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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 279, Issue 38, 40220-40226, September 17, 2004
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Regulation during the S Phase of the Cell Cycle*


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From the
Department of Biochemistry and the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research Group in Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2S2, Canada
Received for publication, June 10, 2004 , and in revised form, July 6, 2004.
| ABSTRACT |
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(CT
) increases during S phase (Golfman, L. S., Bakovic, M., and Vance, D. E. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276, 43688-43692) and that this activation is driven by increased binding of Sp1 to the CT
promoter (Banchio, C., Schang, L. M., and Vance, D. E. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 32457-32464). We now demonstrate that cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) phosphorylation of Sp1 activates CT
transcription during S phase. Sp1 binds in a phosphorylated state to the CT
promoter. Sp1 binding is enhanced by association with cyclin A/E and CDK2, both in vivo and in vitro. In cells that overexpress Sp1, co-expression of cyclin A and CDK2 induces a high and constant level of CT
expression, whereas reduction in the expression of cyclin A, cyclin E, and CDK2 eliminates the induction of CT
expression in S phase. Furthermore, CT
expression is decreased in cells overexpressing a dominant-negative form of CDK2 and in cells treated with the CDK2 kinase inhibitors roscovitine and olomoucine. These results enhance our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms involved in the expression of CT
in preparation for cell division. | INTRODUCTION |
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Sp1 is a ubiquitous transcription factor that recognizes GC-rich sequences present in many promoters (9, 10). Regulation of Sp1-dependent transcription can be affected by changes in Sp1 abundance, DNA binding activity, and/or transactivation activity. Phosphorylation, as well as its interaction with other factors, has also been implicated in changes in Sp1 binding and transcriptional activation (11, 12). A large group of genes is activated in mid- or late G1; these include several genes whose expression is required for DNA synthesis (e.g. those that encode adenosine deaminase, thymidine kinase, dihydrofolate reductase, and DNA polymerase), as well as genes whose products control cell cycle progression (cyclin A and cyclin E genes). Many of these late G1 and S phase-expressed genes lack a TATAA box and have binding sites for the transcription factor Sp1 in their promoters.
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) biosynthesis is an important component of the cell cycle because PC mass/cell doubles prior to mitosis. PC is typically the major phospholipid of animal cells and is a precursor for the synthesis of sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine. Cell cycle progression is sensitive to membrane PC content because choline deprivation of WI-38 fibroblasts, L6 myoblasts, or C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts results in decreased PC synthesis and mass with arrest in G1 (13, 14). The addition of choline (which is converted to PC) restores PC content and progression into S phase. Chinese hamster ovary cells harboring a temperature-sensitive CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CT) do not synthesize PC at 40 °C and accumulate in G1. These cells undergo apoptosis unless rescued by the addition of PC or lyso-PC (15).
PC biosynthesis occurs in all nucleated mammalian cells via the Kennedy (CDP-choline) pathway in which CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase catalyzes the regulated and rate-limiting step (16-18). Two genes encode CT activity, Pcyt1a and Pcyt1b (19-23). CT
is ubiquitously expressed in nucleated cells (24), and its expression is tightly regulated. CT
is regulated post-translationally by reversible association with membrane lipids, which are required for its activity (25-27). It was reported that the wave of PC synthesis that accompanies the G0-G1 transition is regulated by changes in the activity, membrane affinity, and intracellular distribution of CT (28). At the level of gene expression, CT
mRNA has been shown to increase after growth factor stimulation (29), during liver development (30), in proliferating liver tissue following partial hepatectomy (31), and during the S phase of the cell cycle (32). We recently reported that the expression of CT
is activated in late G1-S phase by the action of Sp1 (33).
In the present report we elucidate the mechanism(s) underlying growth/cell cycle-regulated induction of Sp1-dependent transcription of CT
. We demonstrate that complexes that regulate cell cycle progression, such as cyclin E-CDK2 or cyclin A-CDK2, phosphorylate and activate Sp1, thereby increasing CT
transcription during S phase.
| EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
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Cell CultureC3H10T1/2 mouse embryo fibroblasts were cultured in DMEM supplemented with penicillin G (100 units/ml), streptomycin (100 µg/ml), and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) in a 5% CO2 humidified incubator at 37 °C. Cells were arrested in G0 by incubation in culture medium containing 0.5% serum for 36-48 h, and the growth arrest was released by addition of fresh medium containing 10% FBS. Transient transfections with CT
promoter-luciferase reporter plasmids containing deletions at the 5'-end of the murine promoter, LUC.C7 (-1268/+38) and LUC.C8 (-201/+38) (1 µg), were performed using a cationic liposome method. LUC.C7 (-1268/+38) and LUC.C8 (-201/+38), inserted into the promoterless luciferase vector pGL3-Basic (Promega), were prepared as described previously (34). All dishes received 0.1 µg of pSV-
-galactosidase (Promega) as a control for transfection efficiency. Luciferase assays were performed using a Promega assays system as recommended by the manufacturer, and luminometric measurements were made using a Fluskan Ascent FL Type 374 fluorometer (Thermo Electron Corporation). Luciferase activity was normalized to the protein content or
-galactosidase activity. Vectors enabling expression of recombinant cyclin A, CDK2, and dominant-negative CDK2 were obtained from Dr. E. Harlow, Harvard Medical School (35), and vectors enabling expression of recombinant Sp1 protein (pPacSp1 and pPac0) were obtained from Dr. R. Tjian (36).
Nuclear Extract Preparations and Electrophoretic Mobility Shift AssaysTotal nuclear extracts of C3H10T1/2 cells grown to different stages of the cell cycle were prepared as described previously (37, 38). A dephosphorylation reaction was executed by suspending nuclear extracts (20 µg) in a buffer consisting of 25 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 34 mM KCl, and 50 mM MgCl2 containing protease inhibitors and treated with calf alkaline phosphatase (1.0 unit/50 µg of nuclear extract) at 30 °C for 5 min followed by 15 min on ice. The reactions were terminated by the addition of a mixture of inhibitors to final concentrations of 10 mM sodium fluoride, 10 mM sodium vanadate, 10 mM potassium pyrophosphate, and 5 mM sodium phosphate. Control nuclear extracts were prepared by addition of the inhibitor mix to nuclear extracts in the absence of phosphatase treatment or by addition of the inhibitor mix immediately after addition of the enzyme. An oligonucleotide carrying the Sp1 consensus sequence (5'-ATTCGATCGGGCGGGGCGAGC-3') was synthesized by the University of Alberta Core Facility. Complementary oligonucleotides (100 µM each) were heated at 90 °C for 5 min and then were slowly cooled to room temperature, and 5 pmol of double-stranded oligonucleotide was 5'-end-labeled using T4 kinase (Invitrogen) and [
-32P]ATP (PerkinElmer Life Sciences). For each binding reaction (40 µl), 1 µg of poly(dI-dC)-poly(dI-dC), 20 µl of 2x binding buffer (100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 10 mM MgCl2, 250 mM NaCl, 5 mM EDTA, 50% glycerol, 0.5% Nonidet P-40, 5 mM dithiothreitol), 1 µg of nuclear extract, and labeled probe (20,000 cpm) were incubated for 30 min at room temperature.
For supershift analysis, 1 µg of antibody specific for cyclin A, cyclin E, or CDK2 was added for 15 min after incubation of the probe with nuclear protein. Binding reactions were terminated by the addition of 4 µl of gel loading buffer (30% (v/v) glycerol, 0.1% (w/v) bromphenol blue, 0.1% (w/v) xylene cyanol). The complex was separated on a non-denaturing 6% (w/v) polyacrylamide gel and visualized by autoradiography of the dried gel.
Immunoblot AnalysisNuclear protein (10 µg) from C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts was heated for 3 min at 90 °C in 62.5 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.3), 10% (v/v) glycerol, 5% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol, 1% SDS, and 0.004% bromphenol blue. The samples were electrophoresed on a 10% SDS-polyacrylamide gel in 25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.3), 192 mM glycine, and 0.1% SDS buffer. The proteins then were transferred to nitrocellulose by electroblotting in transfer buffer (25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.3), 192 mM glycine, 20% (v/v) methanol). Following transfer, the membrane was incubated for 1 h at room temperature or overnight at 4 °C with 5% skim milk in 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 150 mM NaCl, and 0.1% Tween 20 (T-TBS) and incubated for 1 h with antibody raised against the protein indicated. Immunoreactive proteins were detected using the enhanced chemiluminescence system (Amersham Biosciences) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Construction of Plasmids That Contain DNA Templates for the Synthesis of siRNAs under the Control of the U6 PromoterDNA oligonucleotide templates for the in vitro synthesis of siRNAs were chemically synthesized by the University of Alberta Core Facility. The oligonucleotides were designed to contain nucleotides specific for cyclin A (TGTAATATCTATTTGGGTC), cyclin E (ATTGCCAAGATTGACAAGA), and CDK2 (GAGTGAACAATTATATTTA). After annealing, the DNA was cloned into pSilencerTM 2.1-U6 hygro (Ambion) double digested with HindIII and EcoRI. The identity of the plasmids harboring the insert, named siCyE, siCyA, and siCDK2, respectively, was confirmed by sequencing, and the plasmids were transfected using the concentrations indicated. As a negative control we used the same plasmid harboring a sequence that does not have homology with the expressed genes (ACTACCGTTGTTATAGGTGTT).
ImmunoprecipitationNuclear extracts were prepared as described above from cells collected after 20 h of cell cycle induction. Nuclear extracts (200 µg of protein) were incubated with 5 µg of polyclonal anti-Sp1 (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) in 1-ml final volume containing immunoprecipitation buffer (1% Triton X-100 (v/v), 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 0.2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 0.5% (v/v) Nonidet P-40). The reaction was incubated for 1 h at 4 °C and then incubated for 30 min with 50 µl 10% protein A-Sepharose (Staphilococcus aureus, Cowan strain), and the complex was washed three times with immunoprecipitation buffer. The pellet was resuspended in 30 µl of concentrated electrophoresis sample buffer and boiled, and the supernatant was loaded onto an SDS-polyacrylamide gel and electrophoresed. Proteins were transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes and probed with appropriate antibodies.
In Vivo Labeling and Immunoblot AnalysisFor 32PO4 labeling, cells that had been synchronized by serum deprivation for 36 h were rinsed with phosphate-buffered saline (135 mM NaCl, 4 mM KCl, 10 mM NaPO4 (pH 7.4)) and placed in phosphate-free DMEM containing 10% dialyzed fetal bovine serum. After 30 min, cells were labeled for 2 h in the same medium containing 7.5 µCi/ml 32PO4. At the indicated times following serum stimulation, cells were rinsed with phosphate-buffered saline, lysed directly in boiling 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.2) containing 1% SDS, reboiled, and DNA was sheared (9). Following the addition of 2.2 volumes of ice-cold buffer containing 15 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.2), 7.5 mM EDTA, 150 mM sodium fluoride, 230 mM NaCl, 1.5% Triton X-100, 0.75% Nonidet P-40, 100 mM
-glycerophosphate, 15 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 400 µM Na2VO3, 2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 20 µM leupeptin, 10 µg/ml aprotinin, particulate material was removed by centrifugation (13,000 x g, 10 min). Supernatants were precleared with normal rabbit serum and protein A-Sepharose, and Sp1 was immunoprecipitated with anti-Sp1 antibody and protein A-Sepharose. Immunoprecipitates were washed four times with radioimmune precipitation assay buffer (phosphate-buffered saline containing 1% (w/v) Ipegal CA-630, 0.5% (w/v) sodium deoxycholate, and 0.1% (w/v) SDS), separated by 8% SDS-PAGE, transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride membranes, and subjected to autoradiography. Membranes then were blocked in 5% nonfat dried milk, 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 150 mM NaCl, 0.05% Tween 20, and subjected to immunoblotting with anti-Sp1 antibody and antirabbit IgG linked to horseradish peroxidase as secondary antibody as prescribed by the manufacturer (Santa Cruz Biotechnology).
In Vitro Kinase AssaysNuclear extracts (200 µg) obtained during S phase were incubated with Sp1 antibody. After addition of protein A-Sepharose, the precipitate was washed three times with radioimmune precipitation assay buffer, resuspended in 35 µl of kinase buffer (40 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.6), 2 mM dithiothreitol, 10 mM MgCl2) with 1 mCi of [
-32P]ATP, and incubated for 20 min at 30 °C. The reaction was terminated by addition of 10 ml of 6x SDS-PAGE loading buffer. For phosphorylation of His-tagged protein, equal amounts of protein (assayed by immunoblot analysis) were used in the assay.
Treatment with Roscovitine and OlomoucineC3H10T1/2 fibroblasts were stably transfected with LUC.C8 (-201/+38) and grown under normal conditions for 24 h, after which they were synchronized in G0 phase with DMEM containing 0.5% FBS for 24 h. The cell cycle was induced by adding DMEM containing 10% FBS, and 2 h before collecting the samples, roscovitine, olomoucine, or dimethyl sulfoxide was added at the concentrations indicated. Samples were collected 20 h after induction of the cell cycle, and luciferase activity was measured.
| RESULTS |
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during the S phase of the cell cycle in C3H10T1/2 embryo fibroblasts is mainly regulated by the binding of Sp1 at positions -67/-62 and -31/-39 in the CT
promoter (33). We have demonstrated previously that overexpression of Sp1 increases expression of CT
in all phases of the cell cycle (33). However, the increase in CT
expression during the S phase was maintained, suggesting that overexpression of Sp1 did not explain the increase in CT
expression during the S phase. In the same study we demonstrated that Sp1 interacts with cyclin A, cyclin E, and CDK2 during the S phase. To evaluate the expression pattern of Sp1 and Sp1 binding partners during the cell cycle, we performed immunoblot analyses. C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts were synchronized at G0 phase by serum depletion. After serum addition, nuclear extracts were isolated at various time points. We monitored the expression of Sp1, cyclin A, cyclin E, CDK2, and cyclin B, which together with CDK1 has been reported to regulate mitosis (39-41). The result shown in Fig. 1 is consistent with the expression patterns of cyclins and kinases during the cell cycle defined previously (42). Interestingly, we detected a retardation in mobility for the Sp1 signal in the S phase that may represent posttranslational modification. We also confirmed that all proteins defined previously as part of the Sp1 complex (cyclin A, cyclin E, and CDK2) are expressed coincidentally. CDK1 was not detected in the phases analyzed, and cyclin B was present at lower levels at the time point that corresponds to the G1-S phase.
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promoter occurred in S phase (33). Therefore, Sp1 levels and phosphorylation were assessed in C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts at various times following serum stimulation. As seen in Fig. 2A, 32PO4 incorporation into Sp1 increases with time, becoming apparent at 16 h and increasing to the maximum at 19 h after serum stimulation. Because S phase occurs 18-20 h following serum stimulation of these cells (data not shown and Refs. 32 and 33), Sp1 phosphorylation is induced in late G1-S phase and therefore occurs concurrent with, or slightly before, the induction of Sp1-dependent CT
transcription. The level of Sp1 expression analyzed by immunoblot analysis showed that Sp1 is present in all phases of the cell cycle analyzed (Figs. 1 and 2). From this experiment, the shift in Sp1 mobility during the S phase (shown in Fig. 1) is likely because of phosphorylation, suggesting that this mechanism might regulate Sp1 activity in this phase of the cell cycle.
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ExpressionTo determine whether or not phosphorylation affects Sp1 activity and the subsequent activation of CT
expression during the S phase, we determined whether the overexpression of cyclin A and CDK2 affected CT
expression. To address this question, we used luciferase reporter assays. Cells were transfected with the reporter construct LUC.C7 (-1268/+38), Sp1 expression vector pPacSp1, pSV-
-galactosidase, and CMV-cyclin A, CMV-CDK2, or the empty plasmid as a control. After synchronization, the cell cycle was induced, and samples were collected at various times. The luciferase/
-galactosidase ratios are summarized in Fig. 3. Enhanced expression of cyclin A or CDK2 with Sp1 increased the transcriptional activity of the CT
promoter by
1.5-2-fold at early points (0 and 13 h) in the cell cycle compared with cells co-transfected with empty plasmids. In cells transfected with either cyclin A or CDK2, the expression profile showed an increase in all phases of the cell cycle prior to S phase (18 and 21 h), indicating that S phase transactivation is dependent on both proteins.
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-32P]ATP for 15 min. The proteins were subsequently electrophoresed by SDS-PAGE. As Fig. 4A shows, several phosphorylated proteins were detected. From the apparent molecular weights, one of the phosphorylated proteins was assumed to be histone H1 (Fig. 4A). By immunoblot analysis we detected Sp1 (Fig. 4B). However, other phosphorylated proteins that we did not identify also co-precipitated with Sp1. When the reaction was performed in the presence of roscovitine (10 µM) (Fig. 4A), the labeling of Sp1 and histone H1 was greatly attenuated, indicating that the kinase activity was inhibited. Roscovitine competes specifically for the ATP-binding domains of CDK1, CDK2, CDK5, CDK7, and possibly CDK9 (44-47).
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Because an increase in the level of Sp1 was not sufficient to induce CT
promoter activity (33), we investigated whether or not the phosphorylation state of Sp1 influenced CT
promoter activity. To test whether or not Sp1 was phosphorylated when it bound to the CT
promoter, we determined whether treatment with alkaline phosphatase abrogated the ability of total nuclear extracts (obtained at 19 h after cell cycle induction) to bind to the Sp1 DNA binding consensus element. The gel shift (Fig. 5A) shows that hypophosphorylated Sp1 failed to bind to the CT
promoter. Because the phosphatase treatment did not affect the quantity of Sp1 (Fig. 5B), these results indicate that phosphorylated Sp1 is the active form that binds to DNA.
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promoter, we performed supershift assays. Nuclear extract obtained during the S phase was incubated with labeled DNA (Sp1 binding consensus element) in the presence or absence of antibody raised against Sp1, cyclin A, cyclin E, or CDK2. Fig. 6 shows a supershift signal when any of these antibodies was added, suggesting that Sp1 drives the complex to the binding site. We observed three different bands when we added anti-CDK2 or anticyclin A. However, one additional band (arrowhead in Fig. 6) was also observed in the presence of anti-Sp1 antibodies. The multiplicity of the bands might represent different populations of complexes, for example between Sp1 and cyclin E or Sp1, cyclin A, and CDK2.
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promoter activity, inhibition of the kinase activity would be expected to reduce the promoter activity. To test this hypothesis, we determined the concentration of roscovitine and olomoucine necessary to inhibit CDK activity in cultured cells by measuring cell cycle arrest. C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts were incubated with 60, 100, or 180 µM olomoucine or 10, 30, or 100 µM roscovitine and used for fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis that discriminates among various phases of the cell cycle (data not shown). The optimal inhibitory concentration was 180 µM for olomoucine and 100 µM for roscovitine. Cells expressing the LUC.C8 reporter construct were synchronized, and after induction of the cell cycle, cultures were treated with the CDK inhibitors roscovitine (100 µM), olomoucine (180 µM), or dimethyl sulfoxide for 2 h before harvest. Addition of the inhibitors 2 h before harvest ensures that the effect is on the kinase and not on progression of the cell cycle. Samples were taken 0 and 20 h after cell cycle induction. Under these conditions, cell cycle progression was not affected, but CT
promoter activity was clearly reduced during S phase in cells that were treated with either of the CDK inhibitors (Fig. 7). However, cells that received only dimethyl sulfoxide showed the normal profile.
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-Reporter ActivityCDKs have been referred to as the "traffic light" of the cell cycle (48). They promote and coordinate DNA replication during S phase and chromosome segregation during mitosis. The type E and A cyclins associate with CDK2 to regulate initiation of DNA replication and progression through S phase. To confirm the role of these complexes in CT
expression during the cell cycle, we used siRNA to "knock down" their expression. We constructed plasmids designed to generate in vivo double-stranded RNA. Each plasmid was co-transfected into C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts with the reporter construct LUC.C7 and pSV-
-galactosidase as a control for transfection efficiency. After synchronization and cell cycle induction, samples were taken at different time points, and the luciferase and
-galactosidase activities were analyzed. As shown in Fig. 8A, the presence of cyclin E and cyclin A interfering RNAs reduced CT
induction in the S phase by 30%. When siRNAs that blocked expression of both cyclins and CDK2 were present, CT
expression was decreased at all time points analyzed.
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promoter expression (Fig. 8B).
Many cases (2, 49-51) have been described in which the interactions and subsequent phosphorylation of a protein by a cyclin-CDK complex result in diverse effects depending on the protein phosphorylated. Our results clearly indicate that Sp1 phosphorylation is necessary for CT
promoter expression during S phase.
| DISCUSSION |
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A number of protein kinases are known to phosphorylate Sp1. Growth-dependent phosphorylation of Sp1 has been shown to occur during G1 phase (52). Kinases such as casein kinase II (11), protein kinase A (12), double-stranded DNA-dependent protein kinase (52), and cyclin A-CDK2 (53) have been reported to phosphorylate Sp1 and regulate its activity. Moreover, several proteins interact with Sp1 to modulate its activity as an activator or repressor (52). DNA-dependent protein kinase increases Sp1 activity, whereas phosphorylation of the C terminus of Sp1 by casein kinase II decreases its DNA binding properties (11). Haidweger et al. (54) and Fojas de Borja et al. (53) reported that cyclin A-CDK2 interacts with and phosphorylates Sp1 on Ser-61, enhancing its activity.
Phosphorylated Sp1 Activates the CT
PromoterIn the present study we show that in mouse embryo fibroblasts, Sp1 is phosphorylated in late G1-S phase (Fig. 2). However, the level of Sp1 protein does not change during the cell cycle, indicating that Sp1 is specifically phosphorylated in S phase to regulate its activity. These results are in agreement with our previous report, which showed that increasing the level of Sp1 protein does not completely activate CT
transcription (33).
We also provide evidence that Sp1 is a substrate for a kinase that we identified as CDK2. In the in vitro phosphorylation assay, Sp1-phosphorylating activity was specifically precipitated from nuclear extracts obtained during S phase using an anti-Sp1 antibody. Addition of roscovitine, a CDK2 inhibitor, decreased Sp1 phosphorylation, indicating that phosphorylation is dependent on CDK2. We detected proteins other than Sp1 and histone H1 that were phosphorylated during S phase both in vitro and in vivo. We also demonstrate that Sp1 binds to the CT
promoter only when phosphorylated because nuclear extracts containing phosphatase-treated Sp1 were unable to bind the DNA probe. It seems likely that both the promoter and the context of the Sp1 binding site determine whether or not expression of a gene is influenced by Sp1 phosphorylation. For example, the DNA binding activity of the E2F family of transcription factors can be decreased when their heterodimerization partner, DP1, is phosphorylated by the E2F-cyclin A complex (55). Our data demonstrate that phosphorylation of Sp1 by a CDK2-cyclin E or CDK2-cyclin A complex increases the DNA binding of Sp1. This observation is consistent with our finding that in cells that overexpress cyclin A and CDK2, Sp1-dependent CT
-luciferase transcription is increased.
In agreement with our in vitro experiments, we have demonstrated that cells which overexpress Sp1 and either cyclin A or CDK2 have increased CT
promoter activity. Overexpression of cyclin A and Sp1 increases CT
promoter activity by
2-fold. This observation confirms that Sp1 is activated by cyclin A. Expression of cyclin A in other phases of the cell cycle, when this protein is not normally expressed, induces a change in the CT
expression profile. When CDK2 was overexpressed, the increase was less dramatic than for cyclin A, probably reflecting residual cyclin levels in cells that had been arrested and synchronized. Overexpression of the dominant-negative CDK2 mutant reduced CT
expression. Thus we conclude that CDK activity is essential for normal induction of CT
expression during S phase. These findings are consistent with the idea that cyclin-CDK2 interacts with and phosphorylates Sp1, thereby activating Sp1-mediated transcription. This conclusion is supported by two additional results. First, an increase in CT
expression during the S phase is abolished after treatment with the CDK2 inhibitors roscovitine or olomoucine. Because the experimental design did not affect cell cycle progression, the possibility that cell cycle arrest was responsible for reduced CT
expression can be eliminated. Second, knock-down of the expression of cyclin A, cyclin E, and CDK2 using specifically designed siRNAs reduced CT
-luciferase expression. Simultaneous down-regulation of cyclin A and cyclin E abolished the induction of CT
during S phase. Cyclin E controls G1 progression and transition to S phase (56), whereas cyclin A controls S phase events (8). With attenuated expression of cyclin A and cyclin E, the loss of CT
induction in the S phase of the cell cycle might be explained by the absence of cyclin-dependent activation of Sp1 or might be because the cells were arrested in G1. In other studies, when cyclin E activity was inhibited by antibody microinjection during G1, the cells failed to progress to the S phase, possibly preventing assembly and activation of cyclin E-CDK2 (56). Both possibilities might affect Sp1 activation and consequently also CT
induction during S phase.
We were unable to examine cell cycle progression ([3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA) in the cells transfected with siRNAs because C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts have a low transfection efficiency (10%). However, this did not prevent us from examining siRNA effects because the cells transfected with the luciferase reporters are assumed to be the same as those transfected with siRNA. Moreover, we considered that generation of stable cell lines harboring multiple siRNAs would not be viable. The transiently transfected cells are viable as we measured
-galactosidase activities in these cells and noted that their appearance was normal. The knock-down of expression of CDK2, cyclin A, and cyclin E dramatically decreases the CT
promoter activity at all time points analyzed.
It is interesting to note that Sp1 can interact with two different protein complexes, cyclin E-CDK2 and cyclin A-CDK2. The interaction between cyclin A and Sp1 has been defined previously (53, 54). However, our finding that Sp1 not only interacts with cyclin E but also affects Sp1 transcriptional activity has not been reported. Both cyclin E-CDK2-Sp1 and cyclin A-CDK2-Sp1 are stable complexes that bind to DNA. We detected both cyclins A and E and CDK2 as part of the Sp1-DNA complex. In contrast, Fojas de Borja et al. (53) reported that the interaction between Sp1 and cyclin A is transient. However, the interaction between E2F and cyclin A-CDK2 involved in dihydrofolate reductase regulation is stable, and the complex binds to DNA (55).
Considerable evidence supports a close relationship between cell cycle progression and the requirement for PC biosynthesis. Most of this evidence is based on how the activity of CT
is increased to provide PC in appropriate amounts during different phases of the cell cycle (25, 27, 28). In the present study we demonstrate that CT
expression is regulated at the level of transcription by the state of Sp1 phosphorylation during the cell cycle.
| FOOTNOTES |
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¶ Scholar of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research New Investigator. ![]()
|| Canada Research Chair for the Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids and a Medical Scientist of the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: 780-492-8286; Fax: 780-492-3383; E-mail: dennis.vance{at}ualberta.ca.
1 The abbreviations used are: CDK, cyclin-dependent kinase; PC, phosphatidylcholine; CT, CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase; DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; FBS, fetal bovine serum; LUC, luciferase; siRNA, small interfering RNA; CMV, cytomegalovirus. ![]()
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| REFERENCES |
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