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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 279, Issue 52, 54676-54686, December 24, 2004
SMRT and N-CoR Corepressors Are Regulated by Distinct Kinase Signaling Pathways*![]() ![]() From the Section of Microbiology, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, Davis, California 95616
Received for publication, September 2, 2004 , and in revised form, October 14, 2004.
N-CoR and SMRT are corepressor paralogs that partner with and mediate transcriptional repression by a wide variety of metazoan transcription factors, including nuclear hormone receptors. Although encoded by distinct genetic loci, N-CoR and SMRT share substantial sequence interrelatedness, form analogous assemblies with histone deacetylases and auxiliary factors, can interact with overlapping sets of transcription factor partners, and exert overlapping functions in cells. SMRT is subject to negative regulation by MAPK signaling pathways operating downstream of growth factor and stress signaling pathways. We report here that whereas activation of MEKK1 leads to phosphorylation of SMRT, its dissociation from its transcription factor partners in vivo and in vitro, and its redistribution from the cell nucleus to a cytoplasmic compartment, N-CoR is refractory to all these forms of regulation. In contrast to this MAPK cascade, other signal transduction pathways operating downstream of growth factor/cytokine receptors appear able to affect both corepressor paralogs. Our results indicate that SMRT and N-CoR are embedded in distinct regulatory networks and that the two corepressors interpret growth factor, cytokine, differentiation, and prosurvival signals differently.
Many transcription factors display bimodal regulatory properties and can confer both repression and activation on their target genes. This functional dualism reflects the ability of these transcription factors to recruit two alternative classes of auxiliary proteins, denoted corepressors and coactivators, that determine the polarity of the transcriptional response (1-9). Nuclear receptors, for example, are a family of ligand-regulated transcription factors that regulate key aspects of metazoan development, differentiation, and homeostasis (10-13). In the absence of hormone ligand, nuclear receptors can recruit a corepressor complex containing the SMRT protein, leading to repression of target gene expression (14-19). Conversely, binding of hormone agonist causes the release of the SMRT corepressor complex and the recruitment of coactivator complexes that enhance target gene expression (20, 21). Analogous corepressor and coactivator complexes partner with a broad assortment of other transcriptional regulators, including NF- B, serum response factor, AP-1 proteins, Smad proteins, CCAAT binding factor, c-Myb, PLZF, Bcl-6, Pbx/Hox proteins, ETO-1 and ETO-2, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, and MyoD, among others (reviewed in Ref. 6). Corepressors and coactivators modulate gene expression by modifying the chromatin template and by making inhibitory or stimulatory contacts with the general transcriptional machinery (22-34). Many coactivators possess histone acetyltransferase activity, whereas the SMRT corepressor recruits histone deacetylases, such as HDAC3 (1, 3-6, 9). Acetylation and deacetylation of nucleosomal histones by these coactivator and corepressor complexes, operating together with other covalent histone modifications, create a code that influences the interaction of the chromatin with additional factors and its accessibility to the general transcriptional machinery (22-26, 28-31, 33, 34). Besides histone deacetylases, the SMRT complex contains additional protein components, such as TBL1/TBLR1 and GPS2, that help stabilize its overall structure and that may contribute to the release of the corepressor complex in response to hormone agonist (35-39); other polypeptides, such as mSin3 and an assortment of additional histone deacetylases, can also interact with SMRT, but the association of these latter polypeptides with the SMRT complex in vivo and their contribution to SMRT-mediated repression remain incompletely elucidated (reviewed in Ref. 6). SMRT therefore acts as a molecular platform on which the remainder of the corepressor complex assembles and serves as the principal contact between the corepressor complex and its transcription factor partners. Regulatory events that cause a dissociation of SMRT also cause the release of the remainder of the corepressor complex and a loss of repression (20, 21). Notably, a second corepressor protein, denoted N-CoR, is widely distributed in vertebrates and performs similar or identical functions compared with SMRT (40, 41). Although encoded by a distinct genetic locus, N-CoR shares the same overall molecular architecture and significant amino acid identity with SMRT (see Fig. 1A); interacts with many of the same transcription factors partners (although, in some cases, with different affinities); and assembles into similar or identical complexes with TBL1, TBLR1, and GPS2 and with other known or suspected corepressor components (reviewed in Ref. 6). Despite these many parallels between SMRT and N-CoR, these corepressor paralogs were established and subsequently maintained as distinct gene products from the beginning of the vertebrate evolutionary radiation and perform distinct functions in cells (reviewed in Ref. 6). What differences do N-CoR and SMRT therefore manifest at the molecular level to account for their distinct biological and evolutionary properties?
We have shown that growth factor receptors are important regulators of SMRT function and operate through a MAPK1 cascade (42, 43). Activation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor or its downstream mediator, MEKK1, leads to inhibition of the ability of SMRT to interact with its transcription factor partners and a redistribution of SMRT from the nucleus to the cytoplasm (42, 43). These effects of MEKK1 on SMRT represent an important nexus between growth factor signaling and nuclear receptor function and contribute to the differentiation-promoting effects of arsenic trioxide treatment in acute promyelocytic leukemia (44). We report here that direct phosphorylation of SMRT by MEKK1 is sufficient to inhibit the SMRT/thyroid hormone receptor (T3R) interaction in vitro and that the relocalization of SMRT to the cytoplasm in cells expressing MEKK1 occurs unaccompanied by the T3R partner (which is retained in the nucleus). More important, we also report that N-CoR is unexpectedly resistant to these inhibitory effects of MEKK1 under conditions in which SMRT function is strongly suppressed. Unlike SMRT, N-CoR is refractory to MEKK1 phosphorylation, does not release from nuclear receptor partners in vitro or in vivo, and does not detectably change in its subcellular distribution in response to MEKK1 signaling. Taken together with the observations by other investigators, these results indicate that the SMRT and N-CoR corepressor paralogs are subject to distinct forms of regulation. We suggest that these divergent forms of control help account for the establishment and retention of these two distinct forms of corepressor during vertebrate evolution.
Plasmid ConstructsThe construction of the mammalian expression plasmids pSG5-Gal4AD, pSG5-Gal4AD-T3R , pSG5-Gal4DBD, pSG5-Gal4DBD-SMRT -(1773-2471), pSG5-Gal4DBD-N-CoR-(1946-2435), pSG5-Gal4AD-RAR , and pSG5-Gal4DBD-RAR was described previously (32, 43, 45, 46). The pSG5-Myc vector was created by inserting a synthetic oligonucleotide (MWG Biotech, High Point, NC) encoding a Myc epitope tag into an expanded multiple cloning site in pSG5. The pSG5-Myc-T3R , pSG5-Myc-SMRT -(1-2423), and pSG5-Myc-N-CoR-(1-2453) vectors were created using PCR to introduce approximate restriction sites on the ends of the corresponding open reading frames and by ligating the DNA products into the pSG5-Myc vector. The pCMV-GFP-SMRT -(1-2423) and pCMV-GFP-N-CoR-(1-2453) expression vectors were created by inserting PCR-generated DNAs containing the corresponding open reading frames into the pCMV-GFP vector (43). PCR-generated DNAs encoding the S1 domain of SMRT (amino acids 2313-2517) or the S1 and S2 domains of SMRT (amino acids 2077-2517) were cloned into pGEX-KG (47) to yield the pGEX-SMRT -S1-(2313-2517) and pGEX-SMRT -S1/S2-(2077-2517) constructs. The pGEX-N-CoR-N1-(2211-2453) and the pGEX-N-CoR-N1/N2/N3-(1817-2453) vectors were created by inserting the HindIII-SalI or ApaI-SalI fragment of N-CoR into a pGEX-KG vector bearing an expanded multiple cloning site. All clones were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis.
The origins of pCMV5-FLAG-
Cell CultureCV-1 cells were propagated in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing high glucose, L-glutamine, and pyridoxine hydrochloride (Invitrogen) and supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (Hyclone Laboratories, Logan, UT). Cells were maintained at 37°C in a humidified 5% CO2 atmosphere. For expression of His6-
Mammalian Two-hybrid AnalysisCV-1 cells (3.0 x 104 cells/well in a 24-well plate) were transiently transfected, 24 h after plating, using Effectene transfection reagent (QIAGEN Inc.) following the manufacturer's recommended protocol. Transfection mixtures included 50 ng of the appropriate pSG5-Gal4AD vector, 12.5 ng of the appropriate pSG5-Gal4DBD vector, 50 ng of the pADH-Gal4-17-mer luciferase reporter, either 50 ng of pCH110 or 10 ng of pCMV-LacZ as an internal transfection control, appropriate expression vectors for the indicated signal transducers, and/or an empty vector, as appropriate. Twenty-four hours after transfection, the medium was replaced with fresh medium with or without 1 µM triiodothyronine (T3), 1 ng/ml interleukin-1
Co-immunoprecipitation AssaysCV-1 cells (1.5 x 105 cells/well in a 6-well plate) were transfected with various combinations of Myc-T3R
In Vitro Kinase AssaysGST-SMRT and GST-N-CoR fusion proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 cells and purified by binding to glutathione-agarose beads as described previously (32). Purified GST-corepressor proteins were eluted in buffer containing 20 mM glutathione, 5% glycerol, 10 mg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA), and 1x Complete protease inhibitor mixture in 100 mM Tris-Cl (pH 8.0). The His6-tagged
For phosphorylation in vitro, 10 µl of the GST-SMRT or GST-N-CoR protein were incubated overnight at 30°C with 2 µl of His6-
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift AssaysAn annealed oligonucleotide probe representing a direct repeat of AGGTCA with a 4-base spacer (termed DR-4) was radiolabeled with 32P by fill-in synthesis with Klenow DNA polymerase. T3R Fluorescence MicroscopyCV-1 cells (1.0 x 105 cells/well in a 6-well plate) were allowed to attach to 22 x 22-mm coverslips and transfected using the Effectene protocol described above. Cells were fixed 48 h after transfection in a chilled (-20°C) mixture of 50% acetone and 50% methanol for 10 m at 4°C. After aspiration of the fixing agent, cells were washed three times with PBS and incubated for 1 h at room temperature in PBS containing 2% BSA. The primary mouse anti-Myc monoclonal antibody (diluted 1:500) or a pre-absorbed control mixed with Myc-neutralizing peptide (Affinity Bioreagents, Golden, CO) was added to the coverslips in PBS containing 2% BSA and incubated for 60 min at room temperature. The coverslips were then washed three times with PBS containing 2% BSA and incubated for 1 h at room temperature with Texas Red-conjugated horse anti-mouse IgG antibody (diluted 1:1000; Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) in PBS containing 2% BSA. The coverslips were washed three times with PBS containing 2% BSA and three times with PBS alone and incubated for 5 m at room temperature in PBS containing 0.5 µg/ml 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI). The coverslips were again washed three times with PBS and once with distilled water, and the excess moisture was removed by aspiration. The coverslips were mounted on slides using 25 µl of Vectashield (Vector Laboratories) and sealed with fingernail polish. The slides were visualized using a Nikon Microphot epifluorescence microscope. Digital images were captured with a Nikon Cool Pix 4500 digital camera. For quantification of the fluorescence microscopic data, 100 transfected cells were counted at random from each slide and scored for the following GFP-SMRT or GFP-N-CoR subcellular localization: nuclear, cytoplasmic, nuclear equal to cytoplasmic, or undeterminable. Phosphorylation/Dephosphorylation AssaysCV-1 cells (1.5 x 105 cells/well in a 6-well plate) were transfected with the appropriate mammalian expression vectors using the Effectene protocol described above. Cells were collected 48 h after transfection by mechanical scraping and lysed by a 30-min incubation at 4°C in 250 µl of cell extraction buffer containing 25 mM HEPES (pH 7.8), 300 mM NaCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 1% Triton X-100, 0.1 mM dithiothreitol, 0.2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, and 1x Complete protease inhibitor mixture. Lysates were clarified by centrifugation at 14,000 rpm for 30 min at 4°C, and the lysates were divided into two equal aliquots. One aliquot was treated for 30 min at 37°C with 10 units of shrimp alkaline phosphatase (Promega Corp., Madison, WI), and one aliquot was mock-treated. The samples were then resolved by SDS-PAGE using the NuPAGE Novex Tris acetate 3-8% gradient gel system. The electrophoretograms were visualized by immunoblotting using rabbit polyclonal antibody directed against either SMRT (diluted 1:2000; Affinity Bioreagents) or N-CoR (diluted 1:500; Upstate Biotechnology, Inc., Lake Placid, NY), horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody (diluted 1:3000, Bio-Rad), and the ECL Plus Western blot detection system. The chemiluminescent signals were captured and quantified using the Fluorchem 8900 digital detection system.
MEKK1 Signaling Disrupts the Interaction of Nuclear Receptors with SMRT, but Not with N-CoRWe have reported that SMRT is negatively regulated by growth factor signals operating through a MEKK1 cascade (43), whereas other investigators have reported that N-CoR function can be inhibited by cytokines, such as ciliary neurotrophic factor, through an Akt-mediated phosphorylation pathway (51). To better understand these phenomena, we compared the actions of MEKK1 on N-CoR and SMRT. As reported previously (43), SMRT and a transcription factor partner, T3R , exhibited a strong interaction in a mammalian two-hybrid assay, whereas no two-hybrid signal was observed in negative control studies using either an empty Gal4 DNA-binding domain (Gal4DBD) construct or an empty Gal4 activation domain (Gal4AD) construct in place of the corresponding T3R-corepressor fusions (Fig. 1B). A strong two-hybrid interaction was also observed between N-CoR and T3R , and both the SMRT/T3R and N-CoR/T3R interactions were disrupted by T3 (Fig. 1B). The two-hybrid interaction between SMRT and T3R was disrupted by introduction of an activated MEKK1 allele ( MEKK1, representing codons 817-1493) in a dose-dependent manner over a wide range of MEKK1 expression vector concentrations (Fig. 1C, left panel). In contrast, the two-hybrid interaction between N-CoR and T3R was not inhibited by the introduction of MEKK1, but was actually slightly enhanced at low-to-intermediate MEKK1 transfection levels (12.5-25 ng) (Fig. 1C, right panel). Higher levels of MEKK1 vector (50-75 ng), although not enhancing, nonetheless did not inhibit the N-CoR/T3R interaction, with still higher levels of MEKK1 vector producing cytotoxic effects (Fig. 1C, right panel) (data not shown). Extension of the two-hybrid assay to retinoic acid receptor- (RAR ) demonstrated that MEKK1 similarly strongly interfered with the interaction of SMRT and RAR , but had very little effect on the interaction of N-CoR and RAR (Fig. 1D; also see below).
A control two-hybrid interaction between T3R
MEKK1 Inhibits the Association of T3R
To determine whether the inhibition of the SMRT/nuclear receptor interaction was a result of the direct phosphorylation of this corepressor by MEKK1, we employed an EMSA in vitro. T3R bound to a radiolabeled DR-4 DNA probe in vitro as a protein dimer, forming a receptor·DNA complex that migrates at a slower mobility than that of the free DNA probe (Fig. 3A, lane 1) (53-56); no complex was observed with non-recombinant baculovirus/Sf9 preparations, nor did the T3R preparation bind an irrelevant DNA probe (data not shown). Addition to the EMSA of a SMRT construct representing the S1 receptor interaction domain resulted in a further retardation (a super-shift) of the T3R·DNA complex, indicative of an interaction between the corepressor and the receptor (Fig. 3A, lanes 11-19; quantified in Fig. 3C). Incubation of the SMRT S1 domain construct with MEKK1 and ATP significantly inhibited its ability to supershift the T3R·DNA complex (Fig. 3A, lanes 2-10; quantified in Fig. 3C), indicating that phosphorylation of SMRT by MEKK1 reduces the avidity of the corepressor for its nuclear receptor partner (p < 0.002); omitting the ATP prevented phosphorylation and prevented inhibition by MEKK1 (data not shown). A similar ability of MEKK1 and ATP to inhibit the SMRT interaction with T3R·DNA was observed using a SMRT construct containing both S1 and S2 receptor interaction domains (p < 0.01) (Fig. 3E). In contrast to SMRT, the relevant N-CoR constructs interacted equally well with the T3R·probe complex in either the absence or presence of MEKK1 and ATP, indicating that MEKK1 does not alter the avidity of N-CoR for T3Rs (Fig. 3B, compare lanes 11-19 and 2-10; quantified in Fig. 3, D and F). Of note are the following: (a) treatment of the T3R·DNA complex with MEKK1 in the absence of SMRT or N-CoR had no observable effect on the T3R·DNA complex, and neither SMRT nor N-CoR bound to the DNA probe in the absence of T3R; (b) the non-recombinant GST preparation did not supershift the T3R·DNA complex in either the presence or absence of MEKK1; and (c) the mobilities of the T3R·DNA, SMRT·T3R·DNA, and N-CoR·T3R·DNA complexes were all shifted to slower mobilities by incubation with anti-T3R antibodies, further confirming their identities (data not shown). We conclude that direct MEKK1 modification of SMRT, but not of N-CoR, is a potent inhibitor of the corepressor/nuclear receptor interaction.
MEKK1 Signaling Alters the Subcellular Localization of SMRT, but Not of N-CoRWhen expressed in CV-1 cells, GFP displayed a broad subcellular distribution extending over both nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments (data not shown). In contrast, a GFP fusion of full-length SMRT accumulated preferentially in the nucleus of transfected CV-1 cells, forming a pattern of small bright speckles superimposed over a more diffuse nucleoplasmic localization that was excluded from nucleoli (Fig. 4A). A comparable nuclear distribution was observed (a) in other cell types, such as 293T; (b) over a range of GFP-SMRT expression levels; (c) by immunofluorescence using Myc-directed antibodies to detect ectopically introduced, epitope-tagged SMRT; and (d) using SMRT-directed antibodies to detect endogenous SMRT (Fig. 4C) (data not shown). Although the vast majority of untreated cells displayed a nuclear SMRT localization, 6% of the SMRT-positive cells displayed a dual nuclear/cytoplasmic distribution, and 13% displayed a cytoplasmic localization (quantified in Fig. 4B). These "cytoplasmic" SMRT populations likely represent cells either in or recently transited through mitosis, as suggested by the absence of a discrete nuclear compartment, by the presence of DAPI-positive chromosomes arrayed on a mitotic plate, or by the presence of twinned, symmetrically arrayed cells that appeared to be the products of a recent cytokinesis (data not shown). Introduction of MEKK1 resulted in a redistribution of GFP-SMRT into the cytoplasmic compartment in many, but not all, of the transfected cells (Fig. 4A; quantified in Fig. 4B). This cytoplasmic SMRT accumulation was observed in non-mitotic cells and therefore was not simply the result of an enhanced mitotic index in the MEKK1-treated population (data not shown). A similar cytoplasmic redistribution of SMRT in response to MEKK1 was also observed using GFP-SMRT in 293T cells, by immunofluorescence using Myc-tagged SMRT in CV-1 cells, or by immunofluorescence using endogenous SMRT in CV-1 cells and anisomycin to induce MEKK1 activity (Fig. 4C) (data not shown). No change in the subcellular localization of non-recombinant GFP was detected in response to MEKK1 (data not shown).
A GFP fusion with full-length N-CoR displayed a subcellular distribution very similar to that of SMRT when expressed in unstimulated CV-1 cells; 80% of the untreated cells displayed a nuclear localization of GFP-N-CoR consisting of a microspecular pattern superimposed over a more diffuse nucleoplasm fluorescence that was excluded from nucleoli. This same type of pattern has been reported previously for endogenous N-CoR (57). The remaining cells exhibited a nuclear/cytoplasmic (5%) or cytoplasmic (14%) GFP-N-CoR fluorescence, with many of these cells mitotic or post-mitotic by the same criteria as noted for SMRT. In contrast to SMRT, however, GFP-N-CoR failed to detectably relocalize in response to co-introduced MEKK1 (Fig. 4B). Analogous results were observed in experiments using 293T cells over a range of GFP-N-CoR expression levels or using Myc-tagged N-CoR or endogenous N-CoR in an immunofluorescence protocol (data not shown). Notably, the divergent response of N-CoR and SMRT to MEKK1 signaling could be observed in individual cells by visualizing these corepressors simultaneously: in unstimulated cells, both GFP-N-CoR (green channel) and Myc-SMRT (red channel) immunoreactivities were primarily nuclear in the absence of MEKK1, whereas MEKK1 induced a cytoplasmic localization of Myc-SMRT in cells that retained the nuclear localization of GFP-N-CoR (Fig. 4C). We conclude that N-CoR, unlike SMRT, is refractory to MEKK1-mediated alterations in subcellular distribution under the conditions studied.
MEKK1 Signaling Disrupts the Co-distribution of T3R and SMRT, but Not of T3R and N-CoRWe next extended our subcellular visualization studies to examine the effects of MEKK1 on the association of SMRT and N-CoR with their transcription factor partners, such as T3R. We employed GFP-tagged corepressors in these studies and used an immunofluorescence procedure to detect co-introduced, Myc-tagged T3R
SMRT Phosphorylation Is Increased in Response to MEKK1 Signaling in VivoProtein phosphorylation can frequently be detected as an alteration in electrophoretic mobility on SDS-polyacrylamide gels/immunoblots (e.g. Refs. 43 and 44). We used this property to determine whether the phosphorylation pattern of SMRT and N-CoR differed in cells transfected with an activated MEKK1 construct. Full-length SMRT and N-CoR (>2400 amino acids long) were too large to accurately detect a change in electrophoretic mobility; therefore, we performed these experiments using the C-terminal corepressor constructs that were sufficient to confer inhibition of SMRT by MEKK1 in our two-hybrid assays. The mobility of the SMRT protein construct was measurably decreased by the co-introduction of an activated MEKK1 allele (Fig. 6, upper panel, compare lanes 3 and 4), and this reduced mobility was reversed by incubation with alkaline phosphatase (lane 5). In contrast, MEKK1 had little or no effect on an equivalent N-CoR construct (Fig. 6, lower panel, compare lanes 3 and 4). Intriguingly, alkaline phosphatase treatment increased the mobility of N-CoR whether isolated from unstimulated or stimulated cells (Fig. 6, lower panel, compare lanes 3 and 4 with lanes 2 and 5), indicating that N-CoR is constitutively phosphorylated at sites distinct from those that respond (in SMRT) to MEKK1 activation. These experiments suggest that SMRT is more extensively phosphorylated in response to MEKK1 signaling than is N-CoR, paralleling the greater susceptibility of SMRT to inhibition by MEKK1. It should be noted, however, that the effects of phosphorylation on electrophoretic mobility are difficult to predict. It is possible that both SMRT and N-CoR are phosphorylated in response to MEKK1, but that this modification takes place at different sites or in a different chemical environment in the two corepressors so as to have different consequences for their electrophoretic mobilities.
MEKK1 Can Reverse Repression by SMRT, but Not by N-CoR, in Transfected CellsTo examine the effect of MEKK1 on the ability of SMRT and N-CoR to function as corepressors in cells, we examined the ability of ectopic corepressors to mediate repression by RAR . We used a Gal4DBD-RAR construct and a Gal4-17-mer reporter in these studies to avoid interference from receptors endogenous to the CV-1 cells (45, 60). Ectopic expression of either SMRT or N-CoR repressed reporter gene expression in the presence of the Gal4DBD-RAR construct (Fig. 7). Co-introduction of activated MEKK1 counteracted this repression by SMRT, but had no detectable effect on repression mediated by N-CoR. These results are consistent with the results from our corepressor/receptor interaction assays and our subcellular localization experiments indicating that MEKK1 signaling interferes with SMRT (but not N-CoR) corepressor function.
Both SMRT and N-CoR Respond to Growth Factor and Cytokine Receptors but Diverge in Their Response to Downstream Signal TransducersUpstream activators of MEKK1, such as an activated allele of the EGF receptor, Ras, or anisomycin, also inhibited the two-hybrid interaction of SMRT with T3R and enhanced its cytoplasmic localization (p < 0.001) (Fig. 8, A and C); this inhibition is mediated both through MEKK1 and (to a lesser extent) through a distinct parallel pathway not fully defined (42, 43). Interestingly, the interaction of N-CoR with T3R and its nuclear localization, although refractory to MEKK1 and to MEKK1 activators such as anisomycin, were partially reduced by EGF receptor signaling, suggesting that both N-CoR and SMRT may be responsive to this second, MEKK1-independent pathway (Fig. 8A, right panel) (data not shown). Conversely, a MAPK kinase, MEK1, acting downstream of MEKK1, duplicated several of the actions of MEKK1 on the SMRT/nuclear receptor interaction and on GFP-SMRT localization (Fig. 8, A and B) (43). In contrast, MEK1 had little or no effect on the N-CoR/T3R interaction in our two-hybrid assay, nor did MEK1 alter the subcellular distribution of the GFP-N-CoR construct (Fig. 8, A, right panel; and B). Thus, although growth factors such as EGF can inhibit both N-CoR and SMRT function, the much stronger inhibitory effects of these growth factors on SMRT appear to be mediated through phosphorylation of SMRT by an MEKK1-MEK1 cascade to which N-CoR is non-responsive (modeled in Fig. 9).
IL-1 has been reported to inhibit the interaction of N-CoR with transcription factors and to cause its nuclear export (61). Consistent with these studies, IL-1 modestly but consistently inhibited the interaction of both SMRT and N-CoR with T3R in our two-hybrid assay, suggesting that both corepressors are responsive to this cytokine (p < 0.01) (Fig. 8C). Ciliary neurotrophic factor has also been reported to cause the dissociation of N-CoR from its transcription factor partners and nuclear export, due in this case to phosphorylation of N-CoR by an Akt pathway (51). Using CV-1 cells, we did not detect an effect of Akt on either SMRT or N-CoR in our two-hybrid and GFP localization assays. Raf1, SEK1, and ERK1 also had little or no effect on either N-CoR or SMRT in this assay (Fig. 8C). We conclude that SMRT and N-CoR are embedded in partially overlapping yet distinct kinase regulatory pathways that operate downstream from both growth factor and cytokine receptors. SMRT is strongly and directly inhibited by a MEKK1-MEK1 cascade, whereas N-CoR is refractory to this pathway in our studies. In contrast, both SMRT and N-CoR respond more weakly to additional signals that act downstream of the EGF and IL-1 receptors and that are distinct from the actions of this MAPK kinase kinase cascade (Fig. 8).
N-CoR and SMRT Differ in Their Response to MEKK1 SignalingThe SMRT corepressor is inhibited by a growth factor signaling pathway that operates through MEKK1 (42, 43). These MAPK cascade transducers result in inhibition of the SMRT interaction with its transcription factor partners and a change in the subcellular localization of SMRT from a nuclear to a cytoplasmic distribution. In this work, we have shown that SMRT function is regulated at multiple levels by MEKK1 signaling, whereas N-CoR function is refractory to these same forms of regulation. (a) MEKK1 signaling in vivo resulted in enhanced phosphorylation of the SMRT C terminus, but caused no detectable change in the phosphorylation of N-CoR under the same conditions. (b) Introduction of an activated version of MEKK1 into cells resulted in a nearly complete inhibition of the two-hybrid interaction of SMRT with nuclear receptors, whereas activated MEKK1 did not inhibit but instead appeared to slightly stabilize the interaction of N-CoR with its nuclear receptor partners, such as T3R . We do not understand the basis for this possible stabilization of the N-CoR/T3R interaction, which is absent at higher MEKK1 expression levels, but it is both reproducible and in sharp contrast to the strong inhibition seen for SMRT. (c) The co-immunoprecipitation of T3R with full-length SMRT, but not with N-CoR, was inhibited by activated MEKK1. (d) Incubation of a SMRT construct with MEKK1 in vitro significantly inhibited the ability of SMRT to interact with the T3R·DNA complex in an EMSA, whereas the interaction of N-CoR with the T3R·DNA complex was unaltered under the same conditions. (e) MEKK1 activation caused a relocalization of SMRT from a nuclear to a cytoplasmic compartment, although MEKK1 caused no observable change in the subcellular localization of N-CoR. (f) The ability of SMRT to function as a corepressor in a transfection analysis was abrogated by MEKK1, whereas that of N-CoR was not.
It is worth noting that whereas MEKK1 signaling resulted in loss of repression, it did not appear to result in a gain in target gene activation beyond basal reporter levels; the latter appears to require the presence of a hormone agonist. Notably, the experiments described here demonstrate that the MEKK1-induced SMRT translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm occurred independently of its T3R MEKK1 Is One of Several Signals Operating Downstream of Growth Factors and Cytokines That Can Inhibit Corepressor FunctionMEKK1 and analogous MAPK kinase kinase cascades are only one of many signal transducers that operate downstream of growth factor and cytokine signaling. Consistent with the multiplex nature of growth factor signaling, we have observed that an activated version of the EGF receptor typically induces a stronger inhibition of SMRT function than does MEKK1 alone, and this EGF receptor-mediated inhibition of SMRT function appears to be blocked only partially by introduction of a dominant-negative MEKK1 construct (Ref. 43; diagrammed schematically in Fig. 9). Therefore, MEKK1 is the predominant (but not exclusive) mediator of the inhibitory actions of EGF receptor signaling on SMRT function. Consistent with this model, we found that N-CoR function, although fully refractory to MEKK1 inhibition in our studies, was nonetheless partially inhibited by EGF receptor signaling; we propose that N-CoR, in common with SMRT, is subject to this undefined but secondary pathway of EGF receptor signaling. We have not yet identified the basis behind the secondary pathway of inhibition mediated by the EGF receptor independent of MEKK1. One plausible candidate appears to be Akt, which is activated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and functions downstream of many growth factor and cytokine receptors. N-CoR has been reported to be phosphorylated by Akt at Ser401, leading to reversal of N-CoR-mediated repression and its nuclear export; this pathway was identified in neural stem cells, where it appears to mediate astroglial differentiation in response to ciliary neurotrophic factor (51). However, SMRT possesses an alanine at position 401 and is stated to be resistant to the actions of Akt (51). Furthermore, we could detect no inhibition of the two-hybrid interaction between either SMRT or N-CoR and T3R and no alteration in SMRT or N-CoR subcellular localization in response to introduction of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase or of activated Akt, nor was the profound inhibition of SMRT by EGF receptor signaling or the weaker inhibition of N-CoR impaired by LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor.2 We conclude that Akt does not contribute to inhibition of SMRT or N-CoR function under the conditions studied here.
Notably, the cytokine IL-1 Regulation of Corepressor Function by Kinases, a Common ThemeHormone ligands regulate the interaction of nuclear receptors with corepressors and coactivators by inducing allosteric changes in the nuclear receptor that mask or expose the corepressor-docking site on the receptor surface (reviewed in Refs. 20 and 21). However, recent studies have demonstrated that the corepressor/nuclear receptor interaction is also subject to regulation by a series of important kinase signaling pathways that modulate corepressor function in normal cells and that contribute to aberrant nuclear receptor function in disease (42-44, 51, 61-65). As noted here, SMRT, but not N-CoR, is negatively regulated by a MAPK kinase kinase cascade that operates downstream of EGF receptor signals. Inducers of cell stress, including arsenic trioxide and anisomycin, can also activate MEKK1 and are potent inhibitors of SMRT function; this MEKK1-dependent mechanism may contribute to the prodifferentiation effects of arsenic trioxide as used in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (44). The Drosophila EGF receptor has also been shown to regulate the function of the Drosophila SMRTER protein, although whether SMRTER is a true ortholog of mammalian SMRT remains unclear (66). Reciprocally, it has been reported that N-CoR, but not SMRT, can be inhibited in certain contexts in response to TAB2 and Akt pathways operating downstream of cytokine and ciliary neurotrophic factors (51, 61). N-CoR, but not SMRT, has also been reported to be down-regulated by a Siah2/proteasome-mediated pathway (52). Regulation of the corepressor interaction by modification of the transcription factor partner has also been noted; phosphorylation of c-Jun by c-Jun N-terminal kinase, for example, can lead to release of N-CoR complexes and exchange of c-Jun for c-Jun/c-Fos heterodimers (67). SMRT does not appear to participate in this process. Therefore, SMRT and N-CoR appear to be embedded in distinct regulatory networks, and these distinct regulatory properties may help account for the appearance and conservation of these two corepressors as distinct isotypes during the vertebrate evolutionary radiation. Notably, there are multiple phosphorylation sites in these corepressors that can be modified by growth factor and cytokine cascades and that appear to contribute combinatorially to the regulation processes described here.3 A more complete dissection of these different phosphorylation sites will be important for further understanding the differential impact of these different signaling cascades on the different corepressor isoforms.
In addition to SMRT and N-CoR, other components of the corepressor complex are also subject to regulation by phosphorylation. For example, calmodulin-dependent kinases have been reported to phosphorylate class II histone deacetylases in muscle cells, resulting in the tethering of these histone deacetylases to cytoplasmic 14-3-3 proteins and the derepression of their corresponding target genes (68-70). Phosphorylation of HDAC4 by ERK1 and ERK2 has been reported to result in the opposite response, resulting in an enhanced nuclear accumulation, whereas phosphorylation of HDAC1 and HDAC2 alters their interactions with one another and with other components of their corepressors complexes (71-73). Both nuclear receptors and coactivators are themselves also subject to an extensive series of regulatory phosphorylations (e.g. Refs. 74-80). These covalent modifications act together with ligand agonists and antagonists to integrate the multiplicity of signals impinging on the cell so as to produce the correct overall transcriptional and biological response for a given physiological context.
* This work was supported in part by United States Public Health Service Grant DK53528 from NIDDK, National Institutes of Health. 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.
1 The abbreviations used are: MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; EGF, epidermal growth factor; MEKK, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase kinase; T3R, thyroid hormone receptor; T3, triiodothyronine; IL-1
2 B. A. Jonas and M. L. Privalsky, unpublished data.
3 B. A. Jonas, F. Hayakawa, and M. L. Privalsky, unpublished data.
We thank Liming Liu for superb technical assistance and Fumihiko Hayakawa and Michael Goodson for many helpful discussions and reagents.
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