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Originally published In Press as doi:10.1074/jbc.M205054200 on August 27, 2002
J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 277, Issue 44, 42259-42267, November 1, 2002
CpG-binding Protein Is a Nuclear Matrix- and
Euchromatin-associated Protein Localized to Nuclear Speckles Containing
Human Trithorax
IDENTIFICATION OF NUCLEAR MATRIX TARGETING SIGNALS*
Jeong-Heon
Lee and
David G.
Skalnik
From the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Section of
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics and
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana
University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202
Received for publication, May 22, 2002, and in revised form, August 22, 2002
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ABSTRACT |
CpG-binding protein (CGBP) binds unmethylated CpG
dinucleotides and is essential for mammalian development. CGBP exhibits a punctate nuclear localization correlated with
4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole light regions and is excluded from
metaphase chromosomes. The distribution of CGBP is distinct from the
heterochromatin-associated proteins MBD1, methyl-CpG-binding protein 2, and HP1 . Some CGBP-containing nuclear speckles co-localize with
splicing factor SC-35 and actively transcribed regions of the genome,
whereas most CGBP co-localizes with acetylated histones, indicating
that CGBP is localized to active chromatin. CGBP contains two nuclear
localization signals that are insufficient to direct punctate
subnuclear distribution. Instead, localization of CGBP to nuclear
speckles requires signals within the acidic, basic, and coiled-coil
domains. CGBP associates with the nuclear matrix, and fragments of CGBP
that fail to associate with the nuclear matrix fail to localize to
nuclear speckles and exhibit reduced transcriptional activation
activity. Mutated versions of CGBP that lack DNA binding activity
exhibit a normal nuclear distribution, suggesting that CGBP accumulates
at nuclear speckles as a result of protein/protein interactions.
Importantly, the subcellular distribution of CGBP is identical to human
trithorax, suggesting that these proteins may be components of a
multimeric complex analogous to the histone-methylating Set1 complex of
Saccharomyces cerevisiae that contains CGBP and trithorax homologues.
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INTRODUCTION |
Cytosine methylation of CpG motifs is an important epigenetic
modification in higher eukaryotes. Methylated DNA is generally associated with transcriptionally inactive heterochromatin (1). In
contrast, actively expressed genes are generally hypo-methylated and
found in an open euchromatin configuration. Appropriate cytosine methylation is essential for normal mammalian development. For example,
individual disruption of the genes encoding the methyltransferases Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, or Dnmt3b result in an embryonic lethal phenotype in
mice (2, 3), and overexpression of Dnmt1 leads to hyper-methylation of
DNA, loss of genomic imprinting, and embryonic lethality (4). More
subtle mutations within human Dnmt3b result in ICF (immunodeficiency, centromere instability, and facial anomalies) syndrome (5), and
mutations of methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2)1 lead to Rett
syndrome, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder (6). In addition,
hyper-methylation of tumor suppressor genes is commonly observed in
cancer cells (7). Despite the importance of appropriate cytosine
methylation patterns for normal mammalian development, little is known
regarding the regulation of this process.
Several DNA-binding proteins have been described that interact
specifically with methylated CpG motifs. These include MeCP2, methyl
CpG-binding domain (MBD) protein 1, MBD2, and MBD4 (8). In addition,
MBD3 is a component of the Mi-2 histone deacetylase and nucleosome
remodeling complex (9). Similarly, MBD2 is a component of the MeCP1
histone deacetylase complex (10), thus linking cytosine methylation
with histone acetylation and providing a unifying framework for the
control of chromatin structure and gene regulation.
CpG-binding protein (CGBP) is a recently described DNA-binding protein
that exhibits a novel binding affinity for DNA sequences containing
unmethylated CpG motifs (11). Consistent with this binding specificity,
CGBP acts as a trans-activator of transcription in co-transfection
experiments. Interestingly, the single DNA-binding domain of CGBP is
composed of a cysteine-rich CXXC domain (12). The
CXXC domain is only found in a few other proteins, including Dnmt1, MBD1, human trithorax (HRX/MLL/ALL-1), and MLL-2 (11, 13, 14).
Reciprocal chromosomal translocations involving the HRX gene are
commonly observed in acute leukemia. Little is known regarding the
function of the related MLL-2 gene, although it is
amplified in some cancer cell lines (15, 16). In contrast to CGBP,
these other CXXC domain proteins contain additional distinct DNA-binding domains, and the role of the CXXC domain within
these factors is unclear. However, recent studies (17, 18) demonstrate that similar to CGBP, CXXC domains within MBD1 and HRX
exhibit binding affinity for unmethylated CpG motifs.
Ligand selection of high affinity binding sites from a pool of
degenerate double-stranded oligonucleotides reveals a consensus binding site for CGBP of (A/C)CpG(A/C) (12). Individual mutation of
highly conserved cysteine residues within the CXXC domain of CGBP completely abrogates DNA binding activity, and this domain requires the presence of zinc for efficient DNA binding activity (12).
In addition, CGBP contains two copies of the plant homeodomain (PHD), a
motif found in several dozen proteins implicated in modulation of
chromatin structure and gene regulation (11, 19). Recently, the PHD
finger of the polycomb-like protein was found to mediate direct
interaction with the protein "enhancer of zeste" (20), and a
PHD domain within the chromatin-associated KAP-1 protein cooperates
with a bromodomain to recruit a chromatin-remodeling complex (21).
Furthermore, the PHD finger within CREB-binding protein contributes to
the acetyltransferase activity of this factor (22).
Importantly, we have recently reported that CGBP-null mice exhibit a
peri-implantation lethal phenotype (23), thus demonstrating the
requirement of CGBP for normal mammalian development. Although the
molecular basis for this phenotype is still under investigation, it is
intriguing that CGBP-null embryos die at a developmental stage during
which global changes of cytosine methylation occur (24, 25). Given the
DNA binding specificity of CGBP and its structural similarity to other
proteins involved in the regulation and function of cytosine
methylation and chromatin structure, it is tempting to speculate that
CGBP-null embryos die from dysregulated gene expression, at least
partially as a consequence of altered chromatin structure. In an effort
to better understand the global function of CGBP, and its possible role
in modulating chromatin structure, experiments were performed to
determine the subcellular localization of CGBP and define the protein
domains required to direct this distribution.
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
Cell Culture and Transfection--
HEK-293 (human embryonic
kidney) and NIH-3T3 (mouse embryonic fibroblast) cells were grown as
monolayers in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with
10% fetal calf serum (HyClone, Logan, UT) at 37 °C in a humidified
atmosphere of 5% CO2. For subcellular localization and
immunofluorescence experiments, cells were cultured on a coverslip in a
24-well dish and transfected with 1-2 µg of DNA by calcium-phosphate
co-precipitation (26). Following transfection, cells were grown in
fresh media for 24 h, and fixed with cold methanol or 4%
paraformaldehyde. For co-transfection assays, cells at ~60%
confluency were transfected with 10-20 µg of DNA by calcium
phosphate co-precipitation. Following transfection, cells were grown in
fresh media for 24-48 h prior to analysis. Trans-activation assays
were performed by co-transfecting HEK-293 cells with a fixed amount
(2.5 µg) of CMV-based pEGFP reporter vector and various amounts of
pcDNA3 FLAG-CGBP expression vector. The total amount of DNA in each
sample was equalized by adding pcDNA3 plasmid. Cells were harvested
and analyzed by Western blot as described above.
Subnuclear Biochemical Fractionation and Western Blot
Analysis--
Sequential nuclear extraction was performed as described
(27). Cells were transfected with 5-10 µg of DNA by
calcium-phosphate co-precipitation. Following transfection, cells were
grown in fresh media for 48 h and used for analysis. Cells were
washed with cold phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and extracted with
cytoskeleton buffer (CSK) containing 10 mM Pipes (pH 6.8),
100 mM NaCl, 300 mM sucrose, 3 mM
MgCl2, 1 mM EGTA, supplemented with the
protease inhibitors leupeptin, aprotinin, and pepstatin (1 µg/ml
each), 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 1 mM
dithiothreitol, and 0.5% (v/v) Triton X-100. After extraction for 5 min on ice, the proteins solubilized in CSK buffer were recovered
following separation from the insoluble fraction by centrifugation at
5,000 × g for 3 min. Chromatin was solubilized by
digestion with 30 units of DNase I (RNase-free) in CSK buffer
containing protease inhibitors for 20 min at 37 °C. The chromatin
fraction was extracted for 5 min on ice by adding 1 M
ammonium sulfate in CSK buffer to a final concentration of 0.25 M and centrifuging as above. The pellet was further
extracted with 2 M NaCl in CSK buffer for 5 min on ice. The
remaining pellet was solubilized with sodium phosphate buffer
containing 8 M urea, which was considered the nuclear
matrix fraction. Protein concentration was determined by the Bradford assay. For Western blot analysis, an equivalent proportion of each
fraction was solubilized in Laemmli sample buffer (28). Following
electrophoresis on a 6-12% SDS-polyacrylamide gel, proteins were
transferred onto nitrocellulose membrane (MSI, Westborough, MA). The
membrane was then incubated with either anti-CGBP antibody (11),
anti-acetyl histone H3 antibody (Upstate Biotechnology, Inc., Lake
Placid, NY), anti-NuMA antibody (Oncogene, Cambridge, MA), anti-FLAG
antibody (Sigma), or anti-GFP antibody (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA) followed by horseradish peroxidase-labeled secondary antibody and detected by using an ECL detection kit (Amersham Biosciences) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Construction of Truncated CGBP Expression Vectors--
The
cDNA of human CGBP (11) was subcloned into the pEGFP-C2
(Clontech) and pcDNA3-FLAG vectors (29). The
cDNA of human MBD1 was amplified from a cDNA clone
(IMAGE:361404) (ResGen, Huntsville, AL) and subcloned into the pEGFP
vector. PCR amplification was performed using the primer sequences
5'-aagcttgaattcatggctgaggactggctggactgc-3' and
5'-tcaaggatcctgctttctagctccaggttttttaag-3'. pSVK-FLAG-MeCP2 and
pSVK-FLAG-HP1 were described previously (30) and were generously provided by Dr. Steven Baylin (The Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine). pF-MLL T, encoding amino acids 1-1436 of human HRX, was
described previously (31) and was generously provided by Dr. Jay Hess
(Washington University School of Medicine).
Deletion mutations of CGBP were prepared using a combination of
restriction enzyme digestions and PCR amplification using Pfu polymerase (Stratagene, La Jolla, CA) and subcloned into
pEGFP and/or pcDNA3-FLAG vectors. Site-directed mutagenesis was
performed on the CXXC domain of CGBP using primers that
mutate cysteine residues to alanine using the QuickChange site-directed
mutagenesis kit (Stratagene, CA) in accordance with the protocol
provided by the manufacturer. Mutagenesis oligonucleotides include
C169A (mutates cysteine 169 to alanine),
5'-cggtcagcccgcatggctggtgagtgtgaggcatg-3', and C208A (mutates cysteine
208 to alanine), 5'-gccggctgcgccaggcccagctgcgggccc-3'. Each mutation
was subcloned into the pFLAG-CMV (Sigma) and pEGFP vectors. The
nucleotide sequences of truncated and mutated CGBP constructs were
confirmed by automated DNA sequencing.
Indirect Immunofluorescence and Confocal Microscopy--
Cells
were seeded onto a cover glass at 2-5 × 104
cells/well in a 24-well dish and transfected as described above. Cells
were then washed twice with cold PBS and fixed with 4% (v/v)
paraformaldehyde in PBS for 20 min at room temperature and then washed
with PBS. Cells were permeabilized with 0.2% Triton X-100 in PBS for
10 min at room temperature, and a blocking solution (PBS containing 2.5% normal serum (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, and 0.2%
Tween 20) was added and incubated for 1 h at room temperature. Anti-CGBP rabbit IgG (1:500) (11), anti-acetyl histone 3 rabbit IgG
(1:100, 5 µg/ml) (di-acetylated Lys-9 and Lys14; catalog number 06-599; Upstate Biotechnology, Inc.) and anti-acetyl histone 4 rabbit
IgG (tetra-acetylated Lys-4, Lys-7, Lys-11, and Lys-15; catalog number
06-598; Upstate Biotechnology, Inc.) (1:100, 5 µg/ml), (Upstate
Biotechnology, Inc.), anti-SC-35 (1:500, 9.2 µg/ml) (Sigma) or
anti-FLAG mouse IgG (1:1000, 3.5 µg/ml) (Sigma) were added and
incubated for 2 h at room temperature. Cells were then washed
three times with PBS containing 0.2% Tween 20 for 5 min. Appropriate
secondary antibody labeled with Texas Red (2 µg/ml in blocking
solution) (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) was added and incubated for 1 h at room temperature. Cells were washed three times with PBS
containing 0.2% Tween 20 for 5 min. Nuclear counterstaining was
performed with 0.1 µg/ml DAPI in PBS for 5 min followed by washing
with PBS. Cells were mounted with 10 µl of Fluoromount G (Southern
Biotechnology Associates, Birmingham, AL) and observed using a
fluorescence microscope or were scanned with a Zeiss LSM 510 laser
scanning confocal microscope. Bromouridine triphosphate was used for
in situ detection of RNA synthesis in permeabilized cells
using immunodetection with antibody directed against bromouridine (Harlan Sera-lab, Indianapolis, IN) as described previously (32).
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RESULTS |
Determination of the Subcellular Localization of
CGBP--
Confocal immunofluorescence was performed on HEK-293 and
NIH-3T3 cells using antisera directed against CGBP. The endogenous CGBP
protein was localized to the nucleus in both cell lines and exhibits a
punctate or speckled distribution (Fig.
1A). Transfection of these
cells with a vector expressing GFP-tagged full-length human CGBP
results in a similarly speckled nuclear distribution of the GFP-CGBP
fusion protein (Fig. 1A). These speckles are concentrated in
areas of DAPI light staining, consistent with localization of CGBP to
euchromatic regions of the nucleus (Fig. 1B).

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Fig. 1.
CGBP localizes to nuclear speckles in
DAPI light regions. A, nuclear distribution pattern of
endogenous CGBP and GFP-CGBP fusion proteins. Endogenous CGBP protein
was detected in NIH-3T3 and HEK-293 cells using anti-CGBP antibody and
Texas Red-conjugated secondary antibody. Nuclei were counterstained
with DAPI and observed by confocal microscopy. Vectors expressing
GFP-tagged CGBP were transiently transfected into NIH-3T3 and HEK-293
cells as described under "Experimental Procedures." B,
nuclear distribution of speckles containing GFP-CGBP was compared with
DAPI staining in NIH-3T3 and HEK-293 cells.
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Co-localization experiments were conducted to better characterize the
nature of the nuclear speckles containing CGBP. Cells were
co-transfected with vectors expressing epitope-tagged (GFP or FLAG)
CGBP or an epitope-tagged marker protein. The results presented in Fig.
2 indicate that CGBP exhibits a
subnuclear distribution that is entirely distinct from that of MBD1,
MeCP2, and HP1 , each of which has been found to localize within
regions of heterochromatin (8, 30, 33, 34). In contrast, a small
fraction of CGBP-containing speckles co-localize with the RNA splicing
factor SC-35 and with actively transcribed regions of the genome.
However, CGBP exhibits significant co-localization with acetylated
histone H3 and acetylated histone H4, which are markers for areas of
euchromatin. Importantly, the set of nuclear speckles that contain CGBP
is identical to that detected as containing the amino terminus (amino
acids 1-1436) of HRX, which has previously been reported to localize
within a novel class of nuclear speckles and to associate with the
nuclear matrix (35-37).

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Fig. 2.
CGBP is localized to euchromatin and
co-localizes with HRX. Nuclear distribution of CGBP was compared
with the methyl-CpG-specific proteins MBD1 and MeCP2, heterochromatin
marker protein HP1 , RNA splicing factor 35, actively transcribed
regions, markers of active chromatin region acetylated histone H3 and
acetylated histone H4, and HRX. FLAG-tagged or GFP-tagged CGBP were
co-transfected with GFP-tagged MBD1 or FLAG-tagged MeCP2, HP1 , or
amino-terminal HRX (amino acids 1-1436). The FLAG epitope was detected
with anti-FLAG antibody and Texas Red-conjugated secondary antibody.
GFP-tagged CGBP was transiently expressed and compared with endogenous
SC-35, acetylated histone H3, and acetylated histone H4 using specific
antisera and Texas Red-conjugated secondary antibody as described under
"Experimental Procedures." Actively transcribed regions were
labeled with bromouridine and detected as described under
"Experimental Procedures." All experiments were performed in
NIH-3T3 cells except for SC-35, which was examined in HEK-293
cells.
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Further microscopy studies were performed to examine the localization
of CGBP in metaphase cells. As reported previously (18), MBD1 is found
tightly associated with heterochromatic condensed chromosomes at
metaphase (Fig. 3, bottom
row). In contrast, GFP-CGBP exhibits a highly diffuse distribution
during this phase of the cell cycle (Fig. 3, top row). It is
excluded from the condensed chromosomes and does not exhibit a punctate
distribution during metaphase.

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Fig. 3.
CGBP is excluded from chromosomes during
mitosis. GFP-tagged CGBP or GFP-tagged MBD1 was transiently
expressed in HEK-293 cells, which were then grown in medium containing
0.1 µg/ml Colcemid to block the cells in mitosis. Nuclei were
counterstained with DAPI and observed with confocal microscopy.
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Finally, biochemical fractionation experiments were utilized as an
independent method to further assess the subcellular localization of
CGBP. HEK-293 and NIH-3T3 cells were successively extracted to recover
soluble, chromatin-associated, and nuclear matrix-associated protein
fractions. Western blot analyses demonstrate that endogenous CGBP is
nearly exclusively associated with the nuclear matrix fraction (Fig.
4). Western blots were also performed
with antisera directed against NuMA and acetylated histone H3 as
controls for the integrity and purity of the nuclear matrix and
chromatin-associated protein fractions, respectively (38, 39). We
conclude that CGBP associates with the nuclear matrix, consistent with
the previously reported nuclear matrix association of the co-localizing
protein HRX (35).

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Fig. 4.
CGBP is associated with the nuclear
matrix. NIH-3T3 and HEK-293 cells were fractionated by sequential
nuclear extraction as described under "Experimental Procedures." An
equal proportion of each fraction was analyzed by Western blotting
using anti-CGBP, anti-acetyl histone H3, or anti-NuMA antisera.
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Identification of Protein Domains Responsible for Nuclear
Localization of CGBP and for Targeting to Nuclear Speckles and
Association with the Nuclear Matrix--
Experiments were performed to
identify the signals required for CGBP association with the nuclear
matrix and nuclear speckles. For example, the DNA binding activity of
Ikaros has been found to be essential for its localization to
heterochromatin speckles (40). Experiments were conducted to determine
whether the DNA binding activity of CGBP is similarly required for the
observed subcellular distribution. Mutations of conserved cysteine
residues within the CXXC domain that ablate DNA binding
activity (12) were introduced into GFP-CGBP fusion proteins. The
subcellular localization of these DNA-binding deficient forms of CGBP
was assessed in both NIH-3T3 and HEK-293 cells. Confocal microscopy and
biochemical fractionation reveals that both of these mutated constructs
co-localize with wild type full-length CGBP FLAG-tagged protein (Fig.
5A) and associate with the
nuclear matrix (Fig. 5B). Hence, DNA binding activity was
not required for targeting of CGBP to nuclear speckles. Rather, this
localization was presumably mediated via protein/protein
interactions.

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Fig. 5.
Association of CGBP with nuclear speckles and
the nuclear matrix is independent of DNA binding activity.
A, targeting of CGBP to nuclear speckles does not require
DNA binding activity. GFP-tagged CGBP mutants (C169A and C208A) that
fail to bind to DNA (12) and FLAG-tagged CGBP were co-transfected into
NIH-3T3 and HEK-293 cells and detected with confocal microscopy using
anti-FLAG antibody and Texas Red-conjugated secondary antibody as
described under "Experimental Procedures." B,
DNA-binding domain mutants of CGBP are associated with the nuclear
matrix. FLAG-tagged CGBP expression vectors were transiently expressed
in HEK-293 cells and fractionated as described under "Experimental
Procedures." An equal proportion of each fraction was analyzed by
Western blotting using anti-FLAG antibody. C, DNA-binding
domain mutants of CGBP do not trans-activate reporter genes. Increasing
amounts (1, 2.5, 5, and 10 µg) of FLAG-tagged CGBP expression vectors
were co-transfected with fixed amounts of CMV-based pEGFP-C2 vector
into HEK-293 cells. Total amounts of transfected DNA were normalized
using pcDNA3 vector DNA. Cells were harvested 2 days following
transfection, washed with PBS, and lysed with 8 M urea
buffer. Equal proportions of each fraction were analyzed by Western
blot using anti-FLAG or anti-GFP antisera as described under
"Experimental Procedures."
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We have demonstrated previously (11) that CGBP strongly trans-activates
the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter, which contains numerous CpG motifs.
As expected, the DNA-binding deficient CGBP constructs fail to
trans-activate a co-transfected reporter gene vector composed of the
CMV promoter/enhancer driving expression of GFP (Fig. 5C).
Note that wild type CGBP additionally auto-activates expression of the
CGBP expression vector, which also contains the CMV promoter (Fig.
5C, top panel).
In order to define the nuclear localization signals within CGBP, a
series of truncated versions of CGBP (Fig.
6A) was generated and
expressed in NIH-3T3 cells as GFP fusion proteins (Fig. 6B). Successive truncations from the carboxyl terminus of CGBP reveals that
a fragment as short as amino acids 1-122 is localized to the nucleus
(Fig. 6). However, truncation to amino acids 1-103 results in a
cytoplasmic localization. Hence, a nuclear localization signal resides
within amino acids 104-122 of CGBP. Inspection of the amino acid
sequence of this domain (DEGGGRKRPVPDPDLQRRA) (11) reveals a cluster of basic residues (in boldface) consistent with
a consensus bipartite nuclear localization signal
(RKRX8RR) (41).

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Fig. 6.
Analysis of protein domains that direct
nuclear localization and target CGBP to nuclear speckles. A,
schematic diagram of CGBP and various truncated fragments. Protein
regions such as the PHD, CXXC, acidic, basic, and
coiled-coil domains are indicated, along with corresponding amino acid
positions. The amino-terminal bipartite nuclear localization signal of
CGBP (amino acids 109-121) was inserted between the GFP epitope and
CGBP sequence for constructs containing amino acids 361-481, 302-656,
and 213-320. B, subcellular distribution of GFP-CGBP fusion
proteins. GFP-tagged constructs were transiently expressed in NIH-3T3
cells and observed with confocal microscopy as described under
"Experimental Procedures." C, the co-localization of a
truncated mutant (amino acids 103-481) with wild type CGBP. GFP-tagged
mutant and FLAG-tagged CGBP were co-transfected and detected using
anti-FLAG antibody and Texas Red-conjugated secondary antibody with
confocal microscopy.
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Importantly, the 302-656 amino acid fragment of CGBP is also partially
localized to the nucleus, indicating the presence of at least one
additional nuclear localization signal in the carboxyl half of the CGBP
protein. Expression of the basic domain of CGBP (amino acids 318-367)
as a GFP fusion protein is sufficient to direct efficient nuclear
localization, thus defining a second nuclear localization signal. This
40-amino acid fragment contains 65% histidine, arginine, or lysine
residues. The GFP fusion protein containing CGBP amino acids 361-481
is evenly distributed between the nucleus and cytoplasm, suggesting a
nonspecific diffusion of this small peptide throughout the cell. The
downstream fragment of CGBP containing amino acids 483-656 is excluded
from the nucleus, indicating the absence of nuclear localization
signals downstream of the coiled-coil domain. It is surprising that the
isolated basic domain localized to the nucleus more efficiently than a longer fragment (amino acids 302-656), which also contains the basic
domain. Presumably elements within the downstream sequence act to mask
the nuclear localization signal located within the basic domain when
expressed in this fashion. Addition of the upstream CGBP nuclear
localization signal (amino acids 109-121) to the 302-656 construct
results in efficient nuclear localization (Fig. 6B).
Additional truncated versions of GFP-CGBP fusion proteins were
expressed in NIH-3T3 cells to identify protein domains required to
target CGBP to nuclear speckles. A fragment of CGBP (amino acids
1-481) lacking the PHD2 domain exhibits a speckled nuclear distribution (Fig. 6B). However, additional truncation to
amino acid 367 (amino acids 1-367), which deletes the coiled-coil
domain, results in a partially speckled pattern with much of the GFP
fusion protein distributed diffusely throughout the nucleus. Further truncation to amino acid 320 (amino acids 1-320), which additionally deletes the basic domain, results in a complete loss of nuclear speckling and a diffuse nuclear distribution. Hence, signals encoded within the basic and coiled-coil domains are required for directing a
punctate distribution of CGBP.
Truncation of the amino terminus of the protein reveals that amino
acids 1-301, including the PHD1 domain, CXXC DNA-binding domain, and a portion of the acidic domain, are not required for directing a punctate distribution, as the CGBP fragment containing amino acids 302-656 exhibits a speckled nuclear distribution (Fig. 6B). The CGBP fragment containing amino acids 103-481 also
exhibits a punctate nuclear distribution, similar to the pattern
produced by expression of full-length GFP- or FLAG-CGBP (Fig. 6,
B and C). Similar to the results described above,
removal of the coiled-coil domain from the carboxyl-terminal end of
this fragment of CGBP (leaving amino acids 103-367) leads to a
partially speckled nuclear distribution, whereas additional removal of
the basic domain (leaving amino acids 103-320) leads to a diffuse
nuclear distribution. Stepwise truncations from the amino terminus of
the 103-481-amino acid CGBP fragment produced similar results.
Truncation that leaves amino acids 213-481, which removes the
CXXC domain, leads to a speckled subnuclear distribution.
Additional truncation to position 317 (leaving amino acids 318-481),
which removes the acidic domain, leads to a partially speckled
distribution with a background of diffuse localization. This indicates
that the acidic domain, which contains 29% glutamate and aspartate
residues, participates in the appropriate localization of CGBP to
nuclear speckles.
Importantly, however, none of the individual domains located in the
central region of CGBP are sufficient to direct a speckled nuclear
distribution (Fig. 6B). Expression of the coiled-coil domain
(amino acids 361-481), acidic domain (amino acids 213-320), or basic
domain (amino acids 318-367) as individual GFP fusion proteins results
in a diffuse distribution throughout the nucleus. The coiled-coil and
acidic domains were linked to the amino-terminal CGBP nuclear
localization signal (amino acids 109-121), as these fragments lack
both of the CGBP nuclear localization signals. Hence, multiple domains
distributed throughout the central region of CGBP contribute
cooperative signals that lead to a speckled nuclear distribution.
Biochemical fractionation experiments were also performed on cells
expressing truncated GFP-CGBP fusion proteins to compare nuclear matrix
association with the subnuclear distribution observed by confocal
microscopy. These two parameters are found to be highly correlated.
Without exception, CGBP constructs that exhibit a predominant punctate
nuclear distribution, such as fragments containing amino acids 1-481,
302-656, 103-481, and 213-481, are also nearly exclusively
associated with the nuclear matrix (Fig.
7). However, constructs that exhibit a
partially speckled distribution, such as fragments containing amino
acids 1-367, 103-367, 318-367, or 318-481, are partitioned between
the chromatin-associated fraction and the nuclear matrix fraction.
Constructs that exhibit a diffuse nuclear staining, such as fragments
containing amino acids 1-320, 103-320, or 361-481, are found
predominantly in the soluble fraction.

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Fig. 7.
Identification of CGBP domains that mediate
association with the nuclear matrix. A, schematic diagram of
CGBP and truncated fragments. The amino-terminal bipartite nuclear
localization signal of CGBP (amino acids 109-121) was inserted between
the epitope (GFP or FLAG) and CGBP sequence for constructs containing
amino acids 302-656 and 361-481. Numbers indicate amino
acid residues of CGBP. B, biochemical fractionation of GFP-
and FLAG-CGBP fusion proteins. FLAG or GFP-tagged constructs were
transiently expressed in HEK-293 cells and fractionated as described
under "Experimental Procedures." An equal proportion of each
fraction was analyzed by Western blotting using anti-FLAG or anti-GFP
antisera. S, soluble fraction; C, chromatin
fraction; M, nuclear matrix fraction.
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We conclude that multiple signals present within the central portion of
CGBP are responsible for association with the nuclear matrix and
generation of a punctate subnuclear distribution. Signals within the
acidic, basic, and coiled-coil domains all contribute to this
localization, yet no individual domain is sufficient to direct this
subcellular targeting. Interestingly, in addition to its activity as a
nuclear localization signal, the basic domain appears essential for
proper subnuclear localization of CGBP and is sufficient for directing
at least a partially speckled distribution when linked to either the
coiled-coil or acidic domains. Although not sufficient for normal CGBP
localization, expression of the isolated basic domain as a GFP fusion
protein permits partial association with the chromatin fraction.
The functional significance of the association of CGBP with the nuclear
matrix and nuclear speckles was examined in co-transfection assays. As
demonstrated in Fig. 5C, CGBP trans-activates expression of
a GFP reporter gene under the control of the CMV promoter, which
contains several dozen CpG motifs. A similar analysis was performed
with several truncated CGBP constructs that exhibit various degrees of
nuclear speckling and association with the nuclear matrix. All of the
constructs tested contain both the acidic domain that is sufficient for
trans-activation activity of CGBP (42) and the CXXC
DNA-binding domain (11, 12). A construct encoding amino acids 1-481,
which exhibits a subnuclear distribution identical to that of the
full-length CGBP protein, exhibits a trans-activation activity similar
to the wild type CGBP construct (Fig. 8).
The construct containing amino acids 1-367, which exhibits a partially
speckled distribution and partial association with the nuclear matrix,
exhibits a reduced trans-activation activity (~50% of wild type when
normalized for the level of FLAG-CGBP expression). Importantly, the
CGBP construct containing amino acids 1-320, which exhibits a diffuse
nuclear distribution and fails to associate with the nuclear matrix,
exhibits a dramatically reduced trans-activation activity (~15% of
wild type) despite containing DNA-binding and trans-activation domains.
Hence, appropriate subnuclear targeting appears to be critical for
normal CGBP function.

View larger version (46K):
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|
Fig. 8.
Localization of CGBP to nuclear speckles and
association with the nuclear matrix is required for trans-activation
activity. FLAG-tagged full-length CGBP (5 µg), FLAG-tagged CGBP
amino acids 1-481 (5 µg), FLAG-tagged CGBP amino acids 1-367 (7.5 µg), or FLAG-tagged CGBP amino acids 1-320 (20 µg) were
co-transfected with 2.5 µg of CMV-based pEGFP-C2 reporter vector into
HEK-293 cells as described under "Experimental Procedures."
Variable amounts of CGBP expression vector plasmid were utilized in an
effort to produce comparable levels of FLAG-CGBP expression. Western
blot analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of
FLAG-CGBP and GFP.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
These studies were conducted to determine the physical
distribution of CGBP within a cell in the expectation that such
information will offer insight into the global function and mechanism
of action of CGBP. CGBP localizes nearly exclusively to euchromatic
nuclear speckles. The distribution of CGBP is distinct from that
exhibited by the heterochromatin-associated proteins MBD1, MeCP2, and
HP1 . In contrast, the distribution of CGBP slightly overlaps with
the RNA splicing factor SC-35 and with actively transcribed regions of
the genome, and exhibits significant overlap with a subset of regions
containing acetylated histones. Hence, CGBP localizes to areas of
euchromatin rather than sites of active transcription, suggesting that
it plays a role in modulation of chromatin structure.
The CGBP protein contains two nuclear localization signals, located
upstream of the CXXC DNA-binding domain and within the basic
domain. Neither of these nuclear localization signals is capable of
directing a speckled nuclear distribution. Rather, the signals that
direct CGBP to active chromatin nuclear speckles are distributed
throughout an extended central region of the protein that includes
acidic, basic, and coiled-coil domains. However, none of these domains
is individually able to compose a nuclear speckle targeting signal,
although the basic domain associates with the chromatin fraction and
directs partial targeting to nuclear speckles when linked to either the
adjacent acidic or coiled-coil domains. In addition, biochemical
fractionation experiments demonstrate that CGBP associates nearly
exclusively with the nuclear matrix, an interaction that is independent
of DNA binding activity, and is presumably a consequence of
protein/protein interactions. Association of CGBP with the nuclear
matrix appears to be causally related to localization to nuclear
speckles, as these two characteristics coincide for all mutated
versions of CGBP analyzed. Importantly, association of CGBP with
nuclear speckles and the nuclear matrix is functionally important for
the trans-activation activity of this factor.
Interestingly, CGBP uniquely localizes to a set of nuclear speckles
that also contains HRX (MLL/ALL-1). HRX is the human homologue of
Drosophila trithorax, which is a regulator of chromatin
structure and homeobox gene expression. HRX is at least partially
associated with the nuclear matrix (35), and HRX-containing nuclear
speckles have been shown to be distinct from nuclear speckles that
contain PML or TAL-1 (36). Consistent with the results reported here, HRX-containing speckles were found previously to be distinct from sites
of active transcription, as determined by the localization of the SC-35
splicing factor (43). Interestingly, in contrast to HRX that associates
with condensed chromosomes during mitosis, CGBP fails to interact with
metaphase chromosomes. Hence, these proteins co-localize to a unique
class of nuclear speckles during interphase, yet exhibit disparate
subcellular localizations during cell division, indicating that
CGBP-containing nuclear speckles are dynamic structures that undergo
remodeling throughout the cell cycle.
Although CGBP and HRX both contain CXXC and PHD domains,
analysis of truncation mutations indicates that neither of these domains is responsible for directing CGBP to HRX-containing nuclear speckles. Similar to CGBP, the signals directing HRX to nuclear speckles are complex. At least two domains (SNL-1 and SNL-2) within the
amino terminus of HRX are capable of directing HRX to nuclear speckles
(37). However, a version of HRX lacking these two domains still
localizes to nuclear speckles, indicating that at least one additional
domain is involved in this subcellular targeting. Comparison of the
SNL-1 and SNL-2 sequences of HRX with the central region of CGBP
reveals intriguing pockets of sequence homology. A highly basic region
within SNL-2 (amino acids 1067-1074; RIKHVCRR) shares 63% identity
and 88% similarity to sequence present within the basic domain of CGBP
(amino acids 326-333; KVKHVKRR). Mutation of residues 1065-1073 of
HRX results in the loss of ~80% of nuclear speckles (37). Similarly,
mutation of amino acids 418-423 (SSRIIK) of HRX results in the loss of
60% of nuclear speckles. Sequence comparison reveals that this region
is embedded within a short domain that exhibits 40% identity and 60%
similarity with a region of the CGBP acidic domain, amino acids
260-269 (AVASSTVKEP). Whether these short regions of similarity will
prove to be critical for directing association of CGBP with the nuclear
matrix and localization to nuclear speckles is currently under investigation.
Co-localization of HRX and CGBP to an identical set of nuclear speckles
suggests that they may directly interact or may be components of a
common multimeric protein complex. A direct interaction of HRX with
CGBP has not been reported, despite several yeast two-hybrid screens
performed with the amino-terminal portion of HRX that co-localizes with
CGBP to nuclear speckles (44-50). The alternative hypothesis that CGBP
and HRX are components of a common multimeric complex gains additional
support from studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, in which
the yeast homologue of CGBP (Spp1) and a trithorax family member (Bre2)
are both components of a complex denoted COMPASS or Set1 (51-54). This
complex contains 7-8 components and is required for methylation of the
Lys-4 residue of histone H3, which is associated with
transcriptionally competent chromatin (55). The Set1 complex is also
involved in gene silencing at telomeres and mating type loci (56) and
activation of DNA repair genes (57). The results presented here provide
evidence that an analogous complex may exist in higher eukaryotes.
Yeast two-hybrid screening failed to demonstrate a direct interaction
between Spp1 and Bre2 (51), consistent with the failure to detect an
interaction with CGBP using HRX as the bait in two-hybrid screens.
Direct analysis of the protein interactions of CGBP in vivo
are complicated by the finding that CGBP is nearly exclusively associated with the nuclear matrix, thus making co-immunoprecipitation and affinity pull-down assays difficult. However, the results described
here predict that CGBP / cells may exhibit abnormal patterns of
histone modification and chromatin structure, consistent with
peri-implantation embryonic death of CGBP-null embryos, a time during
which the genome undergoes global remodeling of chromatin structure and
cytosine methylation (24, 25, 58).
 |
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
We thank Dr. Steven Baylin for generously
providing MeCP2 and HP1 expression vectors and Dr. Jay Hess for
generously providing the HRX expression vector. We also thank Dr. Joe
Bidwell for helpful discussions regarding the nuclear matrix.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
This work was supported by National Institutes of Health
Grant CA58947 (to D. G. S.) and by the Riley Memorial Association.The costs of publication of this
article were defrayed in part by the
payment of page charges. The article
must therefore be hereby marked
"advertisement" in
accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section
1734 solely to indicate this fact.
To whom correspondence should be addressed: Herman B Wells Center
for Pediatric Research, Cancer Research Bldg., Rm. 472, Indiana
University School of Medicine, 1044 W. Walnut St., Indianapolis, IN
46202. Tel.: 317-274-8977; Fax: 317-274-8928; E-mail:
dskalnik@iupui.edu.
Published, JBC Papers in Press, August 27, 2002, DOI 10.1074/jbc.M205054200
 |
ABBREVIATIONS |
The abbreviations used are:
MeCP2, methyl
CpG-binding protein 2;
CGBP, CpG-binding protein;
MBD, methyl
CpG-binding domain;
GFP, green fluorescent protein;
DAPI, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole;
PBS, phosphate-buffered saline;
CMV, cytomegalovirus;
HRX, human trithorax;
PHD, plant homeodomain;
Pipes, 1,4-piperazinediethanesulfonic acid.
 |
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S. R. L. Young, C. Mumaw, J. A. Marrs, and D. G. Skalnik
Antisense Targeting of CXXC Finger Protein 1 Inhibits Genomic Cytosine Methylation and Primitive Hematopoiesis in Zebrafish
J. Biol. Chem.,
December 1, 2006;
281(48):
37034 - 37044.
[Abstract]
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J.-H. Lee and D. G. Skalnik
CpG-binding Protein (CXXC Finger Protein 1) Is a Component of the Mammalian Set1 Histone H3-Lys4 Methyltransferase Complex, the Analogue of the Yeast Set1/COMPASS Complex
J. Biol. Chem.,
December 16, 2005;
280(50):
41725 - 41731.
[Abstract]
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D. L. Carlone, J.-H. Lee, S. R. L. Young, E. Dobrota, J. S. Butler, J. Ruiz, and D. G. Skalnik
Reduced Genomic Cytosine Methylation and Defective Cellular Differentiation in Embryonic Stem Cells Lacking CpG Binding Protein
Mol. Cell. Biol.,
June 15, 2005;
25(12):
4881 - 4891.
[Abstract]
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H. F. Jorgensen, I. Ben-Porath, and A. P. Bird
Mbd1 Is Recruited to both Methylated and Nonmethylated CpGs via Distinct DNA Binding Domains
Mol. Cell. Biol.,
April 15, 2004;
24(8):
3387 - 3395.
[Abstract]
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Copyright © 2002 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
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