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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 279, Issue 40, 41477-41486, October 1, 2004
Site-specific Acetylation of the Fetal Globin Activator NF-E4 Prevents Its Ubiquitination and Regulates Its Interaction with the Histone Deacetylase, HDAC1*![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ¶
From the
Received for publication, May 10, 2004 , and in revised form, July 21, 2004.
Acetylation provides one mechanism by which the functional diversity of individual transcription factors can be expanded. This is valuable in the setting of complex multigene loci that are regulated by a limited number of proteins, such as the human -globin locus. We have studied the role of acetylation in the regulation of the transcription factor NF-E4, a component of a protein complex that facilitates the preferential expression of the human -globin genes in fetal erythroid cells. We have shown that NF-E4 interacts directly with, and serves as a substrate for, the acetyltransferase co-activator PCAF. Acetylation of NF-E4 is restricted to a single residue (Lys43) in the amino-terminal domain of the protein and results in two important functional consequences. Acetylation of NF-E4 prolongs the protein half-life by preventing ubiquitin-mediated degradation. This stabilization is PCAF-dependent, since enforced expression in fetal/erythroid cells of a mutant form of PCAF lacking the histone acetyltransferase domain (PCAF HAT) decreases NF-E4 stability. Acetylation of Lys43 also reduces the interaction between NF-E4 and HDAC1, potentially maximizing the activating ability of the factor at the -promoter. These results provide further demonstration that co-activators, such as PCAF, can influence individual transcription factor properties at multiple levels to alter their effects on gene expression.
Proteins with intrinsic histone acetyltransferase (HAT)1 activity function as co-activators of transcription through direct acetylation of specific lysine residues within the N-terminal tails of core histones (1). This modification leads to destabilization of local nucleosomal structure with induction of an open chromatin configuration, allowing access of the transcriptional machinery to core promoters (reviewed in Refs. 24). The covalent modification of histones by acetylation also provides recognition sites for factors involved in gene activation or repression (5). Two of the most widely studied protein families with acetylase activity are the GCN5/PCAF (1, 6) and p300/CBP proteins (7, 8). The substrates for these factors are far more diverse than the histone proteins alone and include transcription factors such as p53 (9), GATA-1 (10, 11), erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) (12), SCL (13), E2F1 (14), transcriptional co-regulators (15), DNA-binding proteins (16), retroviral proteins (17), and nonnuclear proteins (18). The sequelae of acetylation of these proteins range from altered DNA binding or cellular localization to changes in protein stability or protein-protein interactions (reviewed in Ref. 19). These significant changes in function occur in the context of modification of a small number of lysine residues within an individual protein and thus provide mechanisms to expand the roles for single factors in the regulation of complex multigenic loci.
One such locus is the
NF-E4 is another globin-specific transcription factor (30). This protein forms the stage selector protein complex (SSP) with the ubiquitous transcription factor CP2 (31). The SSP facilitates the interaction of the In this study, we demonstrate that NF-E4 is a direct target of the co-activator PCAF. The resultant acetylation of Lys-43 in NF-E4 results in both an increase in the stability of the protein due to diminished targeting by ubiquitination and an alteration in protein-protein interactions that favor transcriptional activation. Thus, a single amino acid modification results in complementary functional changes that enhance the ability of NF-E4 to positively regulate fetal globin gene expression.
Cell CultureK562 cells were grown in RPMI medium 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. 293T cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. All cells were grown at 37 °C and in 5% CO2 supplemented with 50 units of penicillin/ml and 50 µg of streptomycin/ml. Reagents and Antibodies[14C]Acetyl-CoA (59 mCi/mmol) and sodium [3H]acetate (5 Ci/mmol) were purchased from Amersham Biosciences and PerkinElmer Life Sciences, respectively. Tran35S-label was obtained from ICN (Costa Mesa, CA). Trichostatin A (TSA), sodium butyrate, acetyl-CoA, ubiquitin, MG132, and cycloheximide were from Sigma. Peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-mouse and monoclonal antirabbit immunoglobulin G, monoclonal anti-FLAG (M2), and anti-ubiquitin antibodies were from Sigma. Monoclonal anti-HA (12CA5) antibody was from Roche Applied Science. Monoclonal anti-acetyl lysine and anti-HDAC1 antibodies were from Upstate (Waltham, MA). Anti-PCAF and anti-tubulin antibodies were from Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA). Anti-NF-E4-specific antibody was generated by immunizing rabbits with a C-terminal synthetic peptide with the amino acid sequence LKTDSALEQTPQQLPSLHLS coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin.
Plasmids, Transfections, Luciferase, and
Stable K562 cell lines overexpressing HA-NF-E4, HA-K43R, PCAF, and PCAF
Metabolic LabelingFor 35S labeling, K562 cells were grown in RPMI supplemented with 5% dialyzed fetal bovine serum containing Tran35S-label (20 µCi/ml; a mixture of cysteine and methionine) for 4 h. For 3H labeling, K562 cells were cultured in RPMI containing sodium [3H]acetate (1 mCi/ml) and 2 µM TSA for 2 h. Extracts were prepared and boiled after adding 2x sample buffer (125 mM Tris-HCl, pH 6.8, 4% SDS, 20% glycerol, 2% Immunoprecipitation and ImmunoblottingCells were lysed in ice-cold lysis buffer (150 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 1 mM EDTA, 1% Nonidet P-40, 10 mM sodium butyrate) containing a protease inhibitor mixture (Roche Applied Science) and cleared by centrifugation. Immunoprecipitations were carried out by adding appropriate antibodies plus protein G-Sepharose beads, followed by incubation at 4 °C. The immunoprecipitates were washed extensively, subjected to SDS-PAGE, and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. The membranes were incubated with various specific antibodies and then washed extensively prior to incubation with peroxidase-conjugated anti-rabbit or antimouse immunoglobulin G. After further extensive washes, the blots were visualized by using ECL reagents (Amersham Biosciences). All immunoprecipitations were performed in duplicate. Recombinant Protein Expression and GST Pull-down AssayGST-fusion proteins were produced in BL21 Escherichia coli as described previously (30). 35S-Labeled NF-E4 and PCAF synthesized using the T7 TNT kit (Promega) and Tran35S-label (ICN) were incubated with GST fusion proteins prebound to glutathione beads at 4 °C overnight. The samples were washed extensively and subjected to SDS-PAGE. The gels were dried and analyzed by autoradiography.
Determination of Protein Half-lifeK562 cells stably expressing HA-NF-E4, HA-K43R, PCAF, and PCAF In Vitro Protein Acetylation Assay23 µg of the indicated GST fusion protein or SCL and 200 ng of acetyltransferase protein were incubated in a reaction containing 50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 10% glycerol, 1 mM dithiothreitol, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 10 mM sodium butyrate, and 30 µM acetyl-coenzyme A or 1 µl of [14C]acetyl-CoA for 1 h at 30 °C. The reaction mixture was subjected to SDS-PAGE and analyzed by autoradiography of dried gels or by Western blotting with anti-acetyl lysine antibody. In Vitro Ubiquitination AssayRecombinant protein was used as the substrate in a ubiquitin reaction containing 20 mM Hepes, pH 7.5, 5 mM MgCl2, 2 mM dithiothreitol, 2 mM ATP, 5 µg of ubiquitin, 20 µM MG132, and 5 µl of crude rabbit reticulocyte (Promega) for 1 h at 30 °C. In some cases, GST fusion proteins were acetylated prior to the ubiquitination reaction by PCAF in the presence or absence of unlabeled acetyl-CoA. The samples were subjected to SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes followed by determination of ubiquitination by Western blotting analysis.
In Vivo Ubiquitination Assay293T cells were transfected with pCDNA3.1-FLAG-ubiquitin, and cell lysate was prepared 36 h later. For immunoprecipitation, 1 mg of protein was incubated with Electrophoretic Mobility Shift AssayThe electrophoretic mobility shift assay was performed as previously described (31) using recombinant proteins. In some cases, recombinant NF-E4 was acetylated in vitro prior to binding DNA. Specific antibodies against NF-E4 or CP2 or specific or nonspecific cold oligonucleotide competitors in molar excess were added to the reaction mixture for 30 min on ice before the addition of the labeled SSE oligonucleotides.
Acetylation of NF-E4 in Vitro and in VivoDistinct functional parallels exist between the globin regulatory transcription factors EKLF and NF-E4. Both factors are expressed throughout erythroid ontogeny and yet exert their predominant effects at distinct developmental time points. Acetylation of EKLF is critical for its role as an adult globin gene activator, and we postulated that a similar posttranslational modification might also regulate NF-E4 function. We therefore examined the ability of NF-E4 to serve as a substrate for two acetyltransferases, PCAF and CBP. A purified GST-NF-E4 fusion protein was incubated with recombinant CBP or PCAF in the presence of [14C]acetyl-CoA and the incorporation of [14C]acetate determined by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. Recombinant SCL (TAL1), which is acetylated in vitro by both acetyltransferases (13), served as the positive control, and GST alone served as the negative control. As shown in Fig. 1A, acetylation of GST-NF-E4 was observed in the presence of PCAF (lane 3) but not CBP (lane 2). Incorporation of [14C]acetate was dependent on the presence of NF-E4, since GST alone remained unlabeled (lane 1). SCL was acetylated in the presence of both co-activators (lanes 4 and 5). To determine whether NF-E4 was acetylated in vivo in a fetal/erythroid environment, human K562 cells were pulse-labeled with either [35S]methionine/cysteine or sodium [3H]acetate in the presence of TSA. Cellular extract was subjected to immunoprecipitation with anti-NF-E4 antibody, and precipitates were washed under stringent conditions. As a control, extracts were also immunoprecipitated with preimmune sera. As shown in Fig. 1B, NF-E4-specific antisera detected both the 35S-labeled NF-E4 (left panel) and acetylated NF-E4 (right panel). Neither species was detected with preimmune sera. To directly examine the role of PCAF in the acetylation of NF-E4 in a cellular context, we co-transfected the human cell line 293T with mammalian expression vectors containing a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope-tagged NF-E4 (HA-NF-E4), and either the wild-type PCAF cDNA (PCAF) tagged with a FLAG epitope or a mutant PCAF that lacked the histone acetyltransferase domain (PCAF HAT) tagged with a FLAG epitope, or vector alone (13, 14). Cellular extracts from the transfected cells were immunoprecipitated with preimmune sera (lane 1) or anti-HA antibody (lanes 24) and immunoblotted with either anti-HA antibody ( -HA) or antibody specific for acetylated lysine ( -AcK) (Fig. 1C). An increase in the level of acetylated NF-E4 was observed in the presence of PCAF compared with vector alone (compare lanes 2 and 3). The level of acetylated NF-E4 was decreased in cells transfected with PCAF HAT, consistent with its dominant negative role (lane 4). The expression of HA-NF-E4 and FLAG-PCAF/PCAF HAT were similar in the transfected lines (lower panels). These findings indicate that NF-E4 serves as a substrate for the acetyltransferase, PCAF.
NF-E4 Interacts with PCAF in Vitro and in VivoAcetylation of transcription factors is usually mediated by a direct interaction between the factor and the specific acetyltransferase. To determine whether NF-E4 interacted directly with PCAF, we performed glutathione S-transferase (GST)-chromatography assays (Fig. 2A). In vitro transcribed/translated [35S]methionine-labeled NF-E4 (lane 1) was applied to glutathione-Sepharose beads adsorbed with GST alone (lane 2); GST-PCAF-(352832) (lane 3), which contains key regulatory domains including the HAT domain; and a positive control, GST-CP2 (lane 4). The labeled protein was retained on both the GST-PCAF and GST-CP2 matrices but not on GST alone. To further localize the region of NF-E4 that interacted with PCAF, we generated a series of truncation deletions of NF-E4 as GST fusion proteins and examined their ability to retain [35S]methionine-labeled PCAF (Fig. 2B). Only NF-E4 fusion proteins containing the first 25 amino acids were capable of interacting with PCAF (lanes 35). In contrast, fusion proteins that lacked only the N-terminal 17 amino acids did not interact (lane 6), and no PCAF was retained on the GST alone matrix (lane 2). To confirm the interaction in a cellular context, we transfected 293T cells with mammalian expression vectors containing the NF-E4 cDNA tagged with a hemagglutinin epitope (HA-NF-E4) and the PCAF cDNA tagged with a FLAG epitope (FLAG-PCAF) (Fig. 2C). Cellular extract was immunoprecipitated with an unrelated antibody (mock) or anti-FLAG antibody and immunoblotted with either anti-HA antibody (top panel) or anti-FLAG antibody (bottom panel). Both PCAF and NF-E4 were immunoprecipitated with the anti-FLAG antibody, but not the unrelated antibody, indicating that the two proteins interact in a cellular context. Immunoprecipitation of lysate from nontransfected cells with the anti-FLAG antibody failed to bring down NF-E4 (data not shown). We then examined whether this interaction occurred in the absence of enforced expression of the proteins. K562 cell extract was immunoprecipitated with either preimmune sera or antibody to NF-E4 or PCAF, and the precipitates were electrophoresed and immunoblotted with anti-PCAF antibody. As shown in Fig. 2D, PCAF co-immunoprecipitated with NF-E4 (lane 2), indicating that these two factors form a complex in native cells. No PCAF was observed with preimmune sera (lane 1).
Identifying Acetylation Sites in NF-E4To identify the residue(s) in NF-E4 that are acetylated by PCAF, we utilized our series of GST-NF-E4 truncation mutants (Fig. 3A, left panel). The proteins were subjected to a PCAF-dependent in vitro acetylation assay using unlabeled acetyl-CoA, and protein acetylation was detected using an antibody specific for acetylated lysine ( -AcK) (Fig. 3A, top right panel). Full-length NF-E4 (amino acids 1179) (top panel, lane 5) and NF-E4 (amino acids 148) (lane 3) were both acetylated in vitro. In contrast, NF-E4 lacking the first 48 amino acids (lane 4), NF-E4 (amino acids 125) (lane 2), and GST alone (lane 1) remained unacetylated, despite significant levels of GST fusion protein expression (Fig. 3A, bottom right panel). This acetylation pattern was duplicated when acetylated lysine was detected by incorporation of [14C]acetyl-CoA in the in vitro assay (data not shown). These results localized the site of acetylation of NF-E4 to the residues between 26 and 48 and indicated that the acetylation status of the NF-E4 protein was accurately reflected by Western analysis with the antibody specific for acetylated lysine.
Acetylation of proteins involves the attachment of an acetyl group to the side chain of lysine residues. Examination of the predicted amino acid sequence of NF-E4 in this region revealed a single potential site for NF-E4 acetylation at lysine 43. To determine whether this residue was acetylated by PCAF in vitro, we generated a full-length NF-E4 protein in which the lysine at position 43 was altered to arginine (K43R) (Fig. 3B, top panel). Cleaved GST fusion proteins of the full-length wild-type NF-E4 and K43R mutant were incubated with PCAF in the presence of acetyl-CoA and sodium butyrate, separated by SDS-PAGE, and immunoblotted with anti-acetyl lysine antibody or anti-NF-E4 antibody. As shown in Fig. 3B (bottom panel), despite producing abundant mutant and wild-type proteins as detected with anti-NF-E4 antibody, no acetylation was detected in the setting of the K43R mutation. This mutation did not affect the ability of PCAF to bind to NF-E4 or the nuclear localization of the protein (data not shown). To examine the effect of the K43R mutation on NF-E4 acetylation in vivo, we transfected 293T cells with mammalian expression vectors containing the HA-tagged NF-E4 cDNA (HA-NF-E4) or a tagged NF-E4 cDNA containing the K43R mutation (HA-K43R). Extract from both lines was immunoprecipitated with -HA antisera and immunoblotted with either -AcK or -HA. As shown in Fig. 3C, despite abundant expression of the mutant and wild type NF-E4 proteins as demonstrated with anti-HA antibody ( -HA), only a faint band was detected in the setting of the K43R mutation ( -AcK). In contrast, the wild-type protein displayed prominent acetylation consistent with Lys-43 acting as the sole site of in vitro acetylation and the major site of in vivo PCAF-dependent acetylation.
NF-E4 DNA Binding Is Not Affected by Acetylation in Vitro The DNA-binding properties of many transcription factors are altered by acetylation (19). To examine the effects of this modification on NF-E4 DNA binding, we performed an electrophoretic mobility shift assay with recombinant CP2 and NF-E4 and an SSE probe from the human
Acetylation Stabilizes NF-E4 Protein by Inhibiting Its UbiquitinationAcetylation has recently been shown to increase the stability of a number of diverse transcription factors (14, 33, 34). We examined the influence of acetylation on NF-E4 protein stability by determining the half-life of endogenous NF-E4 in K562 cells stably transfected with retroviral vectors carrying wild-type PCAF or PCAF HAT or the empty vector as a control (Fig. 5A). Cellular extracts were prepared at various time points after cycloheximide treatment and subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotted with antibodies to NF-E4 or tubulin as a control. The expression of PCAF and PCAF HAT was shown to be comparable in the two cell lines by immunoblotting extracts with -PCAF (top right panel). As shown in data from a representative experiment (left panel) and graphically from all experiments (bottom right panel), an increase in endogenous NF-E4 stability was observed in the cells transfected with wild-type PCAF compared with vector alone. In contrast, the half-life of NF-E4 in K562 cells transfected with PCAF HAT was significantly reduced, suggesting that the stability of NF-E4 is dependent on PCAF-mediated acetylation of Lys-43.
We therefore compared the stability of wild type and acetylation-deficient (K43R) NF-E4. K562 cells were stably transfected with retroviral vectors carrying HA-tagged wild-type (HA-NF-E4) or K43R mutant NF-E4 (HA-K43R), and extracts were processed as described above (Fig. 5B, left panel). The half-life of the transfected, tagged HA-NF-E4 was less than 1 h (right panel), considerably shorter than the endogenous NF-E4 (Fig. 5A). We attributed this to levels of endogenous PCAF expression that were limiting in the context of a marked increase in NF-E4 expression in the transfected cells. Surprisingly, the half-life of the acetylation-deficient HA-K43R was almost 3 h (right panel), 3 times longer than the wild type protein. The levels and stability of the control protein, tubulin, were comparable in extracts from both transduced lines. These results suggested that acetylation of lysine 43 plays an important role in the stabilization of the NF-E4 protein in cells. However, they also suggest that lysine 43 may also play a role in the targeted degradation of NF-E4.
The enhanced stability of both acetylated NF-E4 and the acetylation-deficient K43R mutant was reminiscent of the findings reported with the transcription factors Smad7 and the SREBP family (33, 34). In these proteins, the sites of acetylation that enhance protein stabilization are also the lysine residues targeted by ubiquitination. Consequently, either acetylation or mutation of these lysine residues increases protein stability. To determine whether acetylation of NF-E4 altered the susceptibility of the protein to ubiquitination, we utilized recombinant NF-E4 in both acetylated and nonacetylated forms as substrates in reconstituted in vitro ubiquitination assays (Fig. 5C, top panel). Nonacetylated NF-E4 was ubiquitinated in the presence of rabbit reticulocyte lysate (RRL) (lane 3) and migrated as a high molecular weight polyubiquitinated species (NF-E4-Ubn). Acetylation of NF-E4 markedly reduced its ubiquitination (compare lanes 2 and 3). No ubiquitinated protein was observed in the absence of the rabbit reticulocyte lysate (lane 1). The amount of HA-NF-E4 used in each experiment was equivalent as demonstrated by immunoblotting with anti-HA antisera (lower panel), and acetylation was confirmed in the presence of PCAF and Ac-CoA by immunoblotting with anti-AcK antisera (middle panel). This finding suggests that acetylation of Lys-43 blocks the ubiquitination of NF-E4. To examine the effect of mutation of Lys-43 on the ubiquitination of NF-E4 in a cellular context, we utilized the 293T cells stably transfected with retroviral vectors containing the HA-tagged wild-type (HA-NF-E4) or K43R mutant NF-E4 (HA-K43R) or the empty vector control (Fig. 5D). The levels of expression of the tagged NF-E4 forms were similar in both lines, with a small increase in the K43R protein level reflecting its increased stability (shown in
Effect of K43R Mutation on NF-E4 Transcriptional ActivityWe predicted that functional effects of stabilization of NF-E4 would be reflected by an increase in the activity of the
To examine this further, we investigated the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor TSA on -promoter activity in a transient transfection assay. K562 cells were co-transfected with the -promoter-luciferase reporter and the -galactosidase-expressing plasmid and divided into three flasks, two of which were induced with TSA in varying concentrations. As shown in Fig. 6C, a dose-dependent increase in -promoter activity was seen with TSA induction. This finding was consistent with the enhancement of endogenous -gene expression seen with this compound (35, 36).
Diminished Binding of Acetylated NF-E4 to HDAC1Altered protein-protein interactions are a well established consequence of transcription factor acetylation (19). The affinity of EKLF for the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex is enhanced by this modification (29), prompting us to consider whether acetylation of NF-E4 could influence its protein interactions to enhance its activation potential. We had previously demonstrated that NF-E4 and the histone deacetylase HDAC1 were co-immunoprecipitated from extract derived from K562 cells using anti-NF-E4 antibody (Fig. 7A). HDAC1 is a member of a family of deacetylases involved in transcriptional repression and gene silencing (reviewed in Ref. 37). To determine whether acetylation of NF-E4 altered its affinity for HDAC1, we utilized recombinant GST-HA-NF-E4 in both acetylated and nonacetylated forms and a GST alone control in pull-down experiments with K562 cell extract (Fig. 7B). Acetylation of the recombinant protein was confirmed by immunoblotting with anti-AcK antibody (bottom panel). Analysis of the eluate from the three GST matrices with anti-HDAC1 antibody (
Our previous studies have suggested that NF-E4 plays a role in regulation of the human -globin locus through activation of the -genes and competitive silencing of -gene expression (30). The mechanisms underlying these activities are gradually emerging, and appear to hinge on both critical protein/protein interactions and post-translational modification of the factor. In the fetal erythroid environment, NF-E4 is a component of a multiprotein complex that contains the transcriptional activator CP2 (30, 31). We now provide evidence that the acetyltransferase PCAF also complexes with NF-E4 in this environment and covalently modifies the protein. This modification has a number of sequelae, including increased stability of the protein through resistance to ubiquitination and alteration of protein partners to favor interactions that promote transcriptional activation.
The PCAF-interacting domain of NF-E4 is contained within the amino-terminal region of the NF-E4 protein. Although the full-length NF-E4 protein contains a number of lysine residues, it appears that in the context of PCAF, only the single residue at position 43 is acetylated. We found no evidence that CBP directly modifies the NF-E4 protein. In this regard, NF-E4 is unlike several of the other erythroid transcription factors that bind to the globin locus, including GATA-1, EKLF, and p45 NF-E2, all of which are acetylated by CBP (1012, 38). Interestingly, these factors have all been directly implicated in recruitment of acetyltransferases to the adult
The functional consequences of acetylation of several of the globin locus binding factors have been examined previously. Modification of the MafG component of NF-E2 augments the DNA binding activity of this complex (38). Enhanced DNA binding has also been reported for acetylated GATA-1 (10), although there is some conjecture about this conclusion (11). We observed no effect of acetylation on the DNA-binding properties of NF-E4, a finding that parallels the lack of effect of acetylation on EKLF binding to its cognate site (29). The effects of acetylation on EKLF involve enhanced interaction between the factor and the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex (29). This results in maximization of the activation potential of EKLF at the
Modification of a number of transcription factors has been shown to influence their interaction with HDAC1. The phosphorylation status of NF- The enhanced stability of NF-E4 we observed in the context of acetylation has been reported for a number of transcription factors, including E2F1, members of the SREBP family, and Smad7 (14, 33, 34). In the latter two examples, it was demonstrated that specific lysine residues were targeted by ubiquitination and that acetylation of these residues prevented the subsequent ubiquitination of the protein. Our data indicate that a similar mechanism governs NF-E4 stability. The potential link between acetylation status of proteins and their ubiquitination has been strengthened by the identification of ubiquitin pathway components in the HDAC6 complex (54). NF-E4 degradation may be dependent on its deacetylation and ubiquitination, and it is tempting to speculate that this may be mediated by NF-E4 serving as a substrate for HDAC1. Our future studies will explore this possibility.
* This work was supported by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, NIH Grants PO1 HL53749-03 and RO1 HL69232-01 (to S. M. J.), the Wellcome Trust (to S. M. J.), Cancer Centre Support CORE Grant P30 CA 21765, the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, and the Assisi Foundation of Memphis. The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This 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: Rotary Bone Marrow Research Laboratory, c/o Royal Melbourne Hospital Post Office, Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia. Tel.: 61-3-93428641; Fax: 61-3-93428634; E-mail: jane{at}wehi.edu.au.
1 The abbreviations used are: HAT, histone acetyltransferase; EKLF, erythroid Kruppel-like factor; SSP, stage selector protein complex; SSE, stage selector element; GFP, green fluorescent protein; GST, glutathione S-transferase; TSA, trichostatin A; HA, hemagglutinin; Ub, ubiquitin; CBP, CREB-binding protein; CREB, cAMP-response element-binding protein.
2 S. M. Jane and J. M. Cunningham, unpublished observations.
We are grateful to T. Kouzarides and S. Brandt and I. Dikic for providing plasmids.
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