TG-interacting factor 1 acts as a transcriptional repressor of sterol O-acyltransferase 2

Acat2 [gene name: sterol O-acyltransferase 2 (SOAT2)] esterifies cholesterol in enterocytes and hepatocytes. This study aims to identify repressor elements in the human SOAT2 promoter and evaluate their in vivo relevance. We identified TG-interacting factor 1 (Tgif1) to function as an important repressor of SOAT2. Tgif1 could also block the induction of the SOAT2 promoter activity by hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α and 4α. Women have ∼30% higher hepatic TGIF1 mRNA compared with men. Depletion of Tgif1 in mice increased the hepatic Soat2 expression and resulted in higher hepatic lipid accumulation and plasma cholesterol levels. Tgif1 is a new player in human cholesterol metabolism.     

FHL2通过相互作用抑制Id2的功能活性

分化抑制蛋白2（Id2）通过抑制碱性螺旋-环-螺旋（bHLH）类转录因子的功能活性调控多种组织细胞的分化发育,并参与人类多种肿瘤的发生与进展.Id2相互作用蛋白可能调控其翻译后的功能活性．本研究以HLH结构域缺失的Id2作为诱饵蛋白,采用酵母双杂交方法对MCF-7 cDNA文库进行筛选,识别了1个新的Id2相互作用蛋白FHL2 (属于LIM蛋白家族的一员),哺乳动物双杂交实验系统验证了Id2与FHL2之间的相互作用,同时证实,该作用不依赖于Id2中的HLH结构域;GST-pulldown、免疫共沉淀方法,进一步证实FHL2/Id2之间的相互作用;免疫荧光共定位实验结果证实,FHL2/Id2相互作用主要发生在细胞核内;共转染实验结果发现,FHL2通过相互作用阻抑了Id2对bHLH类转录因子E47的功能抑制活性．总之,本研究识别了1个新的Id2相互作用蛋白FHL2,通过直接的相互作用,FHL2抑制了Id2的功能活性,FHL2可能参与调控Id2介导的细胞分化与发育过程,并可能参与肿瘤的发生与进展．     

FHL2通过相互作用抑制分化抑制蛋白家族成员的转录抑制活性

目的：探讨FHL2与Id（分化抑制蛋白）家族蛋白之间的相互作用及FHL2对Id蛋白功能的调控效应。方法：用GST-pulldown与免疫共沉淀（CoIP）方法检测FHL2与Id家族蛋白成员之间在体内外的相互作用;用共转染与报告基因驱动的萤光素酶方法检测FHL2对Id蛋白介导转录抑制效应的调控作用。结果：FHL2与Id家族的4个蛋白均存在直接的相互作用关系,表位分析结果显示FHL2蛋白中的第2个LIM结构域在FHL2/Id相互作用中是必需的,Id蛋白N端结构域在介导FHL2/Id相互作用中是必需的,FHL2/Id相互作用不依赖于Id蛋白中的螺旋-环-螺旋结构;通过相互作用,FHL2阻止了Id蛋白对碱性螺旋-环-螺旋转录因子E47转录活性的抑制作用。结论：FHL2是一个新识别的Id蛋白广谱的相互作用因子,通过对Id蛋白功能活性的抑制效应,FHL2可能参与Id介导的多种生物学效应以及肿瘤发生与进展。     

EARLY FLOWERING 5 acts as a floral repressor in Arabidopsis

EARLY FLOWERING 5 (ELF5) is a single-copy gene involved in flowering time regulation in Arabidopsis. ELF5 encodes a nuclear-targeted protein that is related to the human nuclear protein containing a WW domain (Npw)38-binding protein (NpwBP). Lesions in ELF5 cause early flowering in both long days and short days. elf5 mutations partially suppress the late flowering of both autonomous-pathway mutants and FRIGIDA (FRI)-containing lines by reducing the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a floral repressor upon which many of the flowering pathways converge. elf5 mutations also partially suppress photoperiod-pathway mutants, and this, along with the ability of elf5 mutations to cause early flowering in short days, indicates that ELF5 also affects flowering independently of FLC.     

LIM-only protein FHL3 interacts with CDC25B2 phosphatase

LIM domain proteins are important regulators of the growth, determination, and differentiation of cells. In this report, FHL3 (human four-and-a-half LIM-only protein 3) is shown to interact with human phosphatase CDC25B, a cell cycle regulator involved in the control of G2/M. We found that this interaction was specific to the CDC25B2 isoform. Deletion and point mutation studies indicated that the second LIM domain of FHL3 was essential for this interaction. FRET experiments in C2C12 cells showed that, although both proteins were colocated in the cytoplasm and the nucleus, they interacted only in the nucleus. Finally, we showed that FHL3 binding impaired neither CDC25B2 phosphatase activity nor its localization. Further work is now needed to elucidate the consequences of this interaction on myoblast fate decision and cycle control.     

EBF1 acts as a powerful repressor of Blimp-1 gene expression in immature B cells

Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily and can be activated by 9-cis retinoic acid (9CRA). RXRs form homodimers and heterodimers with other nuclear receptors such as the retinoic acid receptor and NR4 subfamily nuclear receptors, Nur77 and NURR1. Potential physiological roles of the Nur77-RXR and NURR1-RXR heterodimers have not been elucidated. In this study, we identified a gene regulated by these heterodimers utilizing HX600, a selective RXR agonist for Nur77-RXR and NURR1-RXR. While 9CRA induced many genes, including RAR-target genes, HX600 effectively induced only carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) in human teratocarcinoma NT2/D1 cells, which express RXRα, Nur77 and NURR1. HX600 also increased CPT1A expression in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and hepatocyte-derived HepG2 cells. Although HX600 induced CPT1A less effectively than 9CRA, overexpression of Nur77 or NURR1 increased the HX600 response to levels similar to 9CRA in NT2/D1 and HEK293 cells. A dominant-negative form of Nur77 or NURR1 repressed the induction of CPT1A by HX600. A protein synthesis inhibitor did not alter HX600-dependent CPT1A induction. Thus, the rexinoid HX600 directly induces expression of CPT1A through a Nur77 or NURR1-mediated mechanism. CPT1A, a gene involved in fatty acid β-oxidation, could be a target of RXR-NR4 receptor heterodimers.     

Reticulon-1C acts as a molecular switch between endoplasmic reticulum stress and genotoxic cell death pathway in human neuroblastoma cells

Damage or stress in many organelles may trigger apoptosis by several not yet fully elucidated mechanisms. A cell death pathway is induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress elicited by the unfolded protein response and/or by aberrant Ca(2+) signalling. Reticulon-1C (RTN-1C) belongs to the reticulon family, neuroendocrine-specific proteins localized primarily on the ER membrane. In the present study, we demonstrate that RTN-1C is able to modulate, in a mutually exclusive way, the cellular sensitivity to different apoptosis pathways in human neuroblastoma cells. In fact, the increase of RTN-1C protein levels per se results in ER stress-induced cell death, mediated by an increase of cytosolic Ca(2+), and significantly sensitizes cells to different ER stress inducers. In line with these findings, the reduction of RTN-1C, by antisense DNA expression, reduced the sensitivity to ER-stressors. In the presence of high RTN-1C levels, genotoxic drugs become ineffective as a consequence of the cytoplasm translocation of p53 protein, while the silencing of endogenous RTN-1C results in the potentiation of the genotoxic drugs action. These data indicate that RTN-1C is able to modulate the cellular sensitivity to different apoptotic pathways representing a promising molecular target for new drug development.