Requirement for the POZ/BTB protein NAC1 in acute but not chronic psychomotor stimulant response

NAC1 is a novel member of the POZ/BTB (Pox virus and Zinc finger/Bric-a-bracTramtrack Broad complex) but varies from other proteins of this class in that it lacks the characteristic DNA-binding motif, suggesting a novel role. We have employed constitutive gene deletion to elucidate the role of NAC1 in vivo. Nac1 mutant mice are viable with no obvious developmental or physiological impairments. Previous studies suggest a role for NAC1 in cocaine-mediated behaviors. Therefore, we evaluated a variety of behaviors associated with psychomotor stimulant effects in Nac1 mutant mice. Acute locomotor activating effects of cocaine or amphetamine are absent in Nac1 mutant mice, however longer exposure to these psychomotor stimulants result in the development of behavioral sensitization. Acute rewarding properties of cocaine and amphetamine are also blunted in mutant mice, yet repeated exposure resulted in conditioned place preference similar to that observed in wild-type mice. Lastly, increases in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, which accompany acute cocaine administration, are blunted in mutant mice, but following chronic cocaine extracellular dopamine levels are increased to the same extent as in wild-type mice. Together these data indicate involvement of NAC1 in the acute behavioral and neurochemical responses to psychomotor stimulants.

NAC1, a cocaine-regulated POZ/BTB protein interacts with CoREST

In this report, CoREST was identified as a protein that interacts with NAC1. NAC1 is a cocaine-regulated Pox virus and Zinc finger/Bric-a-brac Tramtrack Broad complex (POZ/BTB) repressor protein, which mediates interactions among several other transcriptional regulators. In the present study, an interaction between NAC1 and CoREST was detected in neuro-2A cells and HEK293T cells. We found that the POZ/BTB domain is necessary and sufficient for interaction with CoREST. Surprisingly, only one of five mutations in the POZ/BTB domain that disrupts homodimer assembly interfered with NAC1 and CoREST interactions. These results indicate that POZ/BTB homodimer formation is not required for NAC1-CoREST interaction. CoREST demonstrated protein-protein interactions with both isoforms of NAC1, sNAC1, and lNAC1. Coimmunoprecipitation studies show that NAC1 and CoREST are physically bound together. To further support the results, a direct interaction was demonstrated in glutathione-S-transferase pull down assays. siRNA directed against NAC1 mRNA significantly reduced NAC1 protein expression and resulted in reversal of CoREST-mediated repression in cells. This interaction between NAC1 and CoREST was not found for other POZ/BTB proteins tested. Endogenous interaction was demonstrated in lysates from rat brain samples. This is the first report to demonstrate that a POZ/BTB protein interacts with CoREST. Taken together, the results indicate that CoREST may be part of the NAC1 repressor mechanism.