scholarly journals Crm1-Mediated Nuclear Export of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Transcription Factor Cuf1 during a Shift from Low to High Copper Concentrations

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jude Beaudoin ◽  
Simon Labbé

ABSTRACT In this study, we examine the fate of the nuclear pool of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe transcription factor Cuf1 in response to variations in copper levels. A nuclear pool of Cuf1-green fluorescent protein (GFP) was generated by expressing a functional cuf1 + -GFP allele in the presence of a copper chelator. We then extinguished cuf1 + -GFP expression and tracked the changes in the localization of the nuclear pool of Cuf1-GFP in the presence of low or high copper concentrations. Treating cells with copper as well as silver ions resulted in the nuclear export of Cuf1. We identified a leucine-rich nuclear export signal (NES), 349LAALNHISAL358, within the C-terminal region of Cuf1. Mutations in this sequence abrogated Cuf1 export from the nucleus. Furthermore, amino acid substitutions that impair Cuf1 NES function resulted in increased target gene expression and a concomitant cellular hypersensitivity to copper. Export of the wild-type Cuf1 protein was inhibited by leptomycin B (LMB), a specific inhibitor of the nuclear export protein Crm1. We further show that cells expressing a temperature-sensitive mutation in crm1 + exhibit increased nuclear accumulation of Cuf1 at the nonpermissive temperature. Although wild-type Cuf1 is localized in the nucleus in both conditions, we observed that the protein can still be inactivated by copper, resulting in the repression of ctr4 + gene expression in the presence of exogenous copper. These results demonstrate that nuclear accumulation of Cuf1 per se is not sufficient to cause the unregulated expression of the copper transport genes like ctr4 + . In addition to nuclear localization, a functional Cys-rich domain or NES element in Cuf1 is required to appropriately regulate copper transport gene expression in response to changes in intracellular copper concentration.

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 4288-4301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamei Niu ◽  
François Roy ◽  
Frédéric Saltel ◽  
Charlotte Andrieu-Soler ◽  
Wen Dong ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Dok1 is believed to be a mainly cytoplasmic adaptor protein which down-regulates mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, inhibits cell proliferation and transformation, and promotes cell spreading and cell migration. Here we show that Dok1 shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Treatment of cells with leptomycin B (LMB), a specific inhibitor of the nuclear export signal (NES)-dependent receptor CRM1, causes nuclear accumulation of Dok1. We have identified a functional NES (348LLKAKLTDPKED359) that plays a major role in the cytoplasmic localization of Dok1. Src-induced tyrosine phosphorylation prevented the LMB-mediated nuclear accumulation of Dok1. Dok1 cytoplasmic localization is also dependent on IKKβ. Serum starvation or maintaining cells in suspension favor Dok1 nuclear localization, while serum stimulation, exposure to growth factor, or cell adhesion to a substrate induce cytoplasmic localization. Functionally, nuclear NES-mutant Dok1 had impaired ability to inhibit cell proliferation and to promote cell spreading and cell motility. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that Dok1 transits through the nucleus and is actively exported into the cytoplasm by the CRM1 nuclear export system. Nuclear export modulated by external stimuli and phosphorylation may be a mechanism by which Dok1 is maintained in the cytoplasm and membrane, thus regulating its signaling functions.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 791-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Bernreiter ◽  
Ana Ramon ◽  
Javier Fernández-Martínez ◽  
Harald Berger ◽  
Lidia Araújo-Bazan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT NirA, the specific transcription factor of the nitrate assimilation pathway of Aspergillus nidulans, accumulates in the nucleus upon induction by nitrate. NirA interacts with the nuclear export factor KapK, which bridges an interaction with a protein of the nucleoporin-like family (NplA). Nitrate induction disrupts the NirA-KapK interaction in vivo, whereas KapK associates with NirA when this protein is exported from the nucleus. A KpaK leptomycin-sensitive mutation leads to inducer-independent NirA nuclear accumulation in the presence of the drug. However, this does not lead to constitutive expression of the genes controlled by NirA. A nirA c 1 mutation leads to constitutive nuclear localization and activity, remodeling of chromatin, and in vivo binding to a NirA upstream activation sequence. The nirA c 1 mutation maps in the nuclear export signal (NES) of the NirA protein. The NirA-KapK interaction is nearly abolished in NirAc1 and NirA proteins mutated in canonical leucine residues in the NirA NES. The latter do not result in constitutively active NirA protein, which implies that nuclear retention is necessary but not sufficient for NirA activity. The results are consistent with a model in which activation of NirA by nitrate disrupts the interaction of NirA with the NplA/KapK nuclear export complex, thus resulting in nuclear retention, leading to AreA-facilitated DNA binding of the NirA protein and subsequent chromatin remodeling and transcriptional activation.


mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iaroslava Kos ◽  
Miranda J. Patterson ◽  
Sadri Znaidi ◽  
Despoina Kaloriti ◽  
Alessandra da Silva Dantas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Following phagocytosis, microbes are exposed to an array of antimicrobial weapons that include reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cationic fluxes. This is significant as combinations of oxidative and cationic stresses are much more potent than the corresponding single stresses, triggering the synergistic killing of the fungal pathogen Candida albicans by “stress pathway interference.” Previously we demonstrated that combinatorial oxidative plus cationic stress triggers a dramatic increase in intracellular ROS levels compared to oxidative stress alone. Here we show that activation of Cap1, the major regulator of antioxidant gene expression in C. albicans , is significantly delayed in response to combinatorial stress treatments and to high levels of H 2 O 2 . Cap1 is normally oxidized in response to H 2 O 2 ; this masks the nuclear export sequence, resulting in the rapid nuclear accumulation of Cap1 and the induction of Cap1-dependent genes. Here we demonstrate that following exposure of cells to combinatorial stress or to high levels of H 2 O 2 , Cap1 becomes trapped in a partially oxidized form, Cap1 OX-1 . Notably, Cap1-dependent gene expression is not induced when Cap1 is in this partially oxidized form. However, while Cap1 OX-1 readily accumulates in the nucleus and binds to target genes following high-H 2 O 2 stress, the nuclear accumulation of Cap1 OX-1 following combinatorial H 2 O 2 and NaCl stress is delayed due to a cationic stress-enhanced interaction with the Crm1 nuclear export factor. These findings define novel mechanisms that delay activation of the Cap1 transcription factor, thus preventing the rapid activation of the stress responses vital for the survival of C. albicans within the host. IMPORTANCE Combinatorial stress-mediated synergistic killing represents a new unchartered area in the field of stress signaling. This phenomenon contrasts starkly with “stress cross-protection,” where exposure to one stress protects against subsequent exposure to a different stress. Previously we demonstrated that the pathogen Candida albicans is acutely sensitive to combinations of cationic and oxidative stresses, because the induction of H 2 O 2 -responsive genes is blocked in the presence of cationic stress. We reveal that this is due to novel mechanisms that delay activation of the Cap1 AP-1-like transcription factor, the major regulator of the H 2 O 2 -induced regulon. Cap1 becomes trapped in a partially oxidized form following simultaneous exposure to oxidative and cationic stresses. In addition, cationic stress promotes the interaction of Cap1 with the Crm1 nuclear export factor, thus inhibiting its nuclear accumulation. These mechanisms probably explain the potency of neutrophils, which employ multiple stresses to kill fungal pathogens.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth D. Belanger ◽  
William T. Yewdell ◽  
Matthew F. Barber ◽  
Amy N. Russo ◽  
Mark A. Pettit ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Swi6 protein acts as a transcription factor in budding yeast, functioning in two different heterodimeric complexes, SBF and MBF, that activate the expression of distinct but overlapping sets of genes. Swi6 undergoes regulated changes in nucleocytoplasmic localization throughout the cell cycle that correlate with changes in gene expression. While the process of Swi6 nuclear import is well understood, mechanisms underlying its nuclear export remain unclear. Here we investigate Swi6 nuclear export and its impact on Swi6 function. We show that the exportin Crm1, in addition to three other karyopherins previously shown to affect Swi6 localization, is important for Swi6 nuclear export and activity. A truncation of Swi6 that removes a putative Crm1 nuclear export signal results in the loss of changes in nucleocytoplasmic Swi6 localization that normally occur during progression through the cell cycle. Mutagenesis of the NES-like sequence or removal of Crm1 activity using leptomycin B results in a similar decrease in nuclear export as cells enter S-phase. Using two-hybrid analysis, we also show that Swi6 associates with Crm1 in vivo. Alteration of the Crm1 NES in Swi6 results in a decrease in MBF-mediated gene expression, but does not affect expression of an SBF reporter, suggesting that export of Swi6 by Crm1 regulates a subset of Swi6 transcription activation activity. Finally, alteration of the Crm1 NES in Swi6 results in cells that are larger than wild type, but not to the extent of those with a complete Swi6 deletion. Expressing a Swi6 NES mutant in combination with a deletion of Msn5, an exportin involved in Swi6 nuclear export and specifically affecting SBF activation, further increases the large cell phenotype, but still not to the extent observed in a Swi6 deletion mutant. These data suggest that Swi6 has at least two different exportins, Crm1 and Msn5, each of which interacts with a distinct nuclear export signal and influences expression of a different subset of Swi6-controlled genes.Summary StatementPrecise intracellular localization is important for the proper activity of proteins. Here we provide evidence that the Swi6 transcription factor important for cell cycle progression shuttles between the cell nucleus and cytoplasm, its nuclear export is important for its activity, and that it contains a nuclear export signal (NES) recognized by the Crm1 nuclear transport factor.


2003 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 1158-1171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Motoko Shibanuma ◽  
Joo-ri Kim-Kaneyama ◽  
Keiko Ishino ◽  
Nobuko Sakamoto ◽  
Tomoko Hishiki ◽  
...  

hic-5 was originally isolated as an H2O2-inducible cDNA clone whose product was normally found at focal adhesions. In this study, we found that Hic-5 accumulated in the nucleus in response to oxidants such as H2O2. Other focal adhesion proteins including paxillin, the most homologous to Hic-5, remained in the cytoplasm. Mutation analyses revealed that the C- and N-terminal halves of Hic-5 contributed to its nuclear localization in a positive and negative manner, respectively. After the finding that leptomycin B (LMB), an inhibitor of nuclear export signal (NES), caused Hic-5 to be retained in the nucleus, Hic-5 was demonstrated to harbor NES in the N-terminal, which was sensitive to oxidants, thereby regulating the nuclear accumulation of Hic-5. NES consisted of a leucine-rich stretch and two cysteines with a limited similarity to Yap/Pap-type NES. In the nucleus, Hic-5 was suggested to participate in the gene expression of c-fos. Using dominant negative mutants, we found that Hic-5 was actually involved in endogenous c-fos gene expression upon H2O2 treatment. Hic-5 was thus proposed as a focal adhesion protein with the novel aspect of shuttling between focal adhesions and the nucleus through an oxidant-sensitive NES, mediating the redox signaling directly to the nucleus.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Edward Gentle ◽  
Isabel Moelter ◽  
Mohamed Tarek Badr ◽  
Konstanze Döhner ◽  
Michael Lübbert ◽  
...  

AbstractMutations in the transcription factor C/EBPα are found in ~10% of all acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) cases but the contribution of these mutations to leukemogenesis is incompletely understood. We here use a mouse model of granulocyte progenitors expressing conditionally active HoxB8 to assess the cell biological and molecular activity of C/EBPα-mutations associated with human AML. Both N-terminal truncation and C-terminal AML-associated mutations of C/EBPα substantially altered differentiation of progenitors into mature neutrophils in cell culture. Closer analysis of the C/EBPα-K313-duplication showed expansion and prolonged survival of mutant C/EBPα-expressing granulocytes following adoptive transfer into mice. C/EBPα-protein containing the K313-mutation further showed strongly enhanced transcriptional activity compared with the wild-type protein at certain promoters. Analysis of differentially regulated genes in cells overexpressing C/EBPα-K313 indicates a strong correlation with genes regulated by C/EBPα. Analysis of transcription factor enrichment in the differentially regulated genes indicated a strong reliance of SPI1/PU.1, suggesting that despite reduced DNA binding, C/EBPα-K313 is active in regulating target gene expression and acts largely through a network of other transcription factors. Strikingly, the K313 mutation caused strongly elevated expression of C/EBPα-protein, which could also be seen in primary K313 mutated AML blasts, explaining the enhanced C/EBPα activity in K313-expressing cells.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 3676-3681
Author(s):  
W M Yang ◽  
W Gahl ◽  
D Hamer

The induction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae metallothionein gene transcription by Cu and Ag is mediated by the ACE1 transcription factor. In an effort to detect additional stimuli and factors that regulate metallothionein gene transcription, we isolated a Cu-resistant suppressor mutant of an ACE1 deletion strain. Even in the absence of metals, the suppressor mutant exhibited high basal levels of metallothionein gene transcription that required upstream promoter sequences. The suppressor gene was cloned, and its predicted product was shown to correspond to yeast heat shock transcription factor with a single-amino-acid substitution in the DNA-binding domain. The mutant heat shock factor bound strongly to metallothionein gene upstream promoter sequences, whereas wild-type heat shock factor interacted weakly with the same region. Heat treatment led to a slight but reproducible induction of metallothionein gene expression in both wild-type and suppressor strains, and Cd induced transcription in the mutant strain. These studies provide evidence for multiple pathways of metallothionein gene transcriptional regulation in S. cerevisiae.


2008 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 2531-2539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojuan Li ◽  
Fanxiu Zhu

ABSTRACT Open reading frame 45 (ORF45) of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus 8 (KSHV) is an immediate-early phosphorylated tegument protein and has been shown to play important roles at both early and late stages of viral infection. Homologues of ORF45 exist only in gammaherpesviruses, and their homology is limited. These homologues differ in their protein lengths and subcellular localizations. We and others have reported that KSHV ORF45 is localized predominantly in the cytoplasm, whereas its homologue in murine herpesvirus 68 is localized exclusively in the nucleus. We observed that ORF45s of rhesus rhadinovirus and herpesvirus saimiri are found exclusively in the nucleus. As a first step toward understanding the mechanism underlying the distinct intracellular distribution of KSHV ORF45, we identified the signals that control its subcellular localization. We found that KSHV ORF45 accumulated rapidly in the nucleus in the presence of leptomycin B, an inhibitor of CRM1 (exportin 1)-dependent nuclear export, suggesting that it could shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Mutational analysis revealed that KSHV ORF45 contains a CRM1-dependent, leucine-rich-like nuclear export signal and an adjacent nuclear localization signal. Replacement of the key residues with alanines in these motifs of ORF45 disrupts its shuttling between the cytoplasm and nucleus. The resulting ORF45 mutants have restricted subcellular localizations, being found exclusively either in the cytoplasm or in the nucleus. Recombinant viruses were reconstituted by introduction of these mutations into KSHV bacterial artificial chromosome BAC36. The resultant viruses have distinct phenotypes. A mutant virus in which ORF45 is restricted to the cytoplasm behaves as an ORF45-null mutant and produces 5- to 10-fold fewer progeny viruses than the wild type. In contrast, mutants in which the ORF45 protein is mostly restricted to the nucleus produce numbers of progeny viruses similar to those produced by the wild type. These data suggest that the subcellular localization signals of ORF45 have important functional roles in KSHV lytic replication.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer L. Nystrom ◽  
Matthew J. Niederhuber ◽  
Daniel J. McKay

ABSTRACTHow temporal cues combine with spatial inputs to control gene expression during development is poorly understood. Here, we test the hypothesis that the Drosophila transcription factor E93 controls temporal gene expression by regulating chromatin accessibility. Precocious expression of E93 early in wing development reveals that it can simultaneously activate and deactivate different target enhancers. Notably, the precocious patterns of enhancer activity resemble the wild-type patterns that occur later in development, suggesting that provision of E93 alters the competence of enhancers to respond to spatial cues. Genomic profiling reveals that precocious E93 expression is sufficient to regulate chromatin accessibility at a subset of its targets. These accessibility changes mimic those that normally occur later in development, indicating that precocious E93 accelerates the wild-type developmental program. Further, we find that target enhancers that do not respond to precocious E93 in early wings become responsive after a developmental transition, suggesting that parallel temporal pathways work alongside E93. These findings support a model wherein E93 expression functions as an instructive cue that defines a broad window of developmental time through control of chromatin accessibility.


2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Callanan ◽  
N. Kudo ◽  
S. Gout ◽  
M. Brocard ◽  
M. Yoshida ◽  
...  

In this work, we have investigated the role of CRM1/XPO1, a protein involved in specific export of proteins and RNA from the nucleus, in early Xenopus embryogenesis. The cloning of the Xenopus laevis CRM1, XCRM1, revealed remarkable conservation of the protein during evolution (96.7% amino acid identity between Xenopus and human). The protein and mRNA are maternally expressed and are present during early embryogenesis. However, our data show that the activity of the protein is developmentally regulated. Embryonic development is insensitive to leptomycin B, a specific inhibitor of CRM1, until the neurula stage. Moreover, the nuclear localization of CRM1 changes concomitantly with the appearance of the leptomycin B sensitivity. These data suggest that CRM1, present initially in an inactive form, becomes functional before the initiation of the neurula stage during gastrula-neurula transition, a period known to correspond to a critical transition in the pattern of gene expression. Finally, we confirmed the gastrula-neurula transition-dependent activation of CRM1 by pull-down experiments as well as by the study of the intracellular localization of a green fluorescent protein tagged with a nuclear export signal motif during early development. This work showed that the regulated activity of CRM1 controls specific transitions during normal development and thus might be a key regulator of early embryogenesis.


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