Developmental expression pattern of D-ets4, the Drosophila homologue of human Pdef

Lessons from Drosophila Pointed, an ETS family transcription factor and key nuclear effector of the RTK signaling pathway

The ETS family of transcription factors are evolutionarily conserved throughout the metazoan lineage and are critical for regulating cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and migration. All members have an ETS DNA binding domain, while a subset also has a protein-protein interaction domain called the SAM domain. Pointed (Pnt), an ETS transcriptional activator functions downstream of the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling pathway to regulate diverse processes during the development of Drosophila. This review highlights the indispensable role that Pnt plays in regulating normal development and how continued investigation into its function and regulation will provide key mechanistic insight into understanding why the de-regulation of its vertebrate orthologs, ETS1 and ETS2 results in cancer.

A novel role for Ets4 in axis specification and cell migration in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum

Organizers play important roles during the embryonic development of many animals. The most famous example is the Spemann organizer that sets up embryonic axes in amphibian embryos. In spiders, a group of BMP secreting mesenchymal cells (the cumulus) functions as an organizer of the dorsoventral axis. Similar to experiments performed with the Spemann organizer, transplantation of the cumulus is able to induce a secondary axis in spiders. Despite the importance of this structure, it is unknown which factors are needed to activate cumulus specific gene expression. To address this question, we performed a transcriptomic analysis of early embryonic development in the spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum. Through this work, we found that the transcription factor Pt-Ets4 is needed for cumulus integrity, dorsoventral patterning and for the activation of Pt-hunchback and Pt-twist expression. Furthermore, ectopic expression of Pt-Ets4 is sufficient to induce cell delamination and migration by inducing a mesoderm-like cell fate.

Chronic low-dose γ-irradiation of Drosophila melanogaster larvae induces gene expression changes and enhances locomotive behavior

Although radiation effects have been extensively studied, the biological effects of low-dose radiation (LDR) are controversial. This study investigates LDR-induced alterations in locomotive behavior and gene expression profiles of Drosophila melanogaster. We measured locomotive behavior using larval pupation height and the rapid iterative negative geotaxis (RING) assay after exposure to 0.1 Gy γ-radiation (dose rate of 16.7 mGy/h). We also observed chronic LDR effects on development (pupation and eclosion rates) and longevity (life span). To identify chronic LDR effects on gene expression, we performed whole-genome expression analysis using gene-expression microarrays, and confirmed the results using quantitative real-time PCR. The pupation height of the LDR-treated group at the first larval instar was significantly higher (∼2-fold increase in PHI value, P < 0.05). The locomotive behavior of LDR-treated male flies (∼3 - 5 weeks of age) was significantly increased by 7.7%, 29% and 138%, respectively (P < 0.01), but pupation and eclosion rates and life spans were not significantly altered. Genome-wide expression analysis identified 344 genes that were differentially expressed in irradiated larvae compared with in control larvae. We identified several genes belonging to larval behavior functional groups such as locomotion (1.1%), oxidation reduction (8.0%), and genes involved in conventional functional groups modulated by irradiation such as defense response (4.9%), and sensory and perception (2.5%). Four candidate genes were confirmed as differentially expressed genes in irradiated larvae using qRT-PCR (>2-fold change). These data suggest that LDR stimulates locomotion-related genes, and these genes can be used as potential markers for LDR.

Conservation of transcription factor binding specificities across 600 million years of bilateria evolution

Divergent morphology of species has largely been ascribed to genetic differences in the tissue-specific expression of proteins, which could be achieved by divergence in cis-regulatory elements or by altering the binding specificity of transcription factors (TFs). The relative importance of the latter has been difficult to assess, as previous systematic analyses of TF binding specificity have been performed using different methods in different species. To address this, we determined the binding specificities of 242 Drosophila TFs, and compared them to human and mouse data. This analysis revealed that TF binding specificities are highly conserved between Drosophila and mammals, and that for orthologous TFs, the similarity extends even to the level of very subtle dinucleotide binding preferences. The few human TFs with divergent specificities function in cell types not found in fruit flies, suggesting that evolution of TF specificities contributes to emergence of novel types of differentiated cells.

Transcriptional regulation of p21/CIP1 cell cycle inhibitor by PDEF controls cell proliferation and mammary tumor progression

The Ets family of transcription factors control a myriad of cellular processes and contribute to the underlying genetic loss of cellular homeostasis resulting in cancer. PDEF (prostate-derived Ets factor) has been under investigation for its role in tumor development and progression. However, the role of PDEF in cancer development has been controversial. Some reports link PDEF to tumor promoter, and others show tumor-suppressing functions in various systems under different conditions. So far, there has been no conclusive evidence from in vivo experiments to prove the role of PDEF. We have used both in vitro and in vivo systems to provide a conclusive role of PDEF in the progression process. PDEF-expressing cells block the cell growth rate, and this retardation was reversible when PDEF expression was silenced with PDEF-specific small interfering RNA. When these PDEF-expressing cells were orthotopically implanted into the mouse mammary gland, tumor incidence and growth rate were significantly retarded. Cell cycle analysis revealed that PDEF expression partially blocked cell cycle progression at G(1)/S without an effect on apoptosis. PDEF overexpression resulted in an increase in p21/CIP1 at both the mRNA and protein levels, resulting in decreased Cdk2 activity. Promoter deletion analysis, electrophoresis mobility shift assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies identified the functional Ets DNA binding site at -2118 bp of the p21/CIP1 gene promoter. This site is capable of binding and responding to PDEF. Furthermore, we silenced p21/CIP1 expression in PDEF-overexpressing cells by small interfering RNA. p21-silenced PDEF cells exhibited significantly increased cell growth in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating the p21 regulation by PDEF as a key player. These experiments identified PDEF as a new transcription factor that directly regulates p21/CIP1 expression under non-stressed conditions. This study conclusively proves that PDEF is a breast tumor suppressor for the first time using both in vitro and in vivo systems. PDEF can be further developed as a target for designing therapeutic intervention of breast cancer.

Reduced PDEF expression increases invasion and expression of mesenchymal genes in prostate cancer cells

The epithelium-specific Ets transcription factor, PDEF, plays a role in prostate and breast cancer, although its precise function has not been established. In prostate cancer, PDEF is involved in regulating prostate-specific antigen expression via interaction with the androgen receptor and NKX3.1, and down-regulation of PDEF by antiproliferative agents has been associated with reduced PDEF expression. We now report that reduced expression of PDEF leads to a morphologic change, increased migration and invasiveness in prostate cancer cells, reminiscent of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) function and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Indeed, inhibition of PDEF expression triggers a transcriptional program of genes involved in the TGFbeta pathway, migration, invasion, adhesion, and epithelial dedifferentiation. Our results establish PDEF as a critical regulator of genes involved in cell motility, invasion, and adhesion of prostate cancer cells.