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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

ARIP3 (androgen receptor-interacting protein 3) and other PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) proteins differ in their ability to modulate steroid receptor-dependent transcriptional activation.

Steroid receptors mediate their actions by using various coregulatory proteins. We have recently characterized ARIP3/PIASx alpha as an androgen receptor (AR)-interacting protein (ARIP) that belongs to the PIAS [protein inhibitor of activated STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription)] protein family implicated in the inhibition of cytokine signaling. We have analyzed herein the roles that four different PIAS proteins (ARIP3/PIASx alpha, Miz1/PIASx beta, GBP/PIAS1, and PIAS3) play in the regulation of steroid receptor- or STAT-mediated transcriptional activation. All PIAS proteins are able to coactivate steroid receptor-dependent transcription but to a differential degree, depending on the receptor, the promoter, and the cell type. Miz1 and PIAS1 are more potent than ARIP3 in activating AR function on minimal promoters. With the natural probasin promoter, PIAS proteins influence AR function more divergently, in that ARIP3 represses, but Miz1 and PIAS1 activate it. Miz1 and PIAS1 possess inherent transcription activating function, whereas ARIP3 and PIAS3 are devoid of this feature. ARIP3 enhances glucocorticoid receptor-dependent transcription more efficiently than Miz1 or PIAS1, and all PIAS proteins also activate estrogen receptor- and progesterone receptor-dependent transcription but to a dissimilar degree. The same amounts of PIAS proteins that modulate steroid receptor-dependent transcription influence only marginally transactivation mediated by various STAT proteins. It remains to be established whether the PIAS proteins play a more significant physiological role in steroid receptor than in cytokine signaling.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

The manifold actions of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT proteins on the transcriptional activity of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors in neural cells.

Corticosteroid actions in the brain are exerted via the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR). These receptors share several structural and functional similarities but their activation in the brain triggers distinct biological actions, for instance on neuronal survival or the regulation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Like other hormone-activated receptors, the transcriptional properties of the MR and GR depend on their ability to recruit a variety of co-regulators, which modulate their activity on target promoters, in a specific manner. The N-terminal regions of the MR and GR share the smallest degree of sequence conservation, whereas they display opposite effects on the transactivation properties of these receptors; thus, they may provide surfaces suitable for receptorspecific interactions with co-regulatory proteins. Here, we employed a yeast two-hybrid system to identify molecules interacting with the N-terminal part of the MR (amino acids 170-433). This approach resulted in the isolation of representative cDNAs from all members of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) family of proteins as potential MR-interacting partners. In neural cells, PIAS3 exhibited a strong and specific interaction with MR, but not GR, as indicated by mammalian two-hybrid assays and co-immunoprecipitation experiments in vivo. The interaction with MR was enhanced in the presence of aldosterone, an MR agonist, and was found to occur through a conserved, serine- and acidic amino acid residue-rich domain of PIAS3. To compare the modulatory properties of PIAS proteins on MR and GR transcriptional activity in a neural environment, MMTV reporter gene assays were performed in the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-MC. This analysis revealed that PIAS3 can inhibit MR, but not GR, transactivation in response to their corresponding ligands. Further, it showed that PIAS1 and PIASxbeta, but not PIASy, could also inhibit MR-mediated transcription despite the lack of detected physical interaction with MR. Interestingly, PIASxbeta and PIASy dose-dependently co-activated GR, whereas PIAS1 impaired GR-induced transcription. Taken together the results reveal differential modulatory roles of the PIAS proteins on the transcriptional properties of MR and GR, thus providing new insights into the bifurcating actions of these two receptors in neural cells where they are frequently co-localized.

Aldosterone↗
PubMed2006

Interaction of protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) proteins with the TATA-binding protein, TBP.

Transcription activators often recruit promoter-targeted assembly of a pre-initiation complex; many repressors antagonize recruitment. These activities can involve direct interactions with proteins in the pre-initiation complex. We used an optimized yeast two-hybrid system to screen mouse pregnancy-associated libraries for proteins that interact with TATA-binding protein (TBP). Screens revealed an interaction between TBP and a single member of the zinc finger family of transcription factors, ZFP523. Two members of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) family, PIAS1 and PIAS3, also interacted with TBP in screens. Endogenous PIAS1 and TBP co-immunoprecipitated from nuclear extracts, suggesting the interaction occurred in vivo. In vitro-translated PIAS1 and TBP co-immunoprecipitated, which indicated that other nuclear proteins were not required for the interaction. Deletion analysis mapped the PIAS-interacting domain of TBP to the conserved TBP(CORE) and the TBP-interacting domain on PIAS1 to a 39-amino acid C-terminal region. Mammals issue seven known PIAS proteins from four pias genes, pias1, pias3, piasx, and piasy, each with different cell type-specific expression patterns; the TBP-interacting domain reported here is the only part of the PIAS C-terminal region shared by all seven PIAS proteins. Direct analyses indicated that PIASx and PIASy also interacted with TBP. Our results suggest that all PIAS proteins might mediate situation-specific regulatory signaling at the TBP interface and that previously unknown levels of complexity could exist in the gene regulatory interplay between TBP, PIAS proteins, ZFP523, and other transcription factors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

Regulation of transforming growth factor-beta signaling by protein inhibitor of activated STAT, PIASy through Smad3.

Smads proteins play a key role in the intracellular signaling of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta family of growth factors, which exhibits a diverse set of cellular responses, including cell proliferation and differentiation. In particular, Smad7 acts as an antagonist of TGF-beta signaling, which could determine the intensity or duration of its signaling cascade. In this study we identified a protein inhibitor of activated STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription), PIASy, as a novel interaction partner of Smad7 by yeast two-hybrid screening using the MH2 domain of Smad7 as bait. The association of Smad7 and PIASy was confirmed using co-expressed tagged proteins in 293T cells. Moreover, we found that other Smads including Smad3 also associated with PIASy through its MH2 domain, and PIASy suppressed TGF-beta-mediated activation of Smad3. PIASy also stimulated the sumoylation of Smad3 in vivo. Furthermore, endogenous PIASy expression was induced by TGF-beta in Hep3B cells. These findings provide the first evidence that a PIAS family protein, PIASy, associates with Smads and involves the regulation of TGF-beta signaling using the negative feedback loop.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Protein inhibitors of activated STAT resemble scaffold attachment factors and function as interacting nuclear receptor coregulators.

Protein inhibitor of activated STAT1 (PIAS1) functions as a nuclear receptor coregulator and is expressed in several cell types of human testis. However, the mechanism of PIAS1 coregulation is unknown. We report here that PIAS1 has characteristics of a scaffold attachment protein. PIAS1 localized in nuclei in a speckled pattern and bound A-T-rich double-stranded DNA, a function of scaffold attachment proteins in chromatin regions of active transcription. DNA binding was dependent on a 35-amino acid sequence conserved among members of the PIAS family and in scaffold attachment proteins. The PIAS family also bound the androgen receptor DNA binding domain, and binding required the second zinc finger of this domain. PIAS1 contained an intrinsic activation domain but had bi-directional effects on androgen receptor transactivation; lower expression levels inhibited and higher levels increased transactivation in CV1 cells. Other PIAS family members also had dose-dependent effects on transactivation, but they were in a direction opposite to those of PIAS1. When coexpressed with PIAS1, other PIAS family members counteracted PIAS1 coregulation of androgen receptor transactivation. The interaction of PIAS1 with other members of the PIAS family suggests a transcription coregulatory mechanism involving a multicomponent PIAS nuclear scaffold.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2000

Protein inhibitor of activated STAT-1 (signal transducer and activator of transcription-1) is a nuclear receptor coregulator expressed in human testis.

An androgen receptor (AR) interacting protein was isolated from a HeLa cell cDNA library by two-hybrid screening in yeast using the AR DNA+ligand binding domains as bait. The protein has sequence identity with human protein inhibitor of activated signal transducer and activator of transcription (PIAS1) and human Gu RNA helicase II binding protein (GBP). Binding of PIAS1 to human AR DNA+ligand binding domains was androgen dependent in the yeast liquid beta-galactosidase assay. Activation of binding by dihydrotestosterone was greater than testosterone > estradiol > progesterone. PIAS1 binding to full-length human AR in a reversed yeast two hybrid system was also androgen dependent. [35S] PIAS1 bound a glutathione S-transferase-AR-DNA binding domain (amino acids 544-634) fusion protein in affinity matrix assays. In transient cotransfection assays using CV1 cells with full-length human AR and a mouse mammary tumor virus luciferase reporter vector, there was an androgen-dependent 3- to 5-fold greater increase in luciferase activity with PIAS1 over that obtained with an equal amount of control antisense cDNA or mutant PIAS1. Constitutive transcriptional activity of the AR N-terminal+DNA binding domain was increased 6-fold by PIAS1. PIAS1 also enhanced glucocorticoid receptor transactivation in response to dexamethasone but inhibited progesterone-induced progesterone receptor transactivation in the same assay system. mRNA for PIAS1 was highly expressed in testis of human, monkey, rat, and mouse. In rat testis the onset of PIAS1 mRNA expression coincided with the initiation of spermatogenesis between 25-30 days of age. Immunostaining of human and mouse testis with PIAS1-specific antiserum demonstrated coexpression of PIAS1 with AR in Sertoli cells and Leydig cells. In addition, PIAS1 was expressed in spermatogenic cells. The results suggest that PIAS1 functions in testis as a nuclear receptor transcriptional coregulator and may have a role in AR initiation and maintenance of spermatogenesis.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Protein inhibitor of activated STAT Y (PIASy) and a splice variant lacking exon 6 enhance sumoylation but are not essential for embryogenesis and adult life.

Protein inhibitor of activated STAT Y (PIASy) is the shortest member of the PIAS family and has been reported to modulate the transcriptional activities of STAT1, lymphoid enhancer factor 1 (LEF-1), and the androgen receptor. PIAS proteins have also been identified as E3 ligases for the small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins. PIASy in particular has been reported to mediate SUMO-2/3 modification of LEF-1, sequestering it into nuclear bodies, and SUMO-1 ligation to c-Myb, modulating its transcriptional activation properties. We have cloned murine Piasy and a splice variant which omits exon 6, containing the nuclear retention PINIT motif. Cell culture studies indicate that both the full length and the splice variant are localized in the nucleus but differentially enhance SUMO ligation. To further understand the functions of PIASy, we have generated PIASy-deficient mice. Surprisingly, Piasy(-/-) mice appear phenotypically normal. Activation of STAT1 is not significantly perturbed in Piasy(-/-) cells, and sumoylation patterns for SUMO-1 or SUMO-3 modification are similar when comparing tissues and embryonic fibroblasts from wild-type and knockout mice. Our study demonstrates that at steady state, PIASy is either dispensable or compensated for by other PIAS family members or by other mechanisms when deleted.

Alternative Splicing↗
PubMed2001

A putative protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIASy) interacts with p53 and inhibits p53-mediated transactivation but not apoptosis.

The p53 protein has recently been reported to be capable of mediating apoptosis through a pathway that is not dependent on its transactivation function. We report here that the PIASy member of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT family inhibited p53's transactivation function without compromising its ability to induce apoptosis of the H1299 nonsmall cell lung carcinoma cell line. The p53 protein bound to PIASy in yeast two-hybrid assays and coprecipitated in complexes with p53 in immunoprecipitates from mammalian cells. PIASy inhibited the DNA-binding activity of p53 in nuclear extracts and blocked the ability of p53 to induce expression of two of its target genes, Bax and p21Waf1/Cip1, in H1299 cells. The block in p53-mediated induction of Bax and p21 was determined to be at the level of transactivation, since PIASy inhibited p53's ability to transactivate a p21/luciferase reporter construct. PIASy did not effect the incidence of apoptosis in H1299 cells upregulated for p53. PIASy appears to regulate p53-mediated functions and may direct p53 into a transactivation-independent mode of apoptosis.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

PIAS3 (protein inhibitor of activated STAT-3) modulates the transcriptional activation mediated by the nuclear receptor coactivator TIF2.

PIAS3, a member of the protein inhibitor of activated STAT family, was found to interact in vivo and in vitro with TIF2, a previously described coactivator for nuclear receptors. The interaction is mediated by two distinct non-contiguous regions of TIF2. We found that TIF2-PIAS3 interaction occurs through a unique domain of PIAS3, very rich in acidic residues and conserved throughout the PIAS family. PIAS3 modulates the ability of TIF2 to mediate ligand-enhanced transcription activation positively or negatively, for different steroid receptors. Taken together, our results indicate a potential role of PIAS3 as transcriptional modulator of TIF2-mediated signalling.

Androgens↗
PubMed2004

Ubc9 and Protein Inhibitor of Activated STAT 1 Activate Chicken Ovalbumin Upstream Promoter-Transcription Factor I-mediated Human CYP11B2 Gene Transcription.

Aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) is involved in the final steps of aldosterone biosynthesis and expressed exclusively in the adrenal zona glomerulosa cells. Using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we demonstrate that COUP-TFI binds to the -129/-114 element (Ad5) of human CYP11B2 promoter. Transient transfection in H295R adrenal cells demonstrated that COUP-TFI enhanced CYP11B2 reporter activity. However, the reporter construct with mutated Ad5 sequences showed reduced basal and COUP-TFI-enhanced activity, suggesting that binding of COUP-TFI to Ad5 is important for CYP11B2 transactivation. To elucidate molecular mechanisms of COUP-TFI-mediated activity, we subsequently screened for COUP-TFI-interacting proteins from a human adrenal cDNA library using a yeast two-hybrid system and identified Ubc9 and PIAS1, which have small ubiquitin-related modifier-1 (SUMO-1) conjugase and ligase activities, respectively. The coimmunoprecipitation assays confirmed that COUP-TFI forms a complex with Ubc9 and PIAS1 in mammalian cells. Immunohistochemistry showed that Ubc9 and PIAS1 are markedly expressed in rat adrenal glomerulosa cells. Coexpression of Ubc9 and PIAS1 synergistically enhanced the COUP-TFI-mediated CYP11B2 reporter activity, indicating that both proteins function as coactivators of COUP-TFI. However, sumoylation-defective mutants, Ubc9 (C93S) and PIAS1 (C351S), continued to function as coactivators of COUP-TFI, indicating that sumoylation activity are separable from coactivator ability. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that ectopically expressed COUP-TFI, Ubc9, and PIAS1 were recruited to an endogenous CYP11B2 promoter. Moreover, reduction of Ubc9 or PIAS1 protein levels by small interfering RNA inhibited the CYP11B2 transactivation by COUP-TFI. Our data support a physiological role of Ubc9 and PIAS1 as transcriptional coactivators in COUP-TFI-mediated CYP11B2 transcription.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Sumoylation of Mdm2 by protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) and RanBP2 enzymes.

Mdm2, a ubiquitin ligase that acts on p53, is regulated by sumoylation. In the current study, we identify the enzymes responsible for the sumoylation of Mdm2. When mammalian cells are co-transfected with cDNAs encoding Mdm2 and PIAS1 or PIASxbeta (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) as sumoylation enzymes, Mdm2 is highly sumoylated. Mdm2 is also sumoylated in an in vitro system containing PIASxbeta, PIAS1, and RanBP2. When several lysine residues of Mdm2 were sequentially mutated to arginine, the K182R mutant was not sumoylated in intact cells; however, in the in vitro system this mutant was sumoylated by PIAS1, PIASxbeta, and RanBP2 as efficiently as the wild-type Mdm2 protein. Lysine residues 182 and 185 map within the nuclear localization signal of Mdm2. A K185R mutant of Mdm2 is sumoylated in intact cells, whereas a K182R protein is not. Only a Mdm2 protein bearing the K182R mutation is localized exclusively in the cytoplasm. Because RanBP2 is a nuclear pore protein and PIAS proteins are localized within the nucleus, our data suggest that Mdm2 is sumoylated during nuclear translocation by RanBP2 and then further sumoylated once in the nucleus by PIASxbeta and PIAS1.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗
PubMed2003

SUMO modification of STAT1 and its role in PIAS-mediated inhibition of gene activation.

The PIAS (protein inhibitors of activated STAT) family of proteins were first discovered as inhibitors of activated signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs). More recently these proteins have been shown to function as E3 ligases that promote the SUMO modification of a number of transcription regulators. We have investigated the relationship between the effects of PIAS proteins on STAT1 transcriptional activity and the ability of the PIAS proteins to function as SUMO E3 ligases. We demonstrate that STAT1 is a substrate for SUMO modification and that PIASx-alpha, but not PIAS1, functions as an E3 ligase to promote STAT1 modification. In addition, we have mapped the major site for SUMO modification on STAT1 to lysine 703. This lysine residue is in close proximity to the regulatory tyrosine residue at position 701, whose phosphorylation mediates STAT1 activation in response to cytokine signaling. Mutation of lysine 703 to arginine abolishes SUMO modification of STAT1 both in vitro and in vivo. However, this mutation does not affect the activation of STAT1 or the ability of either PIAS1 or PIASx-alpha to function as an inhibitor of STAT1-mediated transcription activation. Our findings demonstrate that inhibition of STAT1 by PIAS proteins does not require SUMO modification of STAT1 itself. SUMO modification of STAT1 may nonetheless be functionally important given the close proximity between the SUMO modification site and tyrosine 701.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Inhibition of Stat1-mediated gene activation by PIAS1.

STAT (signal transducer and activator of transcription) proteins are latent cytoplasmic transcription factors that become activated by tyrosine phosphorylation in response to cytokine stimulation. Tyrosine phosphorylated STATs dimerize and translocate into the nucleus to activate specific genes. Different members of the STAT protein family have distinct functions in cytokine signaling. Biochemical and genetic analysis has demonstrated that Stat1 is essential for gene activation in response to interferon stimulation. Although progress has been made toward understanding STAT activation, little is known about how STAT signals are down-regulated. We report here the isolation of a family of PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) proteins. PIAS1, but not other PIAS proteins, blocked the DNA binding activity of Stat1 and inhibited Stat1-mediated gene activation in response to interferon. Coimmunoprecipitation analysis showed that PIAS1 was associated with Stat1 but not Stat2 or Stat3 after ligand stimulation. The in vivo PIAS1-Stat1 interaction requires phosphorylation of Stat1 on Tyr-701. These results identify PIAS1 as a specific inhibitor of Stat1-mediated gene activation and suggest that there may exist a specific PIAS inhibitor in every STAT signaling pathway.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2006

Overexpression of PIAS3 suppresses cell growth and restores the drug sensitivity of human lung cancer cells in association with PI3-K/Akt inactivation.

Constitutively activated signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) are reported to cause uncontrolled transmission of growth signals. In this study, we analyzed the roles of an inhibitor of STAT, protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) 3, in the development of lung cancer. Treatment with an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, LY294002, retarded the growth of human lung cancer cells and rendered them more sensitive to chemotherapeutic agents. However, the inhibition of JAK/STAT by AG490 significantly suppressed cell growth but did not increase drug sensitivity at all. Overexpression of PIAS3 not only significantly inhibited cell growth but also rendered cancer cells up to 12.0-fold more sensitive to the above drugs, which was associated with the suppression of Akt phosphorylation. Inhibition of PIAS3 with small interfering RNA, nevertheless, led cancer cells to accelerate cell proliferation, deteriorate chemosensitivity, and augment Akt phosphorylation. Although the overexpression of suppressors of cytokine signaling 3 in cancer cells also inhibited cell growth and STAT3 phosphorylation, it neither increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs nor affected the phosphorylation of Akt. These results indicate that PIAS3 may be an attractive candidate for targeting the JAK/STAT and PI3-K/Akt signaling pathways in cancer treatment.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2001

An E3-like factor that promotes SUMO conjugation to the yeast septins.

Covalent attachment of the ubiquitin-related protein SUMO to other proteins participates in many processes including signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, and growth control. We report the characterization of Siz1 as an E3-like factor in the SUMO pathway. Siz1 is required for SUMO attachment to the S. cerevisiae septins in vivo and strongly stimulates septin sumoylation in vitro. Siz1 and the related protein Siz2 promote SUMO conjugation to different substrates at different stages of the cell cycle and, together, are required for most SUMO conjugation in yeast. Siz1, Siz2, and the PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) proteins form a conserved family defined by an unusual RING-related motif. Our results suggest that this family functions by promoting SUMO conjugation to specific substrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Gene expression profiles in children undergoing cardiac surgery for right heart obstructive lesions.

BACKGROUND: The global myocardial stress response during cardiac surgery has not been systematically studied, nor is it known whether the response of the neonatal myocardium is intrinsically different from that of older children. To determine the age-related molecular basis of this response, we conducted microarray-based differential gene expression profiling on right ventricular tissue samples acquired in patients of varying ages with right ventricular outflow tract obstruction. METHODS: We studied gene expression profiles in 24 patients during operations for lesions involving right ventricular outflow tract obstruction age stratified into group I (7 patients, aged 5 to 66 days; mean, 30 days) and group II (17 patients, aged 4 months to 12.5 years; mean, 2.8 years). Myocardial samples were taken from the right ventricular outflow tract after aortic occlusion and archived in liquid nitrogen. RNA isolation, fluorescence labeling of complementary DNA, hybridization to spotted arrays containing 19,008 characterized or unknown human complementary DNAs, and quantitative fluorescence scanning of gene-expression intensity were performed at the University of Toronto Health Network Microarray Centre. Data were analyzed with the Significance Analysis for Microarrays program. Minimum Information About Microarray Experiments-compliant, log2-normalized data sets were compared to ascertain potential statistical differences in gene expression between patient groups. RESULTS: There were no hospital deaths or major postoperative morbid events. We identified 50 transcripts differentially expressed in the neonatal group (the predicted false discovery rate was <0.8 transcripts). The neonatal pattern of gene expression (group I) was dominated by genes with literature-validated cardioprotective, antihypertrophic, and antiproliferative properties, including increases in atrial natriuretic peptide, protein phosphatase 2A, small GTPase rap1, and protein inhibitor of activated STAT protein, PIASy. Several transcripts have not been previously reported in heart. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal myocardium has a unique pattern of gene expression, which may result from developmental (age-related) differences or reflect a more severe disease phenotype independent of age effects per se. The neonatal transcript profile seems to reflect a stress-induced protective program composed of genes with functions diametrically opposed to those expected to be related to the pathogenesis of critical right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, thus revealing a novel and compensatory antidisease transcriptional response in the neonatal heart.

Atrial Natriuretic Factor↗
PubMed2000

Androgen-receptor-interacting nuclear proteins.

Androgen receptor (AR) belongs to the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors that employ complex molecular mechanisms to guide the development and physiological functions of their target tissues. Our recent work has led to the identification of four novel proteins that recognize AR zinc-finger region (ZFR) both in vivo and in vitro. One is a small nuclear RING-finger protein that possesses separate interaction interfaces for AR and for other transcription activators such as Sp1. The second is a nuclear serine/threonine protein kinase (androgen-receptor-interacting nuclear protein kinase; ANPK); however, the receptor itself does not seem to be a substrate for this kinase. The third one is dubbed androgen-receptor-interacting protein 3 (ARIP3) and is a novel member of the PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) protein family. The fourth protein, termed ARIP4, is a nuclear ATPase that belongs to the SNF2-like family of chromatin remodelling proteins. All four proteins exhibit a punctate nuclear pattern when expressed in cultured cells. Each protein modulates AR-dependent transactivation in co-transfection experiments; their activating functions are not restricted to AR. Current work is aimed at elucidating the biochemical and functional properties of these AR-interacting proteins and at finding the partner proteins that form complexes with them in vivo.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed2005

PIAS proteins are involved in the SUMO-1 modification, intracellular translocation and transcriptional repressive activity of RET finger protein.

Ret finger protein (RFP) is a nuclear protein that is highly expressed in testis and in various tumor cell lines. RFP functions as a transcriptional repressor and associates with Enhancer of Polycomb 1 (EPC1), a member of the Polycomb group proteins, and Mi-2beta, a main component of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex. We show that RFP binds with PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) proteins, PIAS1, PIAS3, PIASxalpha and PIASy at their carboxyl-terminal region and is covalently modified by SUMO-1 (sumoylation). PIAS proteins enhance the sumoylation of RFP in a dose-dependent manner and induce the translocation of RFP into nuclear bodies reminiscent of the PML bodies. In addition, co-expression of PIAS proteins or SUMO-1 strengthened the transcriptional repressive activity of RFP. Finally, our immunohistochemical results show that RFP, SUMO-1 and PIASy localize in a characteristic nuclear structure juxtaposed with the inner nuclear membrane (XY body) of primary spermatocytes in mouse testis. These results demonstrate that the intracellular location and the transcriptional activity of RFP are modified by PIAS proteins which possess SUMO E3 ligase activities and suggest that they may play a co-operative role in spermatogenesis.

Animals↗