Biochemical events controlling initiation and propagation of the S phase of the cell cycle

Interaction of Sp1 with the growth- and cell cycle-regulated transcription factor E2F

Within the region around 150 bp upstream of the initiation codon, which was previously shown to suffice for growth-regulated expression, the murine thymidine kinase gene carries a single binding site for transcription factor Sp1; about 10 bp downstream of this site, there is a binding motif for transcription factor E2F. The latter protein appears to be responsible for growth regulation of the promoter. Mutational inactivation of either the Sp1 or the E2F site almost completely abolishes promoter activity, suggesting that the two transcription factors interact directly in delivering an activation signal to the basic transcription machinery. This was verified by demonstrating with the use of glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins that E2F and Sp1 bind to each other in vitro. For this interaction, the C-terminal part of Sp1 and the N terminus of E2F1, a domain also present in E2F2 and E2F3 but absent in E2F4 and E2F5, were essential. Accordingly, E2F1 to E2F3 but not E2F4 and E2F5 were found to bind sp1 in vitro. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed that complexes exist in vivo, and it was estabilished that the distance between the binding sites for the two transcription factors was critical for optimal promoter activity. Finally, in vivo footprinting experiments indicated that both the sp1 and E2F binding sites are occupied throughout the cell cycle. Mutation of either binding motif abolished binding of both transcription factors in vivo, which may indicate cooperative binding of the two proteins to chromatin-organized DNA. Our data are in line with the hypothesis that E2F functions as a growth- and cell cycle regulated tethering factor between Sp1 and the basic transcription machinery.

Coordinated trans activation of DNA synthesis- and precursor-producing enzymes by polyomavirus large T antigen through interaction with the retinoblastoma protein

Previously constructed Swiss mouse 3T3 fibroblasts producing polyomavirus large T antigen after addition of dexamethasone were used to study the transcriptional activation by the viral protein of five genes coding for enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and precursor production, namely, dihydrofolate reductase, thymidine kinase, thymidylate synthase, DNA polymerase alpha, and proliferating-cell nuclear antigen. It was found that all these genes, whose expression is stimulated at the G1/S boundary of the cell cycle after growth stimulation by serum addition, are coordinately trans activated when T antigen is induced in cells previously growth arrested by serum withdrawal. Cell lines carrying the information for a mutant form of large T antigen, in which a glutamic acid residue in the binding site for the retinoblastoma protein was changed into aspartic acid, were constructed to test the involvement of an interaction of T antigen with the retinoblastoma protein in this reaction. It was found that the mutated T protein is incapable of stimulating transcription of any one of the genes. The promoter of three of the genes (dihydrofolate reductase, thymidine kinase, and DNA polymerase alpha) unequivocally carries binding sites for transcription factor E2F, suggesting that complexes forming with this growth- and cell cycle-regulating transcription factor are the targets for T antigen. Although there is so far no evidence that thymidylate synthase and proliferating cell nuclear antigen are regulated via E2F, our data indicate that the retinoblastoma protein still is involved in the control of these genes. mRNA for E2F itself increases in amount at the G1/S border in serum-stimulated cells but not during polyomavirus T antigen-induced transcriptional activation of DNA synthesis enzymes in arrested cells.

Coordinated trans activation of DNA synthesis- and precursor-producing enzymes by polyomavirus large T antigen through interaction with the retinoblastoma protein

Previously constructed Swiss mouse 3T3 fibroblasts producing polyomavirus large T antigen after addition of dexamethasone were used to study the transcriptional activation by the viral protein of five genes coding for enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and precursor production, namely, dihydrofolate reductase, thymidine kinase, thymidylate synthase, DNA polymerase alpha, and proliferating-cell nuclear antigen. It was found that all these genes, whose expression is stimulated at the G1/S boundary of the cell cycle after growth stimulation by serum addition, are coordinately trans activated when T antigen is induced in cells previously growth arrested by serum withdrawal. Cell lines carrying the information for a mutant form of large T antigen, in which a glutamic acid residue in the binding site for the retinoblastoma protein was changed into aspartic acid, were constructed to test the involvement of an interaction of T antigen with the retinoblastoma protein in this reaction. It was found that the mutated T protein is incapable of stimulating transcription of any one of the genes. The promoter of three of the genes (dihydrofolate reductase, thymidine kinase, and DNA polymerase alpha) unequivocally carries binding sites for transcription factor E2F, suggesting that complexes forming with this growth- and cell cycle-regulating transcription factor are the targets for T antigen. Although there is so far no evidence that thymidylate synthase and proliferating cell nuclear antigen are regulated via E2F, our data indicate that the retinoblastoma protein still is involved in the control of these genes. mRNA for E2F itself increases in amount at the G1/S border in serum-stimulated cells but not during polyomavirus T antigen-induced transcriptional activation of DNA synthesis enzymes in arrested cells.

Cell cycle regulation of deoxycytidine kinase. Evidence for post-transcriptional control

Deoxycytidine kinase enzyme activity and deoxycytidine kinase mRNA content were determined at different positions of the cell cycle in permanent cell lines. There was no variation of deoxycytidine kinase activity during the cell cycle in two cell lines, whereas in two other lines the enzyme activity was induced (10- and 15-fold) at the G1/S boundary. In contrast, the level of deoxycytidine kinase mRNA never displayed any cell cycle-dependent changes. The decay of enzymatic activity was measured after addition of cycloheximide in different phases of the cell cycle; the enzyme was much more stable in cells with constant activity. We suggest that post-transcriptional mechanisms account for the periodic behaviour of the enzyme activity, and that whether this regulation can be detected depends on the half-life of deoxycytidine kinase.