A functional SUMO-interacting motif in the transactivation domain of c-Myb regulates its myeloid transforming ability

Evolution of a novel regulatory mechanism of hypoxia inducible factor in hypoxia-tolerant electric fishes

Hypoxia is a significant source of metabolic stress that activates many cellular pathways involved in cellular differentiation, proliferation, and cell death. Hypoxia is also a major component in many human diseases and a known driver of many cancers. Despite the challenges posed by hypoxia, there are animals that display impressive capacity to withstand lethal levels of hypoxia for prolonged periods of time and thus offer a gateway to a more comprehensive understanding of the hypoxic response in vertebrates. The weakly electric fish genus Brachyhypopomus inhabits some of the most challenging aquatic ecosystems in the world, with some species experiencing seasonal anoxia, thus providing a unique system to study the cellular and molecular mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance. In this study, we use closely related species of Brachyhypopomus that display a range of hypoxia tolerances to probe for the underlying molecular mechanisms via hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs)-transcription factors known to coordinate the cellular response to hypoxia in vertebrates. We find that HIF1⍺ from hypoxia tolerant Brachyhypopomus species displays higher transactivation in response to hypoxia than that of intolerant species, when overexpressed in live cells. Moreover, we identified two SUMO-interacting motifs near the oxygen-dependent degradation and transactivation domains of the HIF1⍺ protein that appear to boost transactivation of HIF1, regardless of the genetic background. Together with computational analyses of selection, this shows that evolution of HIF1⍺ are likely to underlie adaptations to hypoxia tolerance in Brachyhypopomus electric fishes, with changes in two SUMO-interacting motifs facilitating the mechanism of this tolerance.

MYB regulates the SUMO protease SENP1 and its novel interaction partner UXT, modulating MYB target genes and the SUMO landscape

SUMOylation is a post-translational modification frequently found on nuclear proteins, including transcription factors (TFs) and coactivators. By controlling the activity of several TFs, SUMOylation may have far-reaching effects. MYB is an example of a developmental TF subjected to SUMO-mediated regulation, through both SUMO conjugation and SUMO binding. How SUMO affects MYB target genes is unknown. Here, we explored the global effect of reduced SUMOylation of MYB on its downstream gene programs. RNA-Seq in K562 cells after MYB knockdown and rescue with mutants having an altered SUMO status revealed a number of differentially regulated genes and distinct gene ontology term enrichments. Clearly, the SUMO status of MYB both quantitatively and qualitatively affects its regulome. The transcriptome data further revealed that MYB upregulates the SUMO protease SENP1, a key enzyme that removes SUMO conjugation from SUMOylated proteins. Given this role of SENP1 in the MYB regulome, we expanded the analysis, mapped interaction partners of SENP1, and identified UXT as a novel player affecting the SUMO system by acting as a repressor of SENP1. MYB inhibits the expression of UXT suggesting that MYB is able not only to control a specific gene program directly but also indirectly by affecting the SUMO landscape through SENP1 and UXT. These findings suggest an autoactivation loop whereby MYB, through enhancing SENP1 and reducing UXT, is itself being activated by a reduced level of repressive SUMOylation. We propose that overexpressed MYB, seen in multiple cancers, may drive this autoactivation loop and contribute to oncogenic activation of MYB.

Global non-covalent SUMO interaction networks reveal SUMO-dependent stabilization of the non-homologous end joining complex

In contrast to our extensive knowledge on covalent small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) target proteins, we are limited in our understanding of non-covalent SUMO-binding proteins. We identify interactors of different SUMO isoforms-monomeric SUMO1, monomeric SUMO2, or linear trimeric SUMO2 chains-using a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach. We identify 379 proteins that bind to different SUMO isoforms, mainly in a preferential manner. Interestingly, XRCC4 is the only DNA repair protein in our screen with a preference for SUMO2 trimers over mono-SUMO2, as well as the only protein in our screen that belongs to the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA double-strand break repair pathway. A SUMO interaction motif (SIM) in XRCC4 regulates its recruitment to sites of DNA damage and phosphorylation of S320 by DNA-PKcs. Our data highlight the importance of non-covalent and covalent sumoylation for DNA double-strand break repair via the NHEJ pathway and provide a resource of SUMO isoform interactors.

Dissecting the transactivation domain (tAD) of the transcription factor c-Myb to assess recent models of tAD function

Transcription factors use a DNA-binding domain to localize their action and a transactivation domain (tAD) to stimulate activation of the associated gene. Recent work has renewed interest in how tADs activate genes, which remains poorly understood. Key features in the new models are exposure of short linear motifs (SLMs) and liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Inspired by the new models for tAD function, we decided to revisit the tAD of the haematopoietic transcription factor c-Myb by performing a mutational analysis to see how these new models fit and potentially explain the tAD behaviour of this master regulator. We know that c-Myb has an acidic tAD, which contains a well-characterized SLM in the form of a LxxLL motif. By testing 12 alanine-scanning mutants and three mutants with major reorganization of its tAD in two mammalian reporter systems, we found a pattern of effects very close to what would be expected from the SLM-exposure model, with strong effects exerted by both acidic replacements and SLM mutation. When the same mutants were tested in a yeast system, the pattern of effects was dramatically different, with the SLM mutation exerting no effect, and tAD behaviour was much less affected by small alterations, as would be expected from a LLPS model. These observations are discussed in the light of the two new tAD models, and a two-step hypothesis for transactivation, combining both models, is proposed.

Zfp521 SUMOylation facilities erythroid hematopoietic reconstitution under stress

Zinc finger protein 521 (Zfp521) is a key transcriptional factor in regulation of hematopoiesis. SUMOylation, a protein post-translational modification process, plays important roles in various biological process including hematopoiesis. However, whether Zfp521 can be SUMOylated and how it affects hematopoiesis is unknown. In this study, we confirmed that Zfp521 can be modified by SUMO1 and lysine 1146 was the primary SUMOylation site. Under homeostatic condition, Zfp521 SUMOylation-deficient mice had normal mature blood cells and primitive cells. However, in bone marrow (BM) transplantation assay, recipient mice transplanted with BM cells from Zfp521 SUMOylation-deficient mice had a significantly decreased R2 population of erythroid lineage in BM and spleen compared with those transplanted with BM cells from wild-type mice. Our results found a novel function of Zfp521 SUMOylation in erythroid reconstitution under stress, which might be a new therapeutic target in future.

The SUMO Pathway in Hematomalignancies and Their Response to Therapies

SUMO (Small Ubiquitin-related MOdifier) is a post-translational modifier of the ubiquitin family controlling the function and fate of thousands of proteins. SUMOylation is deregulated in various hematological malignancies, where it participates in both tumorigenesis and cancer cell response to therapies. This is the case for Acute Promyelocytic Leukemias (APL) where SUMOylation, and subsequent destruction, of the PML-RARα fusion oncoprotein are triggered by arsenic trioxide, which is used as front-line therapy in combination with retinoic acid to cure APL patients. A similar arsenic-induced SUMO-dependent degradation was also documented for Tax, a human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV1) viral protein implicated in Adult T-cell Leukemogenesis. SUMOylation also participates in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) response to both chemo- and differentiation therapies, in particular through its ability to regulate gene expression. In Multiple Myeloma, many enzymes of the SUMO pathway are overexpressed and their high expression correlates with lower response to melphalan-based chemotherapies. B-cell lymphomas overexpressing the c-Myc oncogene also overexpress most components of the SUMO pathway and are highly sensitive to SUMOylation inhibition. Targeting the SUMO pathway with recently discovered pharmacological inhibitors, alone or in combination with current therapies, might therefore constitute a powerful strategy to improve the treatment of these cancers.

Elk1 affects katanin and spastin proteins via differential transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations

Microtubule severing, which is highly critical for the survival of both mitotic and post-mitotic cells, has to be precisely adjusted by regulating the expression levels of severing proteins, katanin and spastin. Even though severing mechanism is relatively well-studied, there are limited studies for the transcriptional regulation of microtubule severing proteins. In this study, we identified the main regulatory region of KATNA1 gene encoding katanin-p60 as 5’ UTR, which has a key role for its expression, and showed Elk1 binding to KATNA1. Furthermore, we identified that Elk1 decreased katanin-p60 and spastin protein expressions, while mRNA levels were increased upon Elk1 overexpression. In addition, SUMOylation is a known post-translational modification regulating Elk1 activity. A previous study suggested that K230, K249, K254 amino acids in the R domain are the main SUMOylation sites; however, we identified that these amino acids are neither essential nor substantial for Elk1 SUMOylation. Also, we determined that KATNA1 methylation results in the reduction of Elk1 binding whereas SPG4 methylation does not. Together, our findings emphasizing the impacts of both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations of katanin-p60 and spastin suggest that Elk1 has a key role for differential expression patterns of microtubule severing proteins, thereby regulating cellular functions through alterations of microtubule organization.

A conserved patch of hydrophobic amino acids modulates Myb activity by mediating protein-protein interactions

The transcription factor c-Myb plays a key role in the control of proliferation and differentiation in hematopoietic progenitor cells and has been implicated in the development of leukemia and certain non-hematopoietic tumors. c-Myb activity is highly dependent on the interaction with the coactivator p300 which is mediated by the transactivation domain of c-Myb and the KIX domain of p300. We have previously observed that conservative valine-to-isoleucine amino acid substitutions in a conserved stretch of hydrophobic amino acids have a profound effect on Myb activity. Here, we have explored the function of the hydrophobic region as a mediator of protein-protein interactions. We show that the hydrophobic region facilitates Myb self-interaction and binding of the histone acetyl transferase Tip60, a previously identified Myb interacting protein. We show that these interactions are affected by the valine-to-isoleucine amino acid substitutions and suppress Myb activity by interfering with the interaction of Myb and the KIX domain of p300. Taken together, our work identifies the hydrophobic region in the Myb transactivation domain as a binding site for homo- and heteromeric protein interactions and leads to a picture of the c-Myb transactivation domain as a composite protein binding region that facilitates interdependent protein-protein interactions of Myb with regulatory proteins.

Novel Role for Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT 4 (PIAS4) in the Restriction of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 by the Cellular Intrinsic Antiviral Immune Response

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) is used by the intrinsic antiviral immune response to restrict viral pathogens, such as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Despite characterization of the host factors that rely on SUMOylation to exert their antiviral effects, the enzymes that mediate these SUMOylation events remain to be defined. We show that unconjugated SUMO levels are largely maintained throughout infection regardless of the presence of ICP0, the HSV-1 SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase. Moreover, in the absence of ICP0, high-molecular-weight SUMO-conjugated proteins do not accumulate if HSV-1 DNA does not replicate. These data highlight the continued importance for SUMO signaling throughout infection. We show that the SUMO ligase protein inhibitor of activated STAT 4 (PIAS4) is upregulated during HSV-1 infection and localizes to nuclear domains that contain viral DNA. PIAS4 is recruited to sites associated with HSV-1 genome entry through SUMO interaction motif (SIM)-dependent mechanisms that are destabilized by ICP0. In contrast, PIAS4 accumulates in replication compartments through SIM-independent mechanisms irrespective of ICP0 expression. Depletion of PIAS4 enhances the replication of ICP0-null mutant HSV-1, which is susceptible to restriction by the intrinsic antiviral immune response. The mechanisms of PIAS4-mediated restriction are synergistic with the restriction mechanisms of a characterized intrinsic antiviral factor, promyelocytic leukemia protein, and are antagonized by ICP0. We provide the first evidence that PIAS4 is an intrinsic antiviral factor. This novel role for PIAS4 in intrinsic antiviral immunity contrasts with the known roles of PIAS proteins as suppressors of innate immunity.

IMPORTANCE

Posttranslational modifications with small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins regulate multiple aspects of host immunity and viral replication. The protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) family of SUMO ligases is predominantly associated with the suppression of innate immune signaling. We now identify a unique and contrasting role for PIAS proteins as positive regulators of the intrinsic antiviral immune response to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection. We show that PIAS4 relocalizes to nuclear domains that contain viral DNA throughout infection. Depletion of PIAS4, either alone or in combination with the intrinsic antiviral factor promyelocytic leukemia protein, significantly impairs the intrinsic antiviral immune response to HSV-1 infection. Our data reveal a novel and dynamic role for PIAS4 in the cellular-mediated restriction of herpesviruses and establish a new functional role for the PIAS family of SUMO ligases in the intrinsic antiviral immune response to DNA virus infection.

PIAS1 binds p300 and behaves as a coactivator or corepressor of the transcription factor c-Myb dependent on SUMO-status

The PIAS proteins (Protein Inhibitor of Activated STATs) constitute a family of multifunctional nuclear proteins operating as SUMO E3 ligases and being involved in a multitude of interactions. They participate in a range of biological processes, also beyond their well-established role in the immune system and cytokine signalling. They act both as transcriptional corepressors and coactivators depending on the context. In the present work, we investigated mechanisms by which PIAS1 causes activation or repression of c-Myb dependent target genes. Analysis of global expression data shows that c-Myb and PIAS1 knockdowns affect a subset of common targets, but with a dual outcome consistent with a role of PIAS1 as either a corepressor or coactivator. Our mechanistic studies show that PIAS1 engages in a novel interaction with the acetyltransferase and coactivator p300. Interaction and ChIP analysis suggest a bridging function where PIAS1 enhances p300 recruitment to c-Myb-bound sites through interaction with both proteins. In addition, the E3 activity of PIAS1 enhances further its coactivation. Remarkably, the SUMO status of c-Myb had a decisive role, indicating a SUMO-dependent switch in the way PIAS1 affects c-Myb, either as a coactivator or corepressor. Removal of the two major SUMO-conjugation sites in c-Myb (2KR mutant), which enhances its activity significantly, turned PIAS1 into a corepressor. Also, p300 was less efficiently recruited to chromatin by c-Myb-2KR. We propose that PIAS1 acts as a "protein inhibitor of activated c-Myb" in the absence of SUMOylation while, in its presence, PIAS behaves as a "protein activator of repressed c-Myb".

SUMOylation of Wor1 by a novel SUMO E3 ligase controls cell fate in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is the most common human fungal pathogen, yet is a normal commensal resident of the human gut. CO(2) levels in the gut are much higher than in air, and it is known that elevated CO(2) concentration promotes C. albicans cells to undergo a phenotypic switch from white to opaque phase. Wor1, the master regulator of opaque cell formation, is required for both the white to opaque transition and opaque maintenance. To elucidate the regulatory mechanism of Wor1, we set out to identify Wor1-interacting proteins using a yeast two-hybrid screen. A SUMO E3 ligase named Wos1 (Wor1 SUMO-ligase 1) was identified to interact with Wor1 and regulate Wor1 SUMOylation. WOS1 expression is upregulated in response to high CO(2), and the induction by CO(2) is dependent on the transcription factor Flo8. Under high CO(2) conditions, Wos1 is required for the white to opaque switch and acts downstream of Flo8. At atmospheric CO(2) levels, overexpression of Wos1 enhances Wor1 SUMOylation and promotes the white to opaque switch. Wor1 is found to be SUMOylated at lysine 385, and loss of this mark by point mutation leads to a defect in CO(2) -mediated opaque cell induction. Together, our genetic and biological data show that Wos1-mediated Wor1 SUMOylation contributes to the regulation of CO(2) -induced white to opaque switching as well as heritable maintenance of the opaque cell type.

Genetic interaction between mutations in c-Myb and the KIX domains of CBP and p300 affects multiple blood cell lineages and influences both gene activation and repression

Adult blood cell production or definitive hematopoiesis requires the transcription factor c-Myb. The closely related KAT3 histone acetyltransferases CBP (CREBBP) and p300 (EP300) bind c-Myb through their KIX domains and mice homozygous for a p300 KIX domain mutation exhibit multiple blood defects. Perplexingly, mice homozygous for the same KIX domain mutation in CBP have normal blood. Here we test the hypothesis that the CBP KIX domain contributes subordinately to hematopoiesis via a genetic interaction with c-Myb. We assessed hematopoiesis in mice bearing compound mutations of c-Myb and/or the KIX domains of CBP and p300, and measured the effect of KIX domain mutations on c-Myb-dependent gene expression. We found that in the context of a p300 KIX mutation, the CBP KIX domain mutation affects platelets, B cells, T cells, and red cells. Gene interaction (epistasis) analysis provides mechanistic evidence that blood defects in KIX mutant mice are consistent with reduced c-Myb and KIX interaction. Lastly, we demonstrated that the CBP and p300 KIX domains contribute to both c-Myb-dependent gene activation and repression. Together these results suggest that the KIX domains of CBP, and especially p300, are principal mediators of c-Myb-dependent gene activation and repression that is required for definitive hematopoiesis.

Proteome changes induced by c-myb silencing in human chronic myeloid leukemia cells suggest molecular mechanisms and putative biomarkers of hematopoietic malignancies

To shed light on the molecular mechanisms associated with aberrant accumulation of c-Myb in chronic myeloid leukemia, comparative proteomic analysis was performed on c-myb RNAi-specifically silenced K562 cells, sampled on a time-course basis. 2D-DIGE technology highlighted 37 differentially-represented proteins that were further characterized by nLC-ESI-LIT-MS/MS and validated by western blotting and qRT-PCR analysis. Most of the deregulated proteins were related to protein folding, energy/primary metabolism, transcription/translation regulation and oxidative stress response. Protein network analysis suggested that glycolysis, gluconeogenesis and protein ubiquitination biosynthesis pathways were highly represented, confirming also the pivotal role of c-Myc. A specific reduced representation was observed for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase and α-enolase, suggesting a possible role of c-Myb in the activation of aerobic glycolysis. A reduced amount was also observed for stress responsive heat shock 70kDa protein and 78kDa glucose-regulated protein, previously identified as direct targets of c-Myb. Among over-represented proteins, worth mentioning is the chromatin modifier chromobox protein homolog 3 that contributes to silencing of E2F- and Myc-responsive genes in quiescent G0 cells. Data here presented, while providing novel insights onto the molecular mechanisms underlying c-Myb activity, indicate potential protein biomarkers for monitoring the progression of chronic myeloid leukemia.

BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Myeloid leukemia is a malignant disease of the hematopoietic system in which cells of myeloid lineages accumulate to an undifferentiated state. In particular, it was shown that an aberrant accumulation of the c-Myb transcriptional factor is associated with the suppression of normal differentiation processes promoting the development of the hematopoietic malignancies. Many efforts have been recently made to identify novel genes directly targeted by c-Myb at a transcriptome level. In this work, we originally describe a differential proteomic approach to facilitate the comprehension of the regulation of the protein networks exerted by c-Myb. Our study reveals a complex network of proteins regulated by c-Myb. The functional heterogeneity of these proteins emphasizes the pleiotropic role of c-Myb as a regulator of genes that are crucial for energy production and stress response in leukemia. In fact, variations in glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase and α-enolase suggest a possible role of c-Myb in the activation of aerobic glycolysis. Moreover, significant differences were found for heat shock 70kDa protein and 78kDa glucose-regulated protein known as direct c-Myb targets. This work highlights potential protein biomarkers to look into disease progression and to develop translational medicine approaches in myeloid leukemia.

Global analysis of SUMO chain function reveals multiple roles in chromatin regulation

Multiple large-scale analyses in yeast implicate SUMO chain function in the maintenance of higher-order chromatin structure and transcriptional repression of environmental stress response genes.

Like ubiquitin, the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteins can form oligomeric “chains,” but the biological functions of these superstructures are not well understood. Here, we created mutant yeast strains unable to synthesize SUMO chains (smt3^allR) and subjected them to high-content microscopic screening, synthetic genetic array (SGA) analysis, and high-density transcript profiling to perform the first global analysis of SUMO chain function. This comprehensive assessment identified 144 proteins with altered localization or intensity in smt3^allR cells, 149 synthetic genetic interactions, and 225 mRNA transcripts (primarily consisting of stress- and nutrient-response genes) that displayed a >1.5-fold increase in expression levels. This information-rich resource strongly implicates SUMO chains in the regulation of chromatin. Indeed, using several different approaches, we demonstrate that SUMO chains are required for the maintenance of normal higher-order chromatin structure and transcriptional repression of environmental stress response genes in budding yeast.

Identification of c-Myb Target Genes in K562 Cells Reveals a Role for c-Myb as a Master Regulator

The c-Myb transcription factor is an important regulator of hematopoietic cell development. c-Myb is expressed in immature hematopoietic cells and plays a direct role in lineage fate selection, cell cycle progression, and differentiation of myeloid as well as B- and T-lymphoid progenitor cells. As a DNA-binding transcription factor, c-Myb regulates specific gene programs through activation of target genes. Still, our understanding of these programs is incomplete. Here, we report a set of novel c-Myb target genes, identified using a combined approach: specific c-Myb knockdown by 2 different siRNAs and subsequent global expression profiling, combined with the confirmation of direct binding of c-Myb to the target promoters by ChIP assays. The combination of these 2 approaches, as well as additional validation such as cloning and testing the promoters in reporter assays, confirmed that MYADM, LMO2, GATA2, STAT5A, and IKZF1 are target genes of c-Myb. Additional studies, using chromosome conformation capture, demonstrated that c-Myb target genes may directly interact with each other, indicating that these genes may be coordinately regulated. Of the 5 novel target genes identified, 3 are transcription factors, and one is a transcriptional co-regulator, supporting a role of c-Myb as a master regulator controlling the expression of other transcriptional regulators in the hematopoietic system.

SUMOylation and SUMO-interacting motif (SIM) of metastasis tumor antigen 1 (MTA1) synergistically regulate its transcriptional repressor function

Metastasis tumor antigen 1 (MTA1), a component of the Mi-2·nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase complex, plays a crucial role in gene transcription, but the mechanism involved remains largely unknown. Here, we report that MTA1 is a substrate for small ubiquitin-related modifier 2/3 (SUMO2/3) in vivo. Protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) proteins enhance SUMOylation of MTA1 and may participate in paralog-selective SUMOylation, whereas sentrin/SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) and 2 may act as deSUMOylation enzymes for MTA1. Moreover, MTA1 contains a functional SUMO-interacting motif (SIM) at its C terminus, and SIM is required for the efficient SUMOylation of MTA1. SUMO conjugation on Lys-509, which is located within the SUMO consensus site, together with SIM synergistically regulates the co-repressor activity of MTA1 on PS2 transcription, probably by recruiting HDAC2 onto the PS2 promoter. Interestingly, MTA1 may up-regulate the expression of SUMO2 via interaction with RNA polymerase II and SP1 at the SUMO2 promoter. These findings not only provide novel mechanistic insights into the regulation of the transcriptional repressor function of MTA1 by SUMOylation and SIM but also uncover a potential function of MTA1 in modulating the SUMOylation pathway.

Complex SUMO-1 regulation of cardiac transcription factor Nkx2-5

Reversible post-translational protein modifications such as SUMOylation add complexity to cardiac transcriptional regulation. The homeodomain transcription factor Nkx2-5/Csx is essential for heart specification and morphogenesis. It has been previously suggested that SUMOylation of lysine 51 (K51) of Nkx2-5 is essential for its DNA binding and transcriptional activation. Here, we confirm that SUMOylation strongly enhances Nkx2-5 transcriptional activity and that residue K51 of Nkx2-5 is a SUMOylation target. However, in a range of cultured cell lines we find that a point mutation of K51 to arginine (K51R) does not affect Nkx2-5 activity or DNA binding, suggesting the existence of additional Nkx2-5 SUMOylated residues. Using biochemical assays, we demonstrate that Nkx2-5 is SUMOylated on at least one additional site, and this is the predominant site in cardiac cells. The second site is either non-canonical or a "shifting" site, as mutation of predicted consensus sites and indeed every individual lysine in the context of the K51R mutation failed to impair Nkx2-5 transcriptional synergism with SUMO, or its nuclear localization and DNA binding. We also observe SUMOylation of Nkx2-5 cofactors, which may be critical to Nkx2-5 regulation. Our data reveal highly complex regulatory mechanisms driven by SUMOylation to modulate Nkx2-5 activity.

PIAS1 interacts with FLASH and enhances its co-activation of c-Myb

Background

FLASH is a huge nuclear protein involved in various cellular functions such as apoptosis signalling, NF-κB activation, S-phase regulation, processing of histone pre-mRNAs, and co-regulation of transcription. Recently, we identified FLASH as a co-activator of the transcription factor c-Myb and found FLASH to be tightly associated with active transcription foci. As a huge multifunctional protein, FLASH is expected to have many interaction partners, some which may shed light on its function as a transcriptional regulator.

Results

To find additional FLASH-associated proteins, we performed a yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening with FLASH as bait and identified the SUMO E3 ligase PIAS1 as an interaction partner. The association appears to involve two distinct interaction surfaces in FLASH. We verified the interaction by Y2H-mating, GST pulldowns, co-IP and ChIP. FLASH and PIAS1 were found to co-localize in nuclear speckles. Functional assays revealed that PIAS1 enhances the intrinsic transcriptional activity of FLASH in a RING finger-dependent manner. Furthermore, PIAS1 also augments the specific activity of c-Myb, and cooperates with FLASH to further co-activate c-Myb. The three proteins, FLASH, PIAS1, and c-Myb, are all co-localized with active RNA polymerase II foci, resembling transcription factories.

Conclusions

We conclude that PIAS1 is a common partner for two cancer-related nuclear factors, c-Myb and FLASH. Our results point to a functional cooperation between FLASH and PIAS1 in the enhancement of c-Myb activity in active nuclear foci.