Activation of the Snail transcription factor induces Mdm2 gene expression.

Epithelial-like tumor cells can become metastatic by undergoing molecular and phenotypic reprogramming in a process referred to as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In response to EMT genes that promote migration and condition the tumor microenvironment to permit intravasation into the bloodstream, dissemination and extravasation into new organs are induced. While the mutant p53 has been implicated in extravasation, one negative regulator of p53, the oncogene murine double minute-2 gene (Mdm2), is required in the early stages of metastasis and the driver of EMT. This activity is independent of Mdm2's role in the p53-Mdm2 autoregulatory feedback loop. Herein, we examine the EMT transcription factor Snail as a downstream effector of kinase signaling pathways. We show that the activation of upstream receptors and KRas signaling increase Snail levels. Snail binds to Ebox DNA motifs, and Mdm2 has two Ebox DNA-binding domains in the second promoter. Snail binds to the second Ebox and induces Mdm2 gene expression. Knockdown of endogenous Snail by shRNA shows a decrease in Mdm2 and is associated with reduced migration. The reintroduction of Mdm2 in shSnail cells restores cellular migration. These data integrate upstream pathways that induce Snail-Mdm2 to promote the metastasis of tumor cells.

Pharmacologic targeting of the p62 ZZ domain enhances both anti-tumor and bone-anabolic effects of bortezomib in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells whose antibody secretion creates proteotoxic stress relieved by the N-end rule pathway, a proteolytic system that degrades Narginylated proteins in the proteasome. When the proteasome is inhibited, protein cargo is alternatively targeted for autophagic degradation by binding to the ZZ-domain of p62/sequestosome-1. Here, we demonstrate that XRK3F2, a selective ligand for the ZZ-domain, dramatically improved two major responses to the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib by increasing: 1) killing of human MM cells by stimulating both bortezomib mediated apoptosis and necroptosis, a process regulated by p62; and 2) preservation of bone mass by stimulating osteoblasts differentiation and inhibiting osteoclastic bone destruction. Co-administration of bortezomib and XRK3F2 inhibited both branches of the bimodal N-end rule pathway exhibited synergistic anti-MM effects on MM cell lines and CD138+ cells from MM patients, and prevented stromal-mediated MM cell survival. In mice with established human MM, coadministration of bortezomib and XRK3F2 decreased tumor burden and prevented the progression of MM-induced osteolytic disease by inducing new bone formation more effectively than either single agent alone. The results suggest that p62-ZZ ligands enhance the anti-MM efficacy of proteasome inhibitors and can reduce MM morbidity and mortality by improving bone health.

Hhex is Required at Multiple Stages of Adult Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Differentiation.

Hhex encodes a homeodomain transcription factor that is widely expressed in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell populations. Its enforced expression induces T-cell leukemia and we have implicated it as an important oncogene in early T-cell precursor leukemias where it is immediately downstream of an LMO2-associated protein complex. Conventional Hhex knockouts cause embryonic lethality precluding analysis of adult hematopoiesis. Thus, we induced highly efficient conditional knockout (cKO) using vav-Cre transgenic mice. Hhex cKO mice were viable and born at normal litter sizes. At steady state, we observed a defect in B-cell development that we localized to the earliest B-cell precursor, the pro-B-cell stage. Most remarkably, bone marrow transplantation using Hhex cKO donor cells revealed a more profound defect in all hematopoietic lineages. In contrast, sublethal irradiation resulted in normal myeloid cell repopulation of the bone marrow but markedly impaired repopulation of T- and B-cell compartments. We noted that Hhex cKO stem and progenitor cell populations were skewed in their distribution and showed enhanced proliferation compared to WT cells. Our results implicate Hhex in the maintenance of LT-HSCs and in lineage allocation from multipotent progenitors especially in stress hematopoiesis.

TFIIA and the transactivator Rap1 cooperate to commit TFIID for transcription initiation.

Transcription of eukaryotic messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding genes by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is triggered by the binding of transactivating proteins to enhancer DNA, which stimulates the recruitment of general transcription factors (TFIIA, B, D, E, F, H) and Pol II on the cis-linked promoter, leading to pre-initiation complex formation and transcription. In TFIID-dependent activation pathways, this general transcription factor containing TATA-box-binding protein is first recruited on the promoter through interaction with activators and cooperates with TFIIA to form a committed pre-initiation complex. However, neither the mechanisms by which activation signals are communicated between these factors nor the structural organization of the activated pre-initiation complex are known. Here we used cryo-electron microscopy to determine the architecture of nucleoprotein complexes composed of TFIID, TFIIA, the transcriptional activator Rap1 and yeast enhancer-promoter DNA. These structures revealed the mode of binding of Rap1 and TFIIA to TFIID, as well as a reorganization of TFIIA induced by its interaction with Rap1. We propose that this change in position increases the exposure of TATA-box-binding protein within TFIID, consequently enhancing its ability to interact with the promoter. A large Rap1-dependent DNA loop forms between the activator-binding site and the proximal promoter region. This loop is topologically locked by a TFIIA-Rap1 protein bridge that folds over the DNA. These results highlight the role of TFIIA in transcriptional activation, define a molecular mechanism for enhancer-promoter communication and provide structural insights into the pathways of intramolecular communication that convey transcription activation signals through the TFIID complex.

Direct TFIIA-TFIID protein contacts drive budding yeast ribosomal protein gene transcription.

We have previously shown that yeast TFIID provides coactivator function on the promoters of ribosomal protein-encoding genes (RPGs) by making direct contact with the transactivator repressor activator protein 1 (Rap1). Further, our structural studies of assemblies generated with purified Rap1, TFIID, and TFIIA on RPG enhancer-promoter DNA indicate that Rap1-TFIID interaction induces dramatic conformational rearrangements of enhancer-promoter DNA and TFIID-bound TFIIA. These data indicate a previously unknown yet critical role for yeast TFIIA in the integration of activator-TFIID contacts with promoter conformation and downstream preinitiation complex formation and/or function. Here we describe the use of systematic mutagenesis to define how specific TFIIA contacts contribute to these processes. We have verified that TFIIA is required for RPG transcription in vivo and in vitro, consistent with the existence of a critical Rap1-TFIIA-TFIID interaction network. We also identified essential points of contact for TFIIA and Rap1 within the Rap1 binding domain of the Taf4 subunit of TFIID. These data suggest a mechanism for how interactions between TFIID, TFIIA, and Rap1 contribute to the high rate of transcription initiation seen on RPGs in vivo.

Direct transactivator-transcription factor IID (TFIID) contacts drive yeast ribosomal protein gene transcription.

Transcription factor IID (TFIID) plays a key role in regulating eukaryotic gene expression by directly binding promoters and enhancer-bound transactivator proteins. However, the precise mechanisms and outcomes of transactivator-TFIID interaction remain unclear. Transcription of yeast ribosomal protein genes requires TFIID and the DNA-binding transactivator Rap1. We have previously shown that Rap1 directly binds to the TFIID complex through interaction with its TATA-binding protein-associated factor (Taf) subunits Taf4, -5, and -12. Here, we identify and characterize the Rap1 binding domains (RBDs) of Taf4 and Taf5. These RBDs are essential for viability but dispensable for Taf-Taf interactions and TFIID stability. Cells expressing altered Rap1 binding domains exhibit conditional growth, synthetic phenotypes when expressed in combination or with altered Rap1, and are selectively defective in ribosomal protein gene transcription. Taf4 and Taf5 proteins with altered RBDs bind Rap1 with reduced affinity. We propose that collectively the Taf4, Taf5, and Taf12 subunits of TFIID represent the physical and functional targets for Rap1 interaction and, furthermore, that these interactions drive ribosomal protein gene transcription.

Direct Detection of Isolevuglandins in Tissues using a D11 scFv-Alkaline Phosphatase Fusion Protein and Immunofluorescence.

Isolevuglandins (IsoLGs) are highly reactive gamma ketoaldehydes formed from H2-isoprostanes through lipid peroxidation and crosslink proteins leading to inflammation and various diseases including hypertension. Detection of IsoLG accumulation in tissues is crucial in shedding light on their involvement in the disease processes. However, measurement of IsoLGs in tissues is extremely difficult, and currently available tools, including mass spectrometry analysis, are laborious and extremely expensive. Here we describe a novel method for in situ detection of IsoLGs in tissues using alkaline phosphatase-conjugated D11 ScFv and a recombinant phage-display antibody produced in E. coli by immunofluorescent microscopy. Four controls were used for validating the staining: (1) staining with and without D11, (2) staining with bacterial periplasmic extract with the alkaline phosphatase linker, (3) irrelevant scFV antibody staining, and (4) competitive control with IsoLG prior to the staining. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the alkaline phosphatase-conjugated D11 in both human and mouse tissues with or without hypertension. This method will likely serve as an important tool to study the role of IsoLGs in a wide variety of disease processes.

Yeast TFIID serves as a coactivator for Rap1p by direct protein-protein interaction.

In vivo studies have previously shown that Saccharomyces cerevisiae ribosomal protein (RP) gene expression is controlled by the transcription factor repressor activator protein 1 (Rap1p) in a TFIID-dependent fashion. Here we have tested the hypothesis that yeast TFIID serves as a coactivator for RP gene transcription by directly interacting with Rap1p. We have found that purified recombinant Rap1p specifically interacts with purified TFIID in pull-down assays, and we have mapped the domains of Rap1p and subunits of TFIID responsible. In vitro transcription of a UAS(RAP1) enhancer-driven reporter gene requires both Rap1p and TFIID and is independent of the Fhl1p-Ifh1p coregulator. UAS(RAP1) enhancer-driven transactivation in extracts depleted of both Rap1p and TFIID is efficiently rescued by addition of physiological amounts of these two purified factors but not TATA-binding protein. We conclude that Rap1p and TFIID directly interact and that this interaction contributes importantly to RP gene transcription.

LDB1 Enforces Stability on Direct and Indirect Oncoprotein Partners in Leukemia.

The LMO2/LDB1 macromolecular complex is critical in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell specification and in the development of acute leukemia. This complex is comprised of core subunits of LMO2 and LDB1 as well as single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSBP) cofactors and DNA-binding basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) and GATA transcription factors. We analyzed the steady-state abundance and kinetic stability of LMO2 and its partners via Halo protein tagging in conjunction with variant proteins deficient in binding their respective direct protein partners. We discovered a hierarchy of protein stabilities (with half-lives in descending order) as follows: LDB1 > SSBP > LMO2 > TAL1. Importantly, LDB1 is a remarkably stable protein that confers enhanced stability upon direct and indirect partners, thereby nucleating the formation of the multisubunit protein complex. The data imply that free subunits are more rapidly degraded than those incorporated within the LMO2/LDB1 complex. Our studies provided significant insights into LMO2/LDB1 macromolecular protein complex assembly and stability, which has implications for understanding its role in blood cell formation and for therapeutically targeting this complex in human leukemias.

LMO2 Oncoprotein Stability in T-Cell Leukemia Requires Direct LDB1 Binding.

LMO2 is a component of multisubunit DNA-binding transcription factor complexes that regulate gene expression in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell development. Enforced expression of LMO2 causes leukemia by inducing hematopoietic stem cell-like features in T-cell progenitor cells, but the biochemical mechanisms of LMO2 function have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we systematically dissected the LMO2/LDB1-binding interface to investigate the role of this interaction in T-cell leukemia. Alanine scanning mutagenesis of the LIM interaction domain of LDB1 revealed a discrete motif, R(320)LITR, required for LMO2 binding. Most strikingly, coexpression of full-length, wild-type LDB1 increased LMO2 steady-state abundance, whereas coexpression of mutant proteins deficient in LMO2 binding compromised LMO2 stability. These mutant LDB1 proteins also exerted dominant negative effects on growth and transcription in diverse leukemic cell lines. Mass spectrometric analysis of LDB1 binding partners in leukemic lines supports the notion that LMO2/LDB1 function in leukemia occurs in the context of multisubunit complexes, which also protect the LMO2 oncoprotein from degradation. Collectively, these data suggest that the assembly of LMO2 into complexes, via direct LDB1 interaction, is a potential molecular target that could be exploited in LMO2-driven leukemias resistant to existing chemotherapy regimens.

Ubiquitous antisense transcription in eukaryotes: novel regulatory mechanism or byproduct of opportunistic RNA polymerase?

One of the more notable observations made in the last few years in gene regulation is that eukaryotic genomes appear to be pervasively transcribed. Recent transcriptome mapping studies have shown that much of the genome is transcribed, and in some instances transcripts from both strands of specific genomic loci are detectable. While some of these transcripts map to known RNA polymerase II transcription units [that is, protein encoding open reading frames (ORFs)], many are derived from regions of DNA thought to be non-genic. Parallel chromatin immunoprecipitation studies of template-bound RNA polymerase II have shown that it is indeed resident on those regions found to be transcribed, both ORF and non-ORF. However, the strandedness of these pervasive transcripts has never been measured on a genome-wide basis. Four recent reports have addressed this question and, in the process, have made the startling discovery that many loci of mRNA sense gene transcription are associated with very active antisense or divergent transcription that begins at mapped transcription start sites and proceeds in an upstream direction.