Role of Polycomb-group genes in sustaining activities of normal and malignant stem cells

Manipulation of Cell Cycle and Chromatin Configuration by Means of Cell-Penetrating Geminin

Geminin regulates chromatin remodeling and DNA replication licensing which play an important role in regulating cellular proliferation and differentiation. Transcription of the Geminin gene is regulated via an E2F-responsive region, while the protein is being closely regulated by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Our objective was to directly transduce Geminin protein into cells. Recombinant cell-penetrating Geminin (CP-Geminin) was generated by fusing Geminin with a membrane translocating motif from FGF4 and was efficiently incorporated into NIH 3T3 cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The withdrawal study indicated that incorporated CP-Geminin was quickly reduced after removal from medium. We confirmed CP-Geminin was imported into the nucleus after incorporation and also that the incorporated CP-Geminin directly interacted with Cdt1 or Brahma/Brg1 as the same manner as Geminin. We further demonstrated that incorporated CP-Geminin suppressed S-phase progression of the cell cycle and reduced nuclease accessibility in the chromatin, probably through suppression of chromatin remodeling, indicating that CP-Geminin constitutes a novel tool for controlling chromatin configuration and the cell cycle. Since Geminin has been shown to be involved in regulation of stem cells and cancer cells, CP-Geminin is expected to be useful for elucidating the role of Geminin in stem cells and cancer cells, and for manipulating their activity.

Transcription of the Geminin gene is regulated by a negative-feedback loop

Geminin transcription, regulated by E2Fs, is negatively regulated by Geminin through the inhibition of chromatin remodeling. Geminin transcription is thus regulated by a negative-feedback loop through the chromatin configuration. Homeostatically regulated Geminin may help couple regulation of DNA replication and transcription.

Geminin performs a central function in regulating cellular proliferation and differentiation in development and also in stem cells. Of interest, down-regulation of Geminin induces gene transcription regulated by E2F, indicating that Geminin is involved in regulation of E2F-mediated transcriptional activity. Because transcription of the Geminin gene is reportedly regulated via an E2F-responsive region (E2F-R) located in the first intron, we first used a reporter vector to examine the effect of Geminin on E2F-mediated transcriptional regulation. We found that Geminin transfection suppressed E2F1- and E2F2-mediated transcriptional activation and also mildly suppressed such activity in synergy with E2F5, 6, and 7, suggesting that Geminin constitutes a negative-feedback loop for the Geminin promoter. Of interest, Geminin also suppressed nuclease accessibility, acetylation of histone H3, and trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 4, which were induced by E2F1 overexpression, and enhanced tri­methylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 and monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine 119 in E2F-R. However, Geminin5EQ, which does not interact with Brahma or Brg1, did not suppress accessibility to nuclease digestion or transcription but had an overall dominant-negative effect. These findings suggest that E2F-mediated activation of Geminin transcription is negatively regulated by Geminin through the inhibition of chromatin remodeling.

A network of epigenetic regulators guides developmental haematopoiesis in vivo

The initiation of cellular programs is orchestrated by key transcription factors and chromatin regulators that activate or inhibit target gene expression. To generate a compendium of chromatin factors that establish the epigenetic code during developmental haematopoiesis, a large-scale reverse genetic screen was conducted targeting orthologues of 425 human chromatin factors in zebrafish. A set of chromatin regulators was identified that target different stages of primitive and definitive blood formation, including factors not previously implicated in haematopoiesis. We identified 15 factors that regulate development of primitive erythroid progenitors and 29 factors that regulate development of definitive haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. These chromatin factors are associated with SWI/SNF and ISWI chromatin remodelling, SET1 methyltransferase, CBP-p300-HBO1-NuA4 acetyltransferase, HDAC-NuRD deacetylase, and Polycomb repressive complexes. Our work provides a comprehensive view of how specific chromatin factors and their associated complexes play a major role in the establishment of haematopoietic cells in vivo.

Hoxa9 transduction induces hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell activity through direct down-regulation of geminin protein

Hoxb4, a 3′-located Hox gene, enhances hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) activity, while a subset of 5′-located Hox genes is involved in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis, and some of them are common translocation partners for Nucleoporin 98 (Nup98) in patients with leukemia. Although these Hox gene derivatives are believed to act as transcription regulators, the molecular involvement of the Hox gene derivatives in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis remains largely elusive. Since we previously showed that Hoxb4 forms a complex with a Roc1-Ddb1-Cul4a ubiquitin ligase core component and functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase activator for Geminin, we here examined the E3 ubiquitin ligase activities of the 5′-located Hox genes, Hoxa9 and Hoxc13, and Nup98-Hoxa9. Hoxa9 formed a similar complex with the Roc1-Ddb1-Cul4a component to induce ubiquitination of Geminin, but the others did not. Retroviral transduction-mediated overexpression or siRNA-mediated knock-down of Hoxa9 respectively down-regulated or up-regulated Geminin in hematopoietic cells. And Hoxa9 transduction-induced repopulating and clonogenic activities were suppressed by Geminin supertransduction. These findings suggest that Hoxa9 and Hoxb4 differ from Hoxc13 and Nup98-Hoxa9 in their molecular role in hematopoiesis, and that Hoxa9 induces the activity of HSCs and hematopoietic progenitors at least in part through direct down-regulation of Geminin.

Scmh1 has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity for geminin and histone H2A and regulates geminin stability directly or indirectly via transcriptional repression of Hoxa9 and Hoxb4

Polycomb-group (PcG) complex 1 acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase both for histone H2A to silence transcription and for geminin to regulate its stability. Scmh1 is a substoichiometric component of PcG complex 1 that provides the complex with an interaction domain for geminin. Scmh1 is unstable and regulated through the ubiquitin-proteasome system, but its molecular roles are unknown, so we generated Scmh1-deficient mice to elucidate its function. Loss of Scmh1 caused derepression of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9, direct targets of PcG complex 1-mediated transcriptional silencing in hematopoietic cells. Double knockdown of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 or transduction of a dominant-negative Hoxb4N→A mutant caused geminin accumulation. Age-related transcriptional downregulation of derepressed Hoxa9 also leads to geminin accumulation. Transduction of Scmh1 lacking a geminin-binding domain restored derepressed expression of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 but did not downregulate geminin like full-length Scmh1. Each of Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 can form a complex with Roc1-Ddb1-Cul4a to act as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for geminin. We suggest that geminin dysregulation may be restored by derepressed Hoxb4 and Hoxa9 in Scmh1-deficient mice. These findings suggest that PcG and a subset of Hox genes compose a homeostatic regulatory system for determining expression level of geminin.

Overexpression of BMI-1 is associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer

AIM

It has been reported that BMI-1, a gene transcription promoter overexpressed in various human cancers, is associated with poor survival. We investigated whether BMI-1 is a marker for cervical cancer by detecting the expression of BMI-1 in cervical cancer.

METHODS

An immunohistochemistry (IHC) streptavidin-peroxidase technique was used to identify BMI-1 protein expression in 302 cervical cancer specimens. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot were employed to measure BMI-1 mRNA and protein level. The correlation between BMI-1 expression and clinicopathological factors was analyzed.

RESULTS

Both BMI-1 mRNA and protein expression were evident in cervical carcinoma tissues. An intense positive rate of 55.3% (167/302) was observed by IHC. High BMI-1 expression was correlated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection (P < 0.05), but there is insufficient evidence to confirm its value in tumor size, age, estrogen or progesterone receptor (P > 0.05). The BMI-1 protein level was positively correlated with the clinical stages of cervical carcinoma and a high BMI-1 expression was associated with poor prognosis (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The high expression of BMI-1 in cervical cancer is related to tumor progression, lymph node metastasis and HPV infection, suggesting that cervical cancer with excessive BMI-1 expression possesses high metastases potential and that BMI-1 may be a promising biomarker for predicting metastasis in cervical cancer.

Downstream and intermediate interactions of synovial sarcoma-associated fusion oncoproteins and their implication for targeted therapy

Synovial sarcoma (SS), an aggressive type of soft tissue tumor, occurs mostly in adolescents and young adults. The origin and molecular mechanism of the development of SS remain only partially known. Over 90% of SS cases are characterized by the t(X;18)(p11.2;q11.2) translocation, which results mainly in the formation of SS18-SSX1 or SS18-SSX2 fusion genes. In recent years, several reports describing direct and indirect interactions of SS18-SSX1/SSX2 oncoproteins have been published. These reports suggest that the fusion proteins particularly affect the cell growth, cell proliferation, TP53 pathway, and chromatin remodeling mechanisms, contributing to SS oncogenesis. Additional research efforts are required to fully explore the protein-protein interactions of SS18-SSX oncoproteins and the pathways that are regulated by these partnerships for the development of effective targeted therapy.

Polycomb group protein gene silencing, non-coding RNA, stem cells, and cancer

Epigenetic programming is an important facet of biology, controlling gene expression patterns and the choice between developmental pathways. The Polycomb group proteins (PcGs) silence gene expression, allowing cells to both acquire and maintain identity. PcG silencing is important for stemness, X chromosome inactivation (XCI), genomic imprinting, and the abnormally silenced genes in cancers. Stem and cancer cells commonly share gene expression patterns, regulatory mechanisms, and signalling pathways. Many microRNA species have oncogenic or tumor suppressor activity, and disruptions in these networks are common in cancer; however, long non-coding (nc)RNA species are also important. Many of these directly guide PcG deposition and gene silencing at the HOX locus, during XCI, and in examples of genomic imprinting. Since inappropriate HOX expression and loss of genomic imprinting are hallmarks of cancer, disruption of long ncRNA-mediated PcG silencing likely has a role in oncogenesis. Aberrant silencing of coding and non-coding loci is critical for both the genesis and progression of cancers. In addition, PcGs are commonly abnormally overexpressed years prior to cancer pathology, making early PcG targeted therapy an option to reverse tumor formation, someday replacing the blunt instrument of eradication in the cancer therapy arsenal.

[Polycomb group protein complexes]

The transcriptional repressors of the polycomb group (PcG) proteins regulate the targeted genes expression through chromatin modifications. They can be separated biochemically and functionally into two major core multiprotein complexes: PRC1 (Polycomb repressive complex 1) and PRC2 (Polycomb repressive complex 2). Studies revealed that PcG proteins were not only crucial for correct execution of developmental programs but also involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumorigenesis. This paper summarizes the components of PcG proteins complexes, its silencing mechanisms and biological functions, and discusses the study of PcG proteins in future.

Polycomb-group complex 1 acts as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for Geminin to sustain hematopoietic stem cell activity

Polycomb-group (PcG) genes encode multimeric nuclear protein complexes, PcG complex 1 and 2. PcG complex 2 was proved to induce transcription repression and to further methylate histone H3 at lysine-27 (H3K27). Subsequently PcG complex 1 is recruited through recognition of methylated H3K27 and maintains the transcription silencing by mediating monoubiquitination of histone H2A at lysine-119. Genetic evidence demonstrated a crucial role for PcG complex 1 in stem cells, and Bmi1, a member of PcG complex 1, was shown to sustain adult stem cells through direct repression of the INK4a locus encoding cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p16CKI, and p19ARF. The molecular functions of PcG complex 1, however, remain insufficiently understood. In our study, deficiency of Rae28, a member of PcG complex 1, was found to impair ubiquitin-proteasome-mediated degradation of Geminin, an inhibitor of DNA replication licensing factor Cdt1, and to increase protein stability. The resultant accumulation of Geminin, based on evidence from retroviral transduction experiments, presumably eliminated hematopoietic stem cell activity in Rae28-deficient mice. Rae28 mediates recruiting Scmh1, which provides PcG complex 1 an interaction domain for Geminin. Moreover, PcG complex 1 acts as the E3 ubiquitin ligase for Geminin, as we demonstrated in vivo as well as in vitro by using purified recombinant PcG complex 1 reconstituted in insect cells. Our findings suggest that PcG complex 1 supports the activity of hematopoietic stem cells, in which high-level Geminin expression induces quiescence securing genome stability, by enhancing cycling capability and hematopoietic activity through direct regulation of Geminin.