The winged-helix/forkhead protein myocyte nuclear factor β (MNF-β) forms a co-repressor complex with mammalian Sin3B

Winged-helix/forkhead proteins regulate developmental events in both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, but biochemical functions that establish a mechanism of action have been defined for only a few members of this extensive gene family. Here we demonstrate that MNF (myocyte nuclear factor)-β, a winged-helix protein expressed selectively and transiently in myogenic precursor cells of the heart and skeletal muscles, collaborates with proteins of the mammalian Sin3 (mSin3) family to repress transcription. Mutated forms of MNF-β that fail to bind mSin3 are defective in transcriptional repression and in negative growth regulation, an overexpression phenotype revealed in oncogenic transformation assays. These data extend the known repertoire of transcription factors with which mSin3 proteins can function as co-repressors to include members of the winged-helix gene family. Transcriptional repression by MNF-β-mSin3 complexes may contribute to the co-ordination of cellular proliferation and terminal differentiation of myogenic precursor cells.

Transient expression of a winged-helix protein, MNF-beta, during myogenesis.

A novel winged-helix transcription factor, MNF-beta, is expressed coincidentally with cell cycle withdrawal and differentiation of skeletal myogenic cells. MNF-beta is closely related to the myocyte nuclear factor (MNF) protein previously described (now termed MNF-alpha), but expression of the two isoforms is differentially regulated, and they exhibit distinctive functional properties with respect to DNA binding in vitro and transcriptional regulatory activity in transient-transfection assays. A DNA sequence motif binding MNF-beta with high affinity was selected from a library of random oligonucleotides and was found to be similar to but distinct from the cognate binding site for HNF-3beta, a more distantly related winged-helix protein. The temporal pattern of MNF-beta expression and the presence of MNF binding motifs within conserved promoter elements of several genes that modulate cell cycle progression support a working hypothesis that MNF proteins may modulate proliferation of myogenic precursor cells during development and muscle regeneration.

Myocyte nuclear factor, a novel winged-helix transcription factor under both developmental and neural regulation in striated myocytes

A sequence motif (CCAC box) within an upstream enhancer region of the human myoglobin gene is essential for transcriptional activity in both cardiac and skeletal muscle. A cDNA clone, myocyte nuclear factor (MNF), was isolated from a murine expression library on the basis of sequence-specific binding to the myoglobin CCAC box motif and was found to encode a novel member of the winged-helix or HNF-3/fork head family of transcription factors. Probes based on this sequence identify two mRNA species that are upregulated during myocyte differentiation, and antibodies raised against recombinant MNF identify proteins of approximately 90, 68, and 65 kDa whose expression is regulated following differentiation of myogenic cells in culture. In addition, the 90-kDa form of MNF is phosphorylated and is upregulated in intact muscles subjected to chronic motor nerve stimulation, a potent stimulus to myoglobin gene regulation. Amino acid residues 280 to 389 of MNF demonstrate 35 to 89% sequence identity to the winged-helix domain from other known members of this family, but MNF is otherwise divergent. A proline-rich amino-terminal region (residues 1 to 206) of MNF functions as a transcriptional activation domain. These studies provide the first evidence that members of the winged-helix family of transcription factors have a role in myogenic differentiation and in remodeling processes of adult muscles that occur in response to physiological stimuli.

Myocyte nuclear factor, a novel winged-helix transcription factor under both developmental and neural regulation in striated myocytes.

A sequence motif (CCAC box) within an upstream enhancer region of the human myoglobin gene is essential for transcriptional activity in both cardiac and skeletal muscle. A cDNA clone, myocyte nuclear factor (MNF), was isolated from a murine expression library on the basis of sequence-specific binding to the myoglobin CCAC box motif and was found to encode a novel member of the winged-helix or HNF-3/fork head family of transcription factors. Probes based on this sequence identify two mRNA species that are upregulated during myocyte differentiation, and antibodies raised against recombinant MNF identify proteins of approximately 90, 68, and 65 kDa whose expression is regulated following differentiation of myogenic cells in culture. In addition, the 90-kDa form of MNF is phosphorylated and is upregulated in intact muscles subjected to chronic motor nerve stimulation, a potent stimulus to myoglobin gene regulation. Amino acid residues 280 to 389 of MNF demonstrate 35 to 89% sequence identity to the winged-helix domain from other known members of this family, but MNF is otherwise divergent. A proline-rich amino-terminal region (residues 1 to 206) of MNF functions as a transcriptional activation domain. These studies provide the first evidence that members of the winged-helix family of transcription factors have a role in myogenic differentiation and in remodeling processes of adult muscles that occur in response to physiological stimuli.