can have a greater affinity for a specific HSF and that in mice, mHSF1 utilizes a higher degree of cooperativity in DNA binding. This suggests two ways in which cells have developed to regulate the activity of closely related transcription factors: developing the ability to fully occupy the target binding site and alteration of the target site to favor interaction with a specific factor.

Characterization of a novel chicken heat shock transcription factor, heat shock factor 3, suggests a new regulatory pathway.

We have cloned three avian heat shock transcription factor (HSF) genes corresponding to a novel factor, HSF3, and the avian homologs of mammalian HSF1 and HSF2. The predicted amino acid sequence of HSF3 is approximately 40% related to the sequence of HSF1 and HSF2. The sequences for all three factors exhibit extensive identify in the DNA binding motifs and the heptad repeats of hydrophobic amino acids which are common to all eukaryotic HSFs. Despite these overall similarities, each avian HSF exhibits distinct DNA binding properties. HSF2 when expressed in vitro binds constitutively to the heat shock element promoter sequence, whereas neither HSF1 nor HSF3 expressed in vitro binds to DNA. HSF1 DNA binding is induced upon heat shock or treatment with nonionic detergents, whereas the DNA binding properties of HSF3 are not induced by these conditions in vitro. These results suggest that HSF3 activation may involve an induction pathway distinct from the traditional forms of heat shock gene induction. HSF3 DNA binding activity, however, is obtained when the carboxyl-terminal region including the distal heptad repeat is deleted, indicating the presence of negative cis-regulatory sequences. The HSF3 message, like HSF1 and HSF2 messages, is coexpressed during development and in most tissues, which suggests a general role for the regulatory pathway involving HSF3.

Posttranscriptional regulation of hsp70 expression in human cells: effects of heat shock, inhibition of protein synthesis, and adenovirus infection on translation and mRNA stability.

We have examined the posttranscriptional regulation of hsp70 gene expression in two human cell lines, HeLa and 293 cells, which constitutively express high levels of HSP70. HSP70 mRNA translates with high efficiency in both control and heat-shocked cells. Therefore, heat shock is not required for the efficient translation of HSP70 mRNA. Rather, the main effect of heat shock on translation is to suppress the translatability of non-heat shock mRNAs. Heat shock, however, has a marked effect on the stability of HSP70 mRNA; in non-heat-shocked cells the half-life of HSP70 mRNA is approximately 50 min, and its stability increases at least 10-fold upon heat shock. Moreover, HSP70 mRNA is more stable in cells treated with protein synthesis inhibitors, suggesting that a heat shock-sensitive labile protein regulates its turnover. An additional effect on posttranscriptional regulation of hsp70 expression can be found in adenovirus-infected cells, in which HSP70 mRNA levels decline precipititously late during infection although hsp70 transcription continues unabated.

Heat shock-induced translational control of HSP70 and globin synthesis in chicken reticulocytes.

Incubation of chicken reticulocytes at elevated temperatures (43 to 45 degrees C) resulted in a rapid change in the pattern of protein synthesis, characterized by the decreased synthesis of normal proteins, e.g., alpha and beta globin, and the preferential and increased synthesis of only one heat shock protein, HSP70. The repression of globin synthesis was not due to modifications of globin mRNA because the level of globin mRNA and its ability to be translated in vitro were unaffected. The HSP70 gene in reticulocytes was transcribed in non-heat-shocked cells, yet HSP70 was not efficiently translated until the cells had been heat shocked. In non-heat-shocked reticulocytes, HSP70 mRNA was a moderately abundant mRNA present at 1 to 2% of the level of globin mRNA. The rapid 20-fold increase in the synthesis of HSP70 after heat shock was not accompanied by a corresponding increase in the rate of transcription of the HSP70 gene or accumulation of HSP70 mRNA. These results suggest that the elevated synthesis of HSP70 is due to the preferential utilization of HSP70 mRNA in the heat-shocked reticulocyte. The heat shock-induced alterations in the reticulocyte protein-synthetic apparatus were not reversible. Upon return to control temperatures (37 degrees C), heat-shocked reticulocytes continued to synthesize HSP70 at elevated levels whereas globin synthesis continued to be repressed. Despite the presence of HSP70 mRNA in non-heat-shocked reticulocytes, we found that continued transcription was necessary for the preferential translation of HSP70 in heat-shocked cells. Preincubation of reticulocytes with the transcription inhibitor actinomycin D or 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole blocked the heat shock-induced synthesis of HSP70. Because the level of HSP70 mRNA was only slightly diminished in cells treated with actinomycin D, we suggest two possible mechanisms for the preferential translation of HSP70 mRNA: the translation of only newly transcribed HSP70 mRNA or the requirement of a newly transcribed RNA-containing factor.

The carboxyl-terminal transactivation domain of heat shock factor 1 is negatively regulated and stress responsive.

We have characterized a stress-responsive transcriptional activation domain of mouse heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) by using chimeric GAL4-HSF1 fusion proteins. Fusion of the GAL4 DNA-binding domain to residues 124 to 503 of HSF1 results in a chimeric factor that binds DNA yet lacks any transcriptional activity. Transactivation is acquired upon exposure to heat shock or by deletion of a negative regulatory domain including part of the DNA-binding-domain-proximal leucine zippers. Analysis of a collection of GAL4-HSF1 deletion mutants revealed the minimal region for the constitutive transcriptional activator to map within the extreme carboxyl-terminal 108 amino acids, corresponding to a region rich in acidic and hydrophobic residues. Loss of residues 395 to 425 or 451 to 503, which are located at either end of this activation domain, severely diminished activity, indicating that the entire domain is required for transactivation. The minimal activation domain of HSF1 also confers enhanced transcriptional response to heat shock or cadmium treatment. These results demonstrate that the transcriptional activation domain of HSF1 is negatively regulated and that the signal for stress induction is mediated by interactions between the amino-terminal negative regulator and the carboxyl-terminal transcriptional activation domain.

Human heat shock factors 1 and 2 are differentially activated and can synergistically induce hsp70 gene transcription.

Two members of the heat shock transcription factor (HSF) family, HSF1 and HSF2, both function as transcriptional activators of heat shock gene expression. However, the inducible DNA-binding activities of these two factors are regulated by distinct pathways. HSF1 is activated by heat shock and other forms of stress, whereas HSF2 is activated during hemin-induced differentiation of human K562 erythroleukemia cells, suggesting a role for HSF2 in regulating heat shock gene expression under nonstress conditions such as differentiation and development. To understand the distinct regulatory pathways controlling HSF2 and HSF1 activities, we have examined the biochemical and physical properties of the control and activated states of HSF2 and compared these with the properties of HSF1. Our results reveal that the inactive, non-DNA-binding forms of HSF2 and HSF1 exist primarily in the cytoplasm of untreated K562 cells as a dimer and monomer, respectively. This difference in the control oligomeric states suggests that the mechanisms used to control the DNA-binding activities of HSF2 and HSF1 are distinct. Upon activation, both factors acquire DNA-binding activity, oligomerize to a trimeric state, and translocate into the nucleus. Interestingly, we find that simultaneous activation of both HSF2 and HSF1 in K562 cells subjected to hemin treatment followed by heat shock results in the synergistic induction of hsp70 gene transcription, suggesting a novel level of complex regulation of heat shock gene expression.

Activation of heat shock gene transcription by heat shock factor 1 involves oligomerization, acquisition of DNA-binding activity, and nuclear localization and can occur in the absence of stress.

The existence of multiple heat shock factor (HSF) genes in higher eukaryotes has promoted questions regarding the functions of these HSF family members, especially with respect to the stress response. To address these questions, we have used polyclonal antisera raised against mouse HSF1 and HSF2 to examine the biochemical, physical, and functional properties of these two factors in unstressed and heat-shocked mouse and human cells. We have identified HSF1 as the mediator of stress-induced heat shock gene transcription. HSF1 displays stress-induced DNA-binding activity, oligomerization, and nuclear localization, while HSF2 does not. Also, HSF1 undergoes phosphorylation in cells exposed to heat or cadmium sulfate but not in cells treated with the amino acid analog L-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid, indicating that phosphorylation of HSF1 is not essential for its activation. Interestingly, HSF1 and HSF2 overexpressed in transfected 3T3 cells both display constitutive DNA-binding activity, oligomerization, and transcriptional activity. These results demonstrate that HSF1 can be activated in the absence of physiological stress and also provide support for a model of regulation of HSF1 and HSF2 activity by a titratable negative regulatory factor.