Biomedical subjects

R Benezra

Publications and source records attributed to R Benezra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1999

Two isoforms of protein disulfide isomerase alter the dimerization status of E2A proteins by a redox mechanism.

We have shown previously that E2A helix-loop-helix proteins spontaneously form an intermolecular disulfide cross-link that is required for stable homodimer binding to DNA (Benezra, R. (1994) Cell 79, 1057-1067). These homodimers are important for the development of B lymphocytes but are not present in other cell lineages. We have purified two proteins that are capable of regulating the formation of this disulfide bond and found them to be members of the protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) family. By regulating the formation of the disulfide cross-link, these proteins are capable of regulating the dimerization state of E proteins. PDI-mediated reduction appears to dissociate E protein homodimers and favors heterodimer formation with other basic helix-loop-helix proteins in both a purified protein system and in cellular extracts. These studies suggest that PDI may play an important role in the regulation of E2A transcription factor dimerization and the development of the B lymphocyte lineage.

Adenovirus E2 Proteins↗

PubMed1998

Mad2 transiently associates with an APC/p55Cdc complex during mitosis.

Activation of the mitotic checkpoint pathway in response to mitotic spindle damage in eukaryotic cells delays the exit from mitosis in an attempt to prevent chromosome missegregation. One component of this pathway, hsMad2, has been shown in mammalian cells to physically associate with components of a ubiquitin ligase activity (termed the anaphase promoting complex or APC) when the checkpoint is activated, thereby preventing the degradation of inhibitors of the mitotic exit machinery. In the present report, we demonstrate that the inhibitory association between Mad2 and the APC component Cdc27 also takes place transiently during the early stages of a normal mitosis and is lost before mitotic exit. We also show that Mad2 associates with the APC regulatory protein p55Cdc in mammalian cells as has been reported in yeast. In contrast, however, this complex is present only in nocodazole-arrested or early mitotic cells and is associated with the APC as a Mad2/p55Cdc/Cdc27 ternary complex. Evidence for a Mad2/Cdc27 complex that forms independent of p55Cdc also is presented. These results suggest a model for the regulation of the APC by Mad2 and may explain how the spindle assembly checkpoint apparatus controls the timing of mitosis under normal growth conditions.

Anaphase-Promoting Complex-Cyclosome↗

PubMed1997

MAD2 associates with the cyclosome/anaphase-promoting complex and inhibits its activity.

Cell cycle progression is monitored by checkpoint mechanisms that ensure faithful duplication and accurate segregation of the genome. Defects in spindle assembly or spindle-kinetochore attachment activate the mitotic checkpoint. Once activated, this checkpoint arrests cells prior to the metaphase-anaphase transition with unsegregated chromosomes, stable cyclin B, and elevated M phase promoting factor activity. However, the mechanisms underlying this process remain obscure. Here we report that upon activation of the mitotic checkpoint, MAD2, an essential component of the mitotic checkpoint, associates with the cyclin B-ubiquitin ligase, known as the cyclosome or anaphase-promoting complex. Moreover, purified MAD2 causes a metaphase arrest in cycling Xenopus laevis egg extracts and prevents cyclin B proteolysis by blocking its ubiquitination, indicating that MAD2 functions as an inhibitor of the cyclosome. Thus, MAD2 links the mitotic checkpoint pathway to the cyclin B destruction machinery which is critical in controlling the metaphase-anaphase transition.

Anaphase↗

PubMed1997

Each member of the Id gene family exhibits a unique expression pattern in mouse gastrulation and neurogenesis.

We have performed a detailed comparative in situ hybridization analysis to examine the patterns of expression of all the members of the Id gene family (Id1-4) during murine gastrulation and neurogenesis. During gastrulation, both Id1 and Id3 are expressed in the tissues derived from the inner cell mass from 5.5 dpc onward, whereas Id2 is expressed in tissues derived from trophoblasts. Id4 expression is absent during this period of development. Embryonic Id1 messages are detected during gastrulation on the proximal side of the embryonic ectoderm, which is the border between the embryo proper and the extraembryonic tissues, and the expression of Id3 is found throughout the entire embryo proper. This unique pattern of expression of the different members of the Id family suggests a nonredundant role for these genes in antagonizing the activity of bHLH transcription factors during very early mouse development. During neurogenesis, the expression of each member of the Id family is present in an unique pattern along the dorsal-ventral axis of the neural tube: In the early stages of spinal cord development, both Id1 and Id2 are expressed in the roof plate, whereas Id3 is expressed both in the roof and the floor plates. As development progresses, the expression of both Id1 and Id3 is detected in the dividing neuroblasts, whereas Id2 and 4 are expressed in presumptive neurons which are undergoing maturation. The expression patterns of all the members of the Id gene family persist throughout the entire CNS, both in the spinal cord and in the brain. In addition, the characteristic expression of Id2 and Id4 in more mature neurons is reiterated both in the PNS and in the neurons of some of the sensory organs. These data suggest that the expression of different subgroups of the Id gene family may have different physiological consequences and thereby contributes in unique ways to specify the differentiation state of neuronal cells during development.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

High incidence of T-cell tumors in E2A-null mice and E2A/Id1 double-knockout mice.

The basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins encoded by the E2A gene are broadly expressed transcription regulators which function through binding to the E-box enhancer sequences. The DNA binding activities of E2A proteins are directly inhibited upon dimerization with the Id1 gene product. It has been shown that disruption of the E2A gene leads to a complete block in B-lymphocyte development and a high frequency of neonatal death. We report here that nearly half of the surviving E2A-null mice develop acute T-cell lymphoma between 3 to 10 months of age. We further show that disruption of the Id1 gene improves the chance of postnatal survival of E2A-null mice, indicating that Id1 is a canonical negative regulator of E2A and that the unbalanced ratio of E2A to Id1 may contribute to the postnatal death of the E2A-null mice. However, the E2A/Id1 double-knockout mice still develop T-cell tumors once they reach the age of 3 months. This result suggests that E2A may be essential for maintaining the homeostasis of T lymphocytes during their constant renewal in adult life.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Identification of a human mitotic checkpoint gene: hsMAD2.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, MAD2 is required for mitotic arrest if the spindle assembly is perturbed. The human homolog of MAD2 was isolated and shown to be a necessary component of the mitotic checkpoint in HeLa cells by antibody electroporation experiments. Human, or Homo sapiens, MAD2 (hsMAD2) was localized at the kinetochore after chromosome condensation but was no longer observed at the kinetochore in metaphase, suggesting that MAD2 might monitor the completeness of the spindle-kinetochore attachment. Finally, T47D, a human breast tumor cell line that is sensitive to taxol and nocodazole, had reduced MAD2 expression and failed to arrest in mitosis after nocodazole treatment. Thus, defects in the mitotic checkpoint may contribute to the sensitivity of certain tumors to mitotic spindle inhibitors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Expression patterns of Id1, Id2, and Id3 are highly related but distinct from that of Id4 during mouse embryogenesis.

The murine dominant negative helix-loop-helix (dnHLH) proteins inhibit the activities of bHLH transcription factors in diverse cell lineages (Benezra et al. [1990] Cell 61:49-59; Christy et al [1991] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:1815-1819; Sun et al [1991] Mol. Cell Biol. 11: 5603-5611; Riechmann et al. [1994] Nucleic Acids Res. 22:749-755). Currently, there are four members in the dnHLH family, Id1, Id2, Id3, and Id4. In this report, we have performed a detailed comparative in situ hybridization analysis to examine their expression pattern during post-gastrulational mouse development. Id1, 2, and 3 are expressed in multiple tissues, whereas Id4 expression can only be detected in neuronal tissues and in the ventral portion of the epithelium of the developing stomach. The regions where Id1-3 genes are expressed, such as gut, lung, kidney, tooth, whisker, and several glandular structures, are undergoing active morphogenetic activities. The expression patterns of Id1, 2, and 3 overlap in many organs, except in the tissue derived from primitive gut. In the latter, Id1 and Id3 signals are detected in the mesenchyme surrounding the epithelium, whereas Id2 is expressed within the epithelium. The difference in the patterns of expressions of Id2-3 and Id4 suggest that the dominant negative transcriptional activity of these two subclasses of the Id family may have different physiological consequences.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Transcription of the dominant-negative helix-loop-helix protein Id1 is regulated by a protein complex containing the immediate-early response gene Egr-1.

The expression of Id1, a helix-loop-helix protein which inhibits the activity of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, is down-regulated during cellular differentiation and cell cycle withdrawal both in tissue culture models and in mouse embryos. In order to study the mechanism of control of Idl expression, we have isolated a 210-bp enhancer element in the upstream region of the Id1 gene whose activity recapitulates Id1 expression in C2C12 muscle cells and C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts: i.e., this element is active in proliferating cells in the presence of serum and completely inactivated upon mitogen depletion, cell cycle withdrawal, and (in the case of C2C12) induced myoblast differentiation. Using linker-scanning mutations and site-directed mutagenesis in transient transfection experiments, we have identified two functional elements within the 210-bp enhancer which are required for proper serum responsiveness. One element (A) contains a consensus Egr-1 binding site and additional flanking sequences required for optimal activity, and the other element (B) fits no known consensus. Gel shift experiments demonstrate that the protein complex binding to the A site contains Egr-1 and other proteins. This complex as well as a protein complex that binds to the B site is lost within 24 h of serum depletion, correlating with the down-regulation of Id1 expression. On the basis of these findings, we propose that the regulation of the Id1 response to serum is mediated in part by the early response gene Egr-1 and as such provides a signaling link between the early-growth-response transcription factors and dominant-negative helix-loop-helix proteins.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Chromosomal assignment of human ID1 and ID2 genes.

The Id (inhibitor of DNA binding) proteins regulate transcription during development by interacting with transcription factors. Three human genes, ID1, ID2, and ID3, have been identified that belong to this family of transcription regulators. We show, by somatic cell hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments, that ID1 and ID2 are localized at 20q11 and 2p25, respectively.

Blotting, Southern↗

PubMed1994

An intermolecular disulfide bond stabilizes E2A homodimers and is required for DNA binding at physiological temperatures.

It is demonstrated in this report that purified E2A helix-loop-helix (HLH) proteins spontaneously form homodimers that are linked by an intermolecular disulfide bond. These homodimers bind DNA at physiological temperatures but fail to associate with either Id or MyoD. When the disulfide bond is reduced by an activity present in muscle cell lysates or disrupted by site-directed mutagenesis, the monomeric form of the protein is strongly favored at 37 degrees C. These E2A monomers cannot bind DNA but heterodimerize efficiently with Id and MyoD. It is also shown that an intermolecular disulfide bond cross-links E2A homodimers in B cells but not in muscle cells in which only heterodimers have been detected. These results suggest a novel mechanism for regulating the dimerization status and DNA binding properties of E2A HLH transcription factors.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 transiently enhances expression of a gene, Id (inhibitor of differentiation), encoding a helix-loop-helix molecule in osteoblast-like cells.

Bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) is a potent inducer of differentiation of osteoblasts both in vivo and in vitro. We examined the action of BMP-2 on expression of a helix-loop-helix-type transcription factor, Id (inhibitor of differentiation), in osteoblast-like cells, as well as in osteoblast-enriched cells and possible precursor cells. To our surprise, BMP-2 enhanced Id gene expression in the cell types of osteoblastic lineage we examined. The maximal BMP-2 enhancement was observed within 24 hr in early proliferating cultures and the enhancement lasted up to 96 hr. The BMP-2 effect was not blocked by actinomycin D, while it was blocked by cycloheximide, suggesting that BMP-2 regulates Id gene expression at least in part via posttranscriptional events, which require protein synthesis. Other experiments indicated that BMP-2 did not further enhance Id mRNA levels promoted by dexamethasone, while BMP-2 did not resume the Id mRNA levels suppressed by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Similar BMP-2 enhancement of Id message expression was also observed in osteoblast-enriched fetal rat calvaria cells as well as C3H10T1/2 cells. These results indicate that BMP-2 enhances expression of Id in early cultures of osteoblastic cells and suggest that enhancement of Id expression may somehow be involved in the promotion of differentiation by this cytokine in these osteoblastic cells and in their precursor cells.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed1993

The loop region of the helix-loop-helix protein Id1 is critical for its dominant negative activity.

Id1, a helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein which lacks a DNA binding domain, has been shown to negatively regulate other members of the HLH family by direct protein-protein interactions, both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we report the results of site-directed mutagenesis experiments aimed at defining the regions of Id1 which are important for its activity. We have found that the HLH domain of Id1 is necessary and nearly sufficient for its activity. In addition, we show that two amino acid residues at the amino terminus of the Id1 loop are critical for its activity, perhaps by specifying the correct dimerization partners. In this regard, replacing the first four amino acids of the loops of the basic HLH proteins E12 and E47 with the corresponding amino acids of Id1 confers Id1 dimerization specificity. These studies point to the loop region as an important structural and functional element of the Id subfamily of HLH proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Inhibition of myeloid differentiation by the helix-loop-helix protein Id.

Id is a helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein that represses activity of several basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins involved in cell type--specific transcription and cell lineage commitment. The myeloid precursor cell line 32DC13(G) expressed Id messenger RNA, which was transiently decreased when cells were induced to terminally differentiate with granulocyte--colony-stimulating factor. Concomitant with the decrease of Id messenger RNA was the appearance in nuclear extracts of DNA binding proteins that recognized a canonical E-box motif, a DNA binding site for some bHLH proteins. Constitutive expression of an Id complementary DNA in 32DC13(G) cells blocked their ability to differentiate and to induce E-box-binding activity. These results suggest that Id and, hence, bHLH proteins function in the process of myeloid differentiation.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMed1992

Id expression during mouse development: a role in morphogenesis.

We have characterized the spatial and temporal pattern of Id transcription during mouse embryogenesis. The Id gene encodes a helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein which can heterodimerize with the ubiquitously expressed HLH protein products of the E2A gene, and prevent them from binding DNA either alone or as a heterodimer with tissue specific HLH transcription factors such as the muscle determination gene, MyoD1 (Benezra et al., 1990: Cell 61:49-59). Since Id has been shown to be down-regulated during induced differentiation in several cell lines, it has been postulated that Id plays a general inhibitory role in cell differentiation (Benezra et al., 1990). In situ analysis of Id mRNA expression in the mouse embryo was performed in order to determine whether the pattern of Id expression is consistent with this postulate. A detailed study throughout the entirety of mouse postimplantation development reveals that Id is expressed upon gastrulation at very high levels in almost all regions of the mouse embryo and expression declines as embryogenesis proceeds. In skeletal muscle, in which the inhibitory action of Id has been established in tissue culture models (Benezra et al., 1990), Id and the HLH myogenic factors are expressed in a mutually exclusive manner suggesting that myogenic precursors do not express both types of HLH gene products. In addition, Id colocalizes both spatially and temporally with Hox-7.1, a murine homeobox gene which is associated with regions of high cell proliferation and positional fate assignment.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

The gene for the helix-loop-helix protein, Id, is specifically expressed in neural precursors.

While mammalian neurogenesis has been characterized extensively, the molecules involved in regulating neural cell determination and differentiation remain ill-defined. There is accruing evidence that various members of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) protein family critically regulate these biological processes in a number of tissues. Id, a negative regulator of bHLH proteins, was found to exhibit peak gene expression during mouse embryogenesis with a striking pattern in the central nervous system. Id transcripts were specifically localized to undifferentiated neural precursors of the ventricular zone and were not present in their differentiated derivatives. In addition, in the peripheral nervous system, dorsal root ganglia sensory precursors, known to be undifferentiated while dividing, also expressed Id mRNA. However, in the sympathetic nervous system and adrenal medulla, where differentiation and division occur simultaneously in precursors, Id was not expressed. Since Id transcript abundance inversely correlated with differentiation, this protein, similar to its Drosophila homolog, extramacrochaetae, may play a negative regulatory role in neural differentiation.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Overexpression of Id protein inhibits the muscle differentiation program: in vivo association of Id with E2A proteins.

The helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein Id lacks the basic DNA-binding domain common to this class of proteins. In vitro experiments suggested that Id could associate tightly with two other HLH proteins encoded by the E2A gene, E12 and E47 (referred to here collectively as E proteins) and prevent their binding to a sequence present in the muscle creatine kinase (MCK) enhancer either as homo-oligomers or hetero-oligomers with MyoD. In this report we present evidence for the in vivo roles of Id and E proteins: (1) Id and E proteins co-fractionate and co-immunoprecipitate in whole-cell extracts prepared from myoblasts; (2) the loss of Id protein observed during the conversion of proliferating myoblasts into mature myotubes correlates with the formation of MyoD/E hetero-oligomeric complexes in whole-cell extracts (these complexes do not form when purified Id protein is added to the extracts); and (3) stable overexpression of Id mRNA and protein in the C2C12 muscle cell line inhibits differentiation in these cells 16 hr post-induction. The myotubes that do eventually form 48 hr post-induction have no detectable Id protein in the nucleus despite the persistence of exogenous Id mRNA. These data support a model in which Id can inhibit muscle cell differentiation by associating with E proteins and preventing them from forming active hetero-oligomeric complexes with the muscle determination gene products.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

The myoD gene family: nodal point during specification of the muscle cell lineage.

The myoD gene converts many differentiated cell types into muscle. MyoD is a member of the basic-helix-loop-helix family of proteins; this 68-amino acid domain in MyoD is necessary and sufficient for myogenesis. MyoD binds cooperatively to muscle-specific enhancers and activates transcription. The helix-loop-helix motif is responsible for dimerization, and, depending on its dimerization partner, MyoD activity can be controlled. MyoD senses and integrates many facets of cell state. MyoD is expressed only in skeletal muscle and its precursors; in nonmuscle cells myoD is repressed by specific genes. MyoD activates its own transcription; this may stabilize commitment to myogenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Repression of immunoglobulin enhancers by the helix-loop-helix protein Id: implications for B-lymphoid-cell development.

It has been proposed that the helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein Id serves as a general antagonist of cell differentiation by inhibiting bHLH (HLH with an adjacent stretch of basic amino acids) proteins specifically required for developmental programs (such as MyoD). We show here that ectopic expression of Id represses in vivo activity of the bHLH protein E2-5 (encoded by the E2A gene) and of both the immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) and kappa-light-chain gene enhancers to which E2-5 binds. Id does not affect the activity of the bHLH-zip protein, TFE3, which also binds these enhancers. We examined a large panel of B-cell lines that represent different stages of lymphoid development and found only two that express Id mRNA. The cell lines Ba/F3 and LyD9 have been categorized previously as early B-lymphoid-cell progenitors. Unlike their more mature B-lymphoid-cell counterparts, Ba/F3 and LyD9 cells do not express I mu sterile transcripts, which are indicative of IgH enhancer activity. Moreover, Ba/F3-derived nuclear extracts lack E2-box-binding activity, indicating the absence of free bHLH proteins, and transfected Ba/F3 cells fail to support the activity of the IgH enhancer. Hence, expression of Id correlates inversely with bHLH protein activity and enhancer function in vivo. These results suggest that Id may play a role early in B-lymphoid-cell development to regulate transcription of the IgH locus.

3T3 Cells↗