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Genome-wide profiling of PRC1 and PRC2 Polycomb chromatin binding in Drosophila melanogaster.

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins maintain transcriptional repression of developmentally important genes and have been implicated in cell proliferation and stem cell self-renewal. We used a genome-wide approach to map binding patterns of PcG proteins (Pc, esc and Sce) in Drosophila melanogaster Kc cells. We found that Pc associates with large genomic regions of up to approximately 150 kb in size, hereafter referred to as 'Pc domains'. Sce and esc accompany Pc in most of these domains. PcG-bound chromatin is trimethylated at histone H3 Lys27 and is generally transcriptionally silent. Furthermore, PcG proteins preferentially bind to developmental genes. Many of these encode transcriptional regulators and key components of signal transduction pathways, including Wingless, Hedgehog, Notch and Delta. We also identify several new putative functions of PcG proteins, such as in steroid hormone biosynthesis. These results highlight the extensive involvement of PcG proteins in the coordination of development through the formation of large repressive chromatin domains.

Animals↗

Crystal structure of the nuclear effector of Notch signaling, CSL, bound to DNA.

Notch signaling is a conserved pathway of communication between neighboring cells that results in cell fate specification, and CSL is the universal transcriptional effector of Notch signaling. The Notch intracellular domain translocates to the nucleus after proteolytic release upon Notch extracellular engagement, and there it displaces corepressors from DNA-bound CSL and recruits activators of Notch target genes. Here we report the 2.85 A crystal structure of CSL with a target DNA. CSL comprises three structurally integrated domains: its amino (NTD)- and carboxy (CTD)-terminal domains are strikingly similar to those of Rel transcription factors, but a surprising beta-trefoil domain (BTD) is inserted between them. CSL-bound DNA is recognized specifically by conserved residues from NTD and BTD. A hydrophobic pocket on BTD is identified as the likely site of Notch interaction with CSL, which has functional implications for the mechanism of Notch signaling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Deregulated expression of LRBA facilitates cancer cell growth.

LRBA expression is induced by mitogens in lymphoid and myeloid cells. The Drosophila LRBA orthologue rugose/DAKAP550 is involved in Notch, Ras and EGFR pathways. These findings suggest that LRBA could play a role in cell types that have increased proliferative and survival capacity. Here, we show by microarray and real-time PCR analyses that LRBA is overexpressed in several different cancers relative to their normal tissue controls. We also show that LRBA promoter activity and endogenous LRBA mRNA levels are reduced by p53 and increased by E2F1, indicating that mutations in the tumor suppressors p53 and Rb could contribute to the deregulation of LRBA. Furthermore, inhibition of LRBA expression by RNA interference, or inhibition of its function by a dominant-negative mutant, leads to significant growth inhibition of cancer cells, demonstrating that deregulated expression of LRBA contributes to the altered growth properties of a cancer cell. Finally, we show that the phosphorylation of EGFR is affected by the dominant-negative mutant, suggesting LRBA plays a role in the mammalian EGFR pathway. These findings demonstrate that LRBA facilitates cancer cell growth and thus LRBA may represent a novel molecular target for cancer therapy.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Distinct human NUMB isoforms regulate differentiation vs. proliferation in the neuronal lineage.

Neuronal cell fate decisions are directed in Drosophila by NUMB, a signaling adapter protein with two protein-protein interaction domains: a phosphotyrosine-binding domain and a proline-rich region (PRR) that functions as an SH3-binding domain. Here we show that there are at least four human NUMB isoforms and that these serve two distinct developmental functions in the neuronal lineage: differentiation (but not proliferation) is promoted by human NUMB protein isoforms with a type I (short) PRR. In contrast, proliferation (but not differentiation) is directed by isoforms that have a type II (long) PRR. The two types of PRR may promote distinct intracellular signaling pathways downstream of the NOTCH receptor during mammalian neurogenesis.

Alternative Splicing↗

Molecular cloning and characterization of a novel human beta1,3-glucosyltransferase, which is localized at the endoplasmic reticulum and glucosylates O-linked fucosylglycan on thrombospondin type 1 repeat domain.

Protein O-linked fucosylation is an unusual glycosylation associated with many important biological functions such as Notch signaling. Two fucosylation pathways synthesizing O-fucosylglycans have been reported on cystein-knotted proteins, that is, on epidermal growth factor-like (EGF-like) domains and on thrombospondin Type 1 repeat (TSR) domains. We report here the molecular cloning and characterization of a novel beta1,3-glucosyltransferase (beta3Glc-T) that synthesizes a Glcbeta1,3Fucalpha- structure on the TSR domain. We found a novel glycosyltransferase gene with beta1,3-glycosyltransferase (beta3GT) motifs in databases. The recombinant enzyme expressed in human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells exhibited glucosyltransferase activity toward fucose-alpha-para-nitrophenyl (Fucalpha-pNp). Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) analysis revealed that the product of the recombinant enzyme migrated to the same position as did the product of endogenous beta3Glc-T of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The two products could be digested by beta-glucosidase from almond and by exo-1,3-beta-glucanase from Trichoderma sp. These results strongly suggested that the product has the structure of Glcbeta1-3Fuc. Therefore, we named this novel enzyme beta3Glc-T. Immunostaining revealed that FLAG-tagged beta3Glc-T is an enzyme residing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via retention signal, "REEL," which is a KDEL-like sequence, at the C-terminus. The TSR domain expressed in Escherichia coli was first fucosylated by the recombinant protein O-fucosyltransferase 2 (POFUT2), after which it became an acceptor substrate for the recombinant beta3Glc-T, which could apparently transfer Glc to the fucosylated TSR domain. Our results suggest that a novel glycosyltransferase, beta3Glc-T, contributes to the elongation of O-fucosylglycan and that this occurs specifically on TSR domains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

p21WAF1/Cip1 is a negative transcriptional regulator of Wnt4 expression downstream of Notch1 activation.

In keratinocytes, the cyclin/CDK inhibitor p21(WAF1/Cip1) is a direct transcriptional target of Notch1 activation; loss of either the p21 or Notch1 genes expands stem cell populations and facilitates tumor development. The Notch1 tumor-suppressor function was associated with down-regulation of Wnt signaling. Here, we show that suppression of Wnt signaling by Notch1 activation is mediated, at least in part, by down-modulation of Wnts gene expression. p21 is a negative regulator of Wnts transcription downstream of Notch1 activation, independently of effects on the cell cycle. More specifically, expression of the Wnt4 gene is under negative control of endogenous p21 both in vitro and in vivo. p21 associates with the E2F-1 transcription factor at the Wnt4 promoter and causes curtailed recruitment of c-Myc and p300, and histone hypoacetylation at this promoter. Thus, p21 acts as a selective negative regulator of transcription and links the Notch and Wnt signaling pathways in keratinocyte growth control.

Animals↗

From gut homeostasis to cancer.

The mammalian intestine has one of the highest turnover rates in the body. The intestinal epithelium is completely renewed in less than a week. It is divided into spatially distinct compartments in the form of finger-like projections and invaginations that are dedicated to specific functions. Intestinal cells are constantly produced from a stem cell reservoir that gives rise to proliferating transient amplifying cells, which subsequently differentiate and migrate to the correct compartment before dying after having fulfilled their physiological function. In recent years, a substantial body of evidence has accumulated to support the concept that signaling pathways known to be crucial for embryonic development of multiple organisms play a critical role in tightly regulating and controlling the self-renewing process of the intestine. Moreover, the same pathways appear to be deregulated in several hereditary and sporadic colorectal cancer syndromes due to activating and/or inactivating mutations of key components of such pathways. In this review we discuss recent findings demonstrating that differentiation and homeostasis of the intestine are controlled by developmental pathways such as Wnt, Notch, TGF-beta and Hedgehog, and illustrate how their deregulation contributes to intestinal neoplasia.

Animals↗

Development and cancer: lessons learned in the pancreas.

Cancer progression and organ development are similar phenomena. Both involve rapid bursts of proliferation, angiogenesis, tissue remodeling, and cell migration. Therefore, it is not surprising that both processes utilize similar signaling machinery. In fact, many recent studies have suggested that cancer is a disease triggered by the erroneous re-activation of signaling pathways that are typically downregulated after the completion of embryonic development. This link between embryonic development and cancer is particularly exciting because it suggests that we might be able to exploit the knowledge gained in studies of Developmental Biology to obtain novel insights into tumor biology. Our evolving understanding of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is an excellent example of this relationship between development and cancer. Here we discuss recent studies have indicated important roles for two major developmental signaling pathways in pancreatic cancer: Notch and Hedgehog (Hh).

Adenocarcinoma↗

Comparative integromics on VEGF family members.

VEGF, Hedgehog, FGF, Notch, and WNT signaling pathways network together for vascular remodeling during embryogenesis, tissue regeneration, and carcinogenesis. VEGFA (VEGF), VEGFB, VEGFC, VEGFD (FIGF) and PGF (PlGF) are VEGF family ligands for receptor tyrosine kinases, including VEGFR1 (FLT1), VEGFR2 (KDR) and VEGFR3 (FLT4). Bevacizumab (Avastin), Sunitinib (Sutent) and Sorafenib (Nexavar) are anti-cancer drugs targeted to VEGF signaling pathway. TCF/LEF binding sites within the promoter region of human VEGF family members were searched for by using bioinformatics and human intelligence (Humint). Because four TCF/LEF-binding sites were identified within the 5'-promoter region of human VEGFD gene within AC095351.5 genome sequence, comparative genomics analyses on VEGFD orthologs were further performed. ASB9-ASB11-VEGFD locus at human chromosome Xp22.2 and ASB5-VEGFC locus at human chromosome 4q34 were paralogous regions within the human genome. Human VEGFD mRNA was expressed in lung, small intestine, uterus, breast, neural tissues, and neuroblastoma. Mouse Vegfd mRNA was expressed in kidney, pregnant oviduct, and neural tissues. Chimpanzee VEGFD promoter, cow Vegfd promoter, mouse Vegfd promoter and rat Vegfd promoter were identified within NW_121675.1, AC161065.2, AL732475.6 and AC130036.3 genome sequences, respectively. Three out of four TCF/LEF-binding sites within human VEGFD promoter were conserved in chimpanzee VEGFD promoter, and one in cow Vegfd promoter. TCF/LEF-binding site, not conserved in human VEGFD promoter, occurred in cow, mouse and rat Vegfd promoters. At least five out of six bHLH-binding sites within human VEGFD proximal promoter region were conserved in chimpanzee VEGFD proximal promoter region, while only one in cow Vegfd proximal promoter region. Together these facts indicate that relatively significant promoter evolution occurred among mammalian VEGFD orthologs. Human VEGFD was characterized as a potent target gene of WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathway. VEGFD, implicated in angiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis, is a pharmacogenomics target in the field of oncology.

Base Sequence↗

Notch signaling in lymphocyte development.

Cytokine and antigen receptor signals play well-characterized roles in promoting the survival and maturation of T and B lymphocyte progenitors through sequential developmental stages. Emerging studies suggest equally important roles for more ancient signaling pathways that evolved prior to the adaptive immune system in jawed vertebrates. In particular, there are at least two essential functions for the highly conserved Notch signaling pathway in lymphocyte development. First, Notch signals are essential for the development of T cell progenitors in the thymus and intestinal epithelium. Second, Notch signals are required to suppress B cell development in the thymus. This review will focus on focus on recent advances in our understanding of how Notch signaling regulates this developmental switch, as well as how Notch might regulate subsequent survival and cell fate decisions in developing T cells.

Animals↗

Role of the RAM domain and ankyrin repeats on notch signaling and activity in cells of osteoblastic lineage.

UNLABELLED: Notch proteins belong to a family of single pass transmembrane receptors that are activated after interactions with the membrane-bound ligands Delta and Jagged/Serrate. We determined the pathways responsible for the inhibitory effects of Notch on osteoblastogenesis and the contributions of the RAM domain and ankyrin repeats to this process in cells of the osteoblastic lineage. INTRODUCTION: Notch receptors play a role in osteoblast differentiation. Activation of Notch results in its cleavage and the release of its intracellular domain (NICD), which interacts with the CBF1/RBP-Jkappa, Suppressor of Hairless, Lag-1 (CSL) family of transcription factors. The interaction is presumably mediated by the RBP-Jkappa-associated module (RAM) of NICD, although the role of the ankyrin repeats is uncertain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine the contributions of the RAM domain and ankyrin repeats to the inhibitory effects of Notch on osteoblastogenesis, ST-2 and MC3T3-E1 cells were transfected or transduced with vectors expressing NICD, RAM (NICD DeltaRAM), and ankyrin (NICD DeltaANK) deletion mutants. RESULTS: Notch increased the transactivation of transiently transfected 12xCSL-Luc constructs, containing 12 repeats of an RBP-Jkappa/CSL binding site, and of the hairy and E (spl) (HES)-1 promoter. Deletion of the ankyrin repeats resulted in the loss of 12xCSL-Luc and HES-1 promoter transactivation, whereas deletion of the RAM domain caused a partial loss of 12xCSL-Luc and sustained HES-1 promoter transactivation. NICD overexpression inhibited osteocalcin mRNA levels and alkaline phosphatase activity in ST-2 cells, and deletion of the ankyrin repeats, and to a lesser extent of the RAM domain, resulted in loss of the NICD inhibitory effect. NICD inhibited Wnt signaling and deletion of ankyrin repeats or the RAM domain restored Wnt signaling activity. CONCLUSIONS: The RAM domain and ankyrin repeats are required for Notch signaling and activity, and the CSL pathway is central to the inhibitory effect of Notch on osteoblastogenesis.

Animals↗

In vitro expansion of long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells in the presence of immobilized Jagged-1 and early acting cytokines.

There is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that genes involved in cell fate decisions and pattern formation during development also play a key role in the continuous cell fate decisions made by adult tissue stem cells. Here we show that prolonged in vitro culture (14 days) of murine bone marrow lineage negative cells in medium supplemented with three early acting cytokines (stem cell factor, Flk-2/Flt-3 ligand, thrombopoietin) and with immobilized Notch ligand, Jagged-1, resulted in robust expansion of serially transplantable hematopoietic stem cells with long-term repopulating ability. We found that the absolute number of marrow cells was increased approximately 8 to 14-fold in all cultures containing recombinant growth factors. However, the frequency of high quality stem cells was markedly reduced at the same time, except in cultures containing growth factors and Jagged-1-coated Sepharose-4B beads. The absolute number of hematopoietic cells with long-term repopulating ability was increased approximately 10 to 20-fold in the presence of multivalent Notch ligand. These results support a role for combinatorial effects by Notch and cytokine-induced signaling pathways in regulating hematopoietic stem cell fate and to a potential role for Notch ligand in increasing cell numbers in clinical stem cell transplantation.

Animals↗

Notch expression in developing olfactory neuroepithelium.

Notch genes encode receptors for signaling pathways that regulate neurogenesis in various tissues. To better understand the roles of Notch genes in olfactory neurogenesis, we studied the expression of Notch family in developing mouse olfactory epithelium. In the earliest stage of olfactory development, Notch1 was observed in the mesenchyme lateral to the olfactory placode. During the developmental stage, Notch1 was mainly observed around the basal membrane, while Notch3 was observed in the lower compartment of the olfactory neuroepithelium. Notch2 was not detected during the entire observation period. As the olfactory neuroepithelium grew mature, both Notch1 and Notch3 gradually disappeared. These results suggest distinct roles of Notch1 and Notch3 in the neurogenesis of the peripheral olfactory system.

Animals↗

Gamma secretase-mediated Notch signaling worsens brain damage and functional outcome in ischemic stroke.

Mice transgenic for antisense Notch and normal mice treated with inhibitors of the Notch-activating enzyme gamma-secretase showed reduced damage to brain cells and improved functional outcome in a model of focal ischemic stroke. Notch endangers neurons by modulating pathways that increase their vulnerability to apoptosis, and by activating microglial cells and stimulating the infiltration of proinflammatory leukocytes. These findings suggest that Notch signaling may be a therapeutic target for treatment of stroke and related neurodegenerative conditions.

Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases↗

Hes binding to STAT3 mediates crosstalk between Notch and JAK-STAT signalling.

Although the Notch and JAK-STAT signalling pathways fulfill overlapping roles in growth and differentiation regulation, no coordination mechanism has been proposed to explain their relationship. Here we show that STAT3 is activated in the presence of active Notch, as well as the Notch effectors Hes1 and Hes5. Hes proteins associate with JAK2 and STAT3, and facilitate complex formation between JAK2 and STAT3, thus promoting STAT3 phosphorylation and activation. Furthermore, suppression of endogenous Hes1 expression reduces growth factor induction of STAT3 phosphorylation. STAT3 seems to be essential for maintenance of radial glial cells and differentiation of astrocytes by Notch in the developing central nervous system. These results suggest that direct protein-protein interactions coordinate cross-talk between the Notch-Hes and JAK-STAT pathways.

Animals↗

Ganglion cells influence the fate of dividing retinal cells in culture.

The different retinal cell types arise during vertebrate development from a common pool of progenitor cells. The mechanisms responsible for determining the fate of individual retinal cells are, as yet, poorly understood. Ganglion cells are one of the first cell types to be produced in the developing vertebrate retina and few ganglion cells are produced late in development. It is possible that, as the retina matures, the cellular environment changes such that it is not conducive to ganglion cell determination. The present study showed that older retinal cells secrete a factor that inhibits the production of ganglion cells. This was shown by culturing younger retinal cells, the test population, adjacent to various ages of older retinal cells. Increasingly older retinal cells, up to embryonic day 9, were more effective at inhibiting production of ganglion cells in the test cell population. Ganglion cell production was restored when ganglion cells were depleted from the older cell population. This suggests that ganglion cells secrete a factor that actively prevents cells from choosing the ganglion cell fate. This factor appeared to be active in medium conditioned by older retinal cells. Analysis of the conditioned medium established that the factor was heat stable and was present in the <3 kDa and >10 kDa fractions. Previous work showed that the neurogenic protein, Notch, might also be active in blocking production of ganglion cells. The present study showed that decreasing Notch expression with an antisense oligonucleotide increased the number of ganglion cells produced in a population of young retinal cells. Ganglion cell production, however, was still inhibited in cultures using antisense oligonucleotide to Notch in medium conditioned by older retinal cells. This suggests that the factor secreted by older retinal cells inhibits ganglion cell production through a different pathway than that mediated by Notch.

Animals↗

The evolution of signalling pathways in animal development.

Despite the bewildering number of cell types and patterns found in the animal kingdom, only a few signalling pathways are required to generate them. Most cell-cell interactions during embryonic development involve the Hedgehog, Wnt, transforming growth factor-beta, receptor tyrosine kinase, Notch, JAK/STAT and nuclear hormone pathways. Looking at how these pathways evolved might provide insights into how a few signalling pathways can generate so much cellular and morphological diversity during the development of individual organisms and the evolution of animal body plans.

Animals↗

Calcium depletion dissociates and activates heterodimeric notch receptors.

Notch receptors participate in a highly conserved signaling pathway that regulates morphogenesis in multicellular animals. Maturation of Notch receptors requires the proteolytic cleavage of a single precursor polypeptide to produce a heterodimer composed of a ligand-binding extracellular domain (N(EC)) and a single-pass transmembrane signaling domain (N(TM)). Notch signaling has been correlated with additional ligand-induced proteolytic cleavages, as well as with nuclear translocation of the intracellular portion of N(TM) (N(ICD)). In the current work, we show that the N(EC) and N(TM) subunits of Drosophila Notch and human Notch1 (hN1) interact noncovalently. N(EC)-N(TM) interaction was disrupted by 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate or divalent cation chelators such as EDTA, and stabilized by millimolar Ca(2+). Deletion of the Ca(2+)-binding Lin12-Notch (LN) repeats from the N(EC) subunit resulted in spontaneous shedding of N(EC) into conditioned medium, implying that the LN repeats are important in maintaining the interaction of N(EC) and N(TM). The functional consequences of EDTA-induced N(EC) dissociation were studied by using hN1-expressing NIH 3T3 cells. Treatment of these cells for 10 to 15 min with 0.5 to 10 mM EDTA resulted in the rapid shedding of N(EC), the transient appearance of a polypeptide of the expected size of N(ICD), increased intranuclear anti-Notch1 staining, and the transient activation of an Notch-sensitive reporter gene. EDTA treatment of HeLa cells expressing endogenous Notch1 also stimulated reporter gene activity to a degree equivalent to that resulting from exposure of the cells to the ligand Delta1. These findings indicate that receptor activation can occur as a consequence of N(EC) dissociation, which relieves inhibition of the intrinsically active N(TM) subunit.

3T3 Cells↗