scholarly journals MED14 and MED1 Differentially Regulate Target-Specific Gene Activation by the Glucocorticoid Receptor

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 560-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Chen ◽  
Inez Rogatsky ◽  
Michael J. Garabedian

Abstract The Mediator subunits MED14 and MED1 have been implicated in transcriptional regulation by the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) by acting through its activation functions 1 and 2. To understand the contribution of these Mediator subunits to GR gene-specific regulation, we reduced the levels of MED14 and MED1 using small interfering RNAs in U2OS-hGR osteosarcoma cells and examined the mRNA induction by dexamethasone of four primary GR target genes, interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8), ladinin 1, IGF-binding protein 1 (IGFBP1), and glucocorticoid-inducible leucine zipper (GILZ). We found that the GR target genes differed in their requirements for MED1 and MED14. GR-dependent mRNA expression of ladinin 1 and IRF8 required both MED1 and MED14, whereas induction of IGFBP1 mRNA by the receptor was dependent upon MED14, but not MED1. In contrast, GILZ induction by GR was largely independent of MED1 and MED14, but required the p160 cofactor transcriptional intermediary factor 2. Interestingly, we observed higher GR occupancy at GILZ than at the IGFBP1 or IRF8 glucocorticoid response element (GREs). In contrast, recruitment of MED14 compared with GR at IGFBP1 and IRF8 was higher than that observed at GILZ. At GILZ, GR and RNA polymerase II were recruited to both the GRE and the promoter, whereas at IGFBP1, RNA polymerase II occupied the promoter, but not the GRE. Thus, MED14 and MED1 are used by GR in a gene-specific manner, and the requirement for the Mediator at GILZ may be bypassed by increased GR and RNA polymerase II occupancy at the GREs. Our findings suggest that modulation of the Mediator subunit activities would provide a mechanism for promoter selectivity by GR.

PLoS Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. e1009737
Author(s):  
Benjamin P. Flynn ◽  
Matthew T. Birnie ◽  
Yvonne M. Kershaw ◽  
Audrys G. Pauza ◽  
Sohyoung Kim ◽  
...  

Ultradian glucocorticoid rhythms are highly conserved across mammalian species, however, their functional significance is not yet fully understood. Here we demonstrate that pulsatile corticosterone replacement in adrenalectomised rats induces a dynamic pattern of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding at ~3,000 genomic sites in liver at the pulse peak, subsequently not found during the pulse nadir. In contrast, constant corticosterone replacement induced prolonged binding at the majority of these sites. Additionally, each pattern further induced markedly different transcriptional responses. During pulsatile treatment, intragenic occupancy by active RNA polymerase II exhibited pulsatile dynamics with transient changes in enrichment, either decreased or increased depending on the gene, which mostly returned to baseline during the inter-pulse interval. In contrast, constant corticosterone exposure induced prolonged effects on RNA polymerase II occupancy at the majority of gene targets, thus acting as a sustained regulatory signal for both transactivation and repression of glucocorticoid target genes. The nett effect of these differences were consequently seen in the liver transcriptome as RNA-seq analysis indicated that despite the same overall amount of corticosterone infused, twice the number of transcripts were regulated by constant corticosterone infusion, when compared to pulsatile. Target genes that were found to be differentially regulated in a pattern-dependent manner were enriched in functional pathways including carbohydrate, cholesterol, glucose and fat metabolism as well as inflammation, suggesting a functional role for dysregulated glucocorticoid rhythms in the development of metabolic dysfunction.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1754-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiwei Chen ◽  
Thoa Dang ◽  
Raymond D. Blind ◽  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Claudio N. Cavasotto ◽  
...  

Abstract The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is phosphorylated at multiple sites within its N terminus (S203, S211, S226), yet the role of phosphorylation in receptor function is not understood. Using a range of agonists and GR phosphorylation site-specific antibodies, we demonstrated that GR transcriptional activation is greatest when the relative phosphorylation of S211 exceeds that of S226. Consistent with this finding, a replacement of S226 with an alanine enhances GR transcriptional response. Using a battery of compounds that perturb different signaling pathways, we found that BAPTA-AM, a chelator of intracellular divalent cations, and curcumin, a natural product with antiinflammatory properties, reduced hormone-dependent phosphorylation at S211. This change in GR phosphorylation was associated with its decreased nuclear retention and transcriptional activation. Molecular modeling suggests that GR S211 phosphorylation promotes a conformational change, which exposes a novel surface potentially facilitating cofactor interaction. Indeed, S211 phosphorylation enhances GR interaction with MED14 (vitamin D receptor interacting protein 150). Interestingly, in U2OS cells expressing a nonphosphorylated GR mutant S211A, the expression of IGF-binding protein 1 and interferon regulatory factor 8, both MED14-dependent GR target genes, was reduced relative to cells expressing wild-type receptor across a broad range of hormone concentrations. In contrast, the induction of glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper, a MED14-independent GR target, was similar in S211A- and wild-type GR-expressing cells at high hormone levels, but was reduced in S211A cells at low hormone concentrations, suggesting a link between GR phosphorylation, MED14 involvement, and receptor occupancy. Phosphorylation also affected the magnitude of repression by GR in a gene-selective manner. Thus, GR phosphorylation at S211 and S226 determines GR transcriptional response by modifying cofactor interaction. Furthermore, the effect of GR S211 phosphorylation is gene specific and, in some cases, dependent upon the amount of activated receptor.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. e1922864118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Ling Lee ◽  
Keiichi Ito ◽  
Wen-Chieh Pi ◽  
I-Hsuan Lin ◽  
Chi-Shuen Chu ◽  
...  

The chimeric transcription factor E2A-PBX1, containing the N-terminal activation domains of E2A fused to the C-terminal DNA-binding domain of PBX1, results in 5% of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL). We recently have reported a mechanism for RUNX1-dependent recruitment of E2A-PBX1 to chromatin in pre-B leukemic cells; but the subsequent E2A-PBX1 functions through various coactivators and the general transcriptional machinery remain unclear. The Mediator complex plays a critical role in cell-specific gene activation by serving as a key coactivator for gene-specific transcription factors that facilitates their function through the RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery, but whether Mediator contributes to aberrant expression of E2A-PBX1 target genes remains largely unexplored. Here we show that Mediator interacts directly with E2A-PBX1 through an interaction of the MED1 subunit with an E2A activation domain. Results of MED1 depletion by CRISPR/Cas9 further indicate that MED1 is specifically required for E2A-PBX1–dependent gene activation and leukemic cell growth. Integrated transcriptome and cistrome analyses identify pre-B cell receptor and cell cycle regulatory genes as direct cotargets of MED1 and E2A-PBX1. Notably, complementary biochemical analyses also demonstrate that recruitment of E2A-PBX1 to a target DNA template involves a direct interaction with DNA-bound RUNX1 that can be further stabilized by EBF1. These findings suggest that E2A-PBX1 interactions with RUNX1 and MED1/Mediator are of functional importance for both gene-specific transcriptional activation and maintenance of E2A-PBX1–driven leukemia. The MED1 dependency for E2A-PBX1–mediated gene activation and leukemogenesis may provide a potential therapeutic opportunity by targeting MED1 in E2A-PBX1+ pre-B leukemia.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 1631-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Chernukhin ◽  
Shaharum Shamsuddin ◽  
Sung Yun Kang ◽  
Rosita Bergström ◽  
Yoo-Wook Kwon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT CTCF is a transcription factor with highly versatile functions ranging from gene activation and repression to the regulation of insulator function and imprinting. Although many of these functions rely on CTCF-DNA interactions, it is an emerging realization that CTCF-dependent molecular processes involve CTCF interactions with other proteins. In this study, we report the association of a subpopulation of CTCF with the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) protein complex. We identified the largest subunit of Pol II (LS Pol II) as a protein significantly colocalizing with CTCF in the nucleus and specifically interacting with CTCF in vivo and in vitro. The role of CTCF as a link between DNA and LS Pol II has been reinforced by the observation that the association of LS Pol II with CTCF target sites in vivo depends on intact CTCF binding sequences. “Serial” chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis revealed that both CTCF and LS Pol II were present at the β-globin insulator in proliferating HD3 cells but not in differentiated globin synthesizing HD3 cells. Further, a single wild-type CTCF target site (N-Myc-CTCF), but not the mutant site deficient for CTCF binding, was sufficient to activate the transcription from the promoterless reporter gene in stably transfected cells. Finally, a ChIP-on-ChIP hybridization assay using microarrays of a library of CTCF target sites revealed that many intergenic CTCF target sequences interacted with both CTCF and LS Pol II. We discuss the possible implications of our observations with respect to plausible mechanisms of transcriptional regulation via a CTCF-mediated direct link of LS Pol II to the DNA.


DNA Sequence ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 329-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Acker ◽  
Marguerite Wintzerith ◽  
Marc Vigneron ◽  
Claude Kedinger

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (20) ◽  
pp. 3947-3954
Author(s):  
P. Balint-Kurti ◽  
G.T. Ginsburg ◽  
J. Liu ◽  
A.R. Kimmel

The pseudoplasmodium or migrating slug of Dictyostelium is composed of non-terminally differentiated cells, organized along an anteroposterior axis. Cells in the anterior region of the slug define the prestalk compartment, whereas most of the posterior zone consists of prespore cells. We now present evidence that the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and the RING domain/leucine zipper protein rZIP interact genetically to mediate a transcriptional activation gradient that regulates the differentiation of prespore cells within the posterior compartment of the slug. PKA is absolutely required for prespore differentiation. In contrast, rZIP negatively regulates prespore patterning; rzpA- cells, which lack rZIP, have reduced prestalk differentiation and a corresponding increase in prespore-specific gene expression. Using cell-specific markers and chimaeras of wild-type and rzpA- cells, we show that rZIP functions non-autonomously to establish a graded, prespore gene activation signal but autonomously to localize prespore expression. Overexpression of either the catalytic subunit or a dominant-negative regulatory subunit of PKA further demonstrates that PKA lies within the intracellular pathway that mediates the extracellular signal and regulates prespore patterning. Finally, we show that a 5′-distal segment within a prespore promoter that is responsive to a graded signal is also sensitive to PKA and rZIP, indicating that it acts directly at the level of prespore-specific gene transcription for regulation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (18) ◽  
pp. 9573-9591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Legrand ◽  
Clemens L Bretscher ◽  
Svenja Zielke ◽  
Bernhard Wilke ◽  
Michael Daude ◽  
...  

Abstract In the absence of ligands, the nuclear receptor PPARβ/δ recruits the NCOR and SMRT corepressors, which form complexes with HDAC3, to canonical target genes. Agonistic ligands cause dissociation of corepressors and enable enhanced transcription. Vice versa, synthetic inverse agonists augment corepressor recruitment and repression. Both basal repression of the target gene ANGPTL4 and reinforced repression elicited by inverse agonists are partially insensitive to HDAC inhibition. This raises the question how PPARβ/δ represses transcription mechanistically. We show that the PPARβ/δ inverse agonist PT-S264 impairs transcription initiation by decreasing recruitment of activating Mediator subunits, RNA polymerase II, and TFIIB, but not of TFIIA, to the ANGPTL4 promoter. Mass spectrometry identifies NCOR as the main PT-S264-dependent interactor of PPARβ/δ. Reconstitution of knockout cells with PPARβ/δ mutants deficient in basal repression results in diminished recruitment of NCOR, SMRT, and HDAC3 to PPAR target genes, while occupancy by RNA polymerase II is increased. PT-S264 restores binding of NCOR, SMRT, and HDAC3 to the mutants, resulting in reduced polymerase II occupancy. Our findings corroborate deacetylase-dependent and -independent repressive functions of HDAC3-containing complexes, which act in parallel to downregulate transcription.


2008 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 1123-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miltiadis Kininis ◽  
Gary D. Isaacs ◽  
Leighton J. Core ◽  
Nasun Hah ◽  
W. Lee Kraus

ABSTRACT Under classical models for signal-dependent transcription in eukaryotes, DNA-binding activator proteins regulate the recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to a set of target promoters. However, recent studies, as well as our results herein, show that Pol II is widely distributed (i.e., “preloaded”) at the promoters of many genes prior to specific signaling events. How Pol II recruitment and Pol II preloading fit within a unified model of gene regulation is unclear. In addition, the mechanisms through which cellular signals activate preloaded Pol II across mammalian genomes remain largely unknown. We show here that the predominant genomic outcome of estrogen signaling is the postrecruitment regulation of Pol II activity at target gene promoters, likely through specific changes in Pol II phosphorylation rather than through recruitment of Pol II to the promoters. Furthermore, we show that negative elongation factor binds to estrogen target promoters in conjunction with preloaded Pol II and represses gene expression until the appropriate signal is received. Finally, our studies reveal that the estrogen-dependent activation of preloaded Pol II facilitates rapid gene regulatory responses which play important physiological roles in regulating estrogen signaling itself. Our results reveal a broad use of postrecruitment Pol II regulation by the estrogen signaling pathway, a mode of regulation that is likely to apply to a wide variety of signal-regulated pathways.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 1734-1734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Vakoc ◽  
Sean A. Mandat ◽  
Ben A. Olenschock ◽  
Gerd A. Blobel

Abstract Epigenetic regulation of gene expression plays a fundamental role during tissue specification and cellular memory. Cells that are committed to a given lineage, for example during hematopoiesis, “remember” their phenotype throughout successive rounds of cell division, reflecting alterations in chromatin structure at genes that are permanently activated or silenced. Cellular memory is anchored in specific sets of histone modifications, which together form the basis for the histone code. This is illustrated in the methylation of histone molecules: while methylation of histone H3 on lysines 4, 36, and 79 is linked with gene activation, methylation of H3 on lysines 9 and 27 and histone H4 on lysine 20 is associated with transcriptionally silent heterochromatin and repressed genes within euchromatin. Not surprisingly, dysregulation of histone methylation contributes to human diseases such as leukemias. Here we examined the methylation of histone molecules during gene activation and repression triggered by the hematopoietic transcription factor GATA-1. Surprisingly, we found that during activation by GATA-1 in erythroid cells, the levels of H3K9 di- and tri-methylation increase dramatically at all examined GATA-1-stimulated genes, including alpha- and beta-globin, AHSP, Band 3 and Glycophorin A. In contrast, at all GATA-1-repressed genes examined (GATA-2, c-kit, and c-myc) these marks are rapidly lost. Peaks of H3K9 methylation were observed in the transcribed portion of genes with lower signals at the promoter regions. Heterochromatin Protein 1γ (HP1γ), a protein containing a chromo-domain that recognizes H3K9 methylation, is also present in the transcribed region of all active genes examined. We extended these analyses to include numerous genes in diverse cell types (primary erythroid cells, primary T-lymphoid cells, epithelial cells and fibroblast) and consistently found a tight correlation between H3K9 methylation and gene activity, highlighting the general nature of our findings. Both the presence of HP1γ and H3K9 methylation at active genes are dependent upon transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II. Finally, HP1γ is in a physical complex with the elongating form of RNA polymerase II. Together, our results show that H3K9 methylation and HP1γ not only function in repressive chromatin, but play a novel and unexpected role during transcription activation. These results further elucidate new combinations of histone modifications that distinguish between repressed and actively transcribing chromatin.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 953-953 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Resar ◽  
Joelle Hillion ◽  
Katrina Alino ◽  
Michelle Rudek ◽  
Judith Karp

Abstract Acute leukemia in adults continues to be a formidable clinical challenge that demands further investigation to identify more rational therapies. To optimize anti-leukemia therapy, we are investigating the prototypical cyclin dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor, flavopiridol, in refractory or poor-risk disease. Flavopiridol is a cytotoxic molecule that is thought to induce cell cycle arrest by blocking cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) function, thereby interfering with RNA Polymerase II activity and globally down-regulating gene expression. In the setting of pan-cdk inhibition, E2F1 is released and appears to drive apoptosis in transformed cells. Consistent with these proposed mechanisms of action, a previous study from our group showed that flavopiridol induces apoptosis in vitro in leukemic blasts from patients with refractory leukemia. Administration of flavopiridol was associated with a decrease in one or more of the following proteins in the leukemic blasts: RNA Polymerase II, STAT3, cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1. Serum VEGF levels also decreased in most patients. We are now investigating mRNA levels of the genes encoding these proteins by quantitative, RT-PCR in leukemic blasts from adult patients with refractory or poor-risk leukemia before and after flavopiridol therapy. We have treated 26 patients with flavopiridol at an escalating, hybrid dose followed by ara-c and mitxantrone. Adequate RNA from leukemic blasts before and after flavopiridol administration was available from 8 of 11 patients studied thus far. All cases (8/8) exhibit a marked decrease in mRNA for VEGF following flavopiridol. mRNA levels for other putative flavopiridol target genes is also decreased in a subset of leukemic blast samples after therapy, as follows: E2F1 (6/8), STAT3 (6/8), Mcl-1 (6/8), RNA Polymerase subunit 2a (3/3), and cyclin D1 (2/3). In contrast, bcl-2 mRNA levels increased after flavopiridol in most cases (7/8), which could represent a compensatory mechanism of leukemic blasts to avoid apoptotic cell death. Our preliminary studies indicate that flavopiridol is cytotoxic in poor-risk and refractory acute leukemia. Studies are underway to determine if down-regulation of any putative target genes correlates with pharmacologic data or clinical responses.


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