Smad about E2F. TGFbeta repressionof c-Myc via a Smad3/E2F/p107 complex

Signaling by TGFbeta regulates the expression of hundreds of genes. The rapid repression of c-Myc stands out because of its roles in growth control and cancer. Recent work shows that c-Myc repression by TGFbeta is mediated by the nuclear translocation of a novel, preformed complex composed of Smad3, E2F4 or E2F5, and the Rb-related factor p107.     

E2F/p107 and E2F/p130 complexes are regulated by C/EBPalpha in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

We have previously found that loss of C/EBPalpha in hepatocytes of newborn livers leads to increased proliferation, to a reduction in p21 protein levels and to an induction of S phase-specific E2F/p107 complexes. In this paper, we investigated C/EBPalpha-dependent regulation of E2F complexes in a well-characterized cell line, 3T3-L1, and in stable transformants that conditionally express C/EBPalpha. C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta proteins are induced in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes during differentiation with different kinetics and potentially may regulate E2F/Rb family complexes. In pre-differentiated cells, three E2F complexes are observed: cdk2/E2F/p107, E2F/p130 and E2F4. cdk2/E2F/p107 complexes are induced in nuclear extracts of 3T3-L1 cells during mitotic expansion, but are not detectable in nuclear extracts at later stages of 3T3-L1 differentiation. The reduction in E2F/p107 complexes is associated with elevation of C/EBPalpha, but is independent of C/EBPbeta expression. Bacterially expressed, purified His-C/EBPalpha is able to disrupt E2F/p107 complexes that are observed at earlier stages of 3T3-L1 differentiation. C/EBPbeta, however, does not disrupt E2F/p107 complexes. A short C/EBPalpha peptide with homology to E2F is sufficient to bring about the disruption of E2F/p107 complexes from 3T3-L1 cells in vitro. Induction of C/EBPalpha in stable 3T3-L1 clones revealed that C/EBPalpha causes disruption of p107/E2F complexes in these cells. In contrast, E2F/p130 complexes are induced in cells expressing C/EBPalpha. Our data suggest that induction of p130/E2F complexes by C/EBPalpha occurs via up-regulation of p21, which, in turn, leads to association with and inhibition of, cdk2 kinase activity. The reduction in cdk2 kinase activity correlates with alterations of p130 phosphorylation and with induction of p130/E2F complexes in 3T3-L1 stable clones. Our data suggest two pathways of C/EBPalpha-dependent regulation of E2F/Rb family complexes: disruption of S phase-specific E2F/p107 complexes and induction of E2F/p130 complexes.     

E1A blocks hyperphosphorylation of p130 and p107 without affecting the phosphorylation status of the retinoblastoma protein

The phosphorylation status of the pRB family of growth suppressor proteins is regulated in a cell cycle entry-, progression-, and exit-dependent manner in normal cells. We have shown previously that p130, a member of this family, exhibits patterns of phosphorylated forms associated with various cell growth and differentiation stages. However, human 293 cells, which are transformed cells that express the adenoviral oncoproteins E1A and E1B, exhibit an abnormal pattern of p130 phosphorylated forms. Here we report that, unlike pRB, the phosphorylation status of both p130 and p107 is not modulated during the cell cycle in 293 cells as it is in other cells. Conditional overexpression of individual G(1)/S cyclins in 293 cells does not alter the phosphorylation status of p130, suggesting that the expression of E1A and/or E1B blocks hyperphosphorylation of p130. In agreement with these observations, transient cotransfection of vectors expressing E1A 12S, but not E1B, in combination with pocket proteins into U-2 OS cells blocks hyperphosphorylation of both p130 and p107. However, the phosphorylation status of pRB is not altered by cotransfection of E1A 12S vectors. Moreover, MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts stably expressing E1A 12S also exhibit a block in hyperphosphorylation of endogenous p130 and p107. Direct binding of E1A to p130 and p107 is not required for the phosphorylation block since E1A 12S mutants defective in binding to the pRB family also block hyperphosphorylation of p130 and p107. Our data reported here identify a novel function of E1A, which affects p130 and p107 but does not affect pRB. Since E1A does not bind the hyperphosphorylated forms of p130, this function of E1A might prevent the existence of "free" hyperphosphorylated p130, which could act as a CDK inhibitor.