Masaaki Nishiyama

Phosphorylation-dependent degradation of c-Myc is mediated by the F-box protein Fbw7

The F‐box protein Skp2 mediates c‐Myc ubiquitylation by binding to the MB2 domain. However, the turnover of c‐Myc is largely dependent on phosphorylation of threonine‐58 and serine‐62 in MB1, residues that are often mutated in cancer. We now show that the F‐box protein Fbw7 interacts with and thereby destabilizes c‐Myc in a manner dependent on phosphorylation of MB1. Whereas wild‐type Fbw7 promoted c‐Myc turnover in cells, an Fbw7 mutant lacking the F‐box domain delayed it. Furthermore, depletion of Fbw7 by RNA interference increased both the abundance and transactivation activity of c‐Myc. Accumulation of c‐Myc was also apparent in mouse Fbw7−/− embryonic stem cells. These observations suggest that two F‐box proteins, Fbw7 and Skp2, differentially regulate c‐Myc stability by targeting MB1 and MB2, respectively.

Mouse Fbw7/Sel-10/Cdc4 Is Required for Notch Degradation during Vascular Development

Mammalian Fbw7 (also known as Sel-10, hCdc4, or hAgo) is the F-box protein component of an SCF (Skp1-Cul1-F-box protein-Rbx1)-type ubiquitin ligase, and the mouse Fbw7 is expressed prominently in the endothelial cell lineage of embryos. We generated mice deficient in Fbw7 and found that the embryos died in utero at embryonic day 10.5-11.5, manifesting marked abnormalities in vascular development. Vascular remodeling was impaired in the brain and yolk sac, and the major trunk veins were not formed. In vitro para-aortic splanchnopleural explant cultures from Fbw7-/- embryos also manifested an impairment of vascular network formation. Notch4, which is the product of the proto-oncogene Int3 and an endothelial cell-specific mammalian isoform of Notch, accumulated in Fbw7-/- embryos, resulting in an increased expression of Hey1, which encodes a transcriptional repressor that acts downstream of Notch signaling and is implicated in vascular development. Expression of Notch1, -2, or -3 or of cyclin E was unaffected in Fbw7-/- embryos. Mammalian Fbw7 thus appears to play an indispensable role in negative regulation of the Notch4-Hey1 pathway and is required for vascular development.

CHD8 suppresses p53-mediated apoptosis through histone H1 recruitment during early embryogenesis.

The chromodomain helicase DNA-binding (CHD) family of enzymes is thought to regulate gene expression, but their role in the regulation of specific genes has been unclear. Here we show that CHD8 is expressed at a high level during early embryogenesis and prevents apoptosis mediated by the tumour suppressor protein p53. CHD8 was found to bind to p53 and to suppress its transactivation activity. CHD8 promoted the association of p53 and histone H1, forming a trimeric complex on chromatin that was required for inhibition of p53-dependent transactivation and apoptosis. Depletion of CHD8 or histone H1 resulted in p53 activation and apoptosis. Furthermore, Chd8−/− mice died early during embryogenesis, manifesting widespread apoptosis, whereas deletion of p53 ameliorated this developmental arrest. These observations reveal a mode of p53 regulation mediated by CHD8, which may set a threshold for induction of apoptosis during early embryogenesis by counteracting p53 function through recruitment of histone H1.

Histone H1 Recruitment by CHD8 Is Essential for Suppression of the Wnt–β-Catenin Signaling Pathway

ABSTRACT Members of the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding (CHD) family of proteins are thought to regulate gene expression. Among mammalian CHD proteins, CHD8 was originally isolated as a negative regulator of the Wnt–β-catenin signaling pathway that binds directly to β-catenin and suppresses its transactivation activity. The mechanism by which CHD8 inhibits β-catenin-dependent transcription has been unclear, however. Here we show that CHD8 promotes the association of β-catenin and histone H1, with formation of the trimeric complex on chromatin being required for inhibition of β-catenin-dependent transactivation. A CHD8 mutant that lacks the histone H1 binding domain did not show such inhibitory activity, indicating that histone H1 recruitment is essential for the inhibitory effect of CHD8. Furthermore, either depletion of histone H1 or expression of a dominant negative mutant of this protein resulted in enhancement of the response to Wnt signaling. These observations reveal a new mode of regulation of the Wnt signaling pathway by CHD8, which counteracts β-catenin function through recruitment of histone H1 to Wnt target genes. Given that CHD8 is expressed predominantly during embryogenesis, it may thus contribute to setting a threshold for responsiveness to Wnt signaling that operates in a development-dependent manner.

CHD8 haploinsufficiency results in autistic-like phenotypes in mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprises a range of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication as well as by restricted and repetitive behaviours. ASD has a strong genetic component with high heritability. Exome sequencing analysis has recently identified many de novo mutations in a variety of genes in individuals with ASD, with CHD8, a gene encoding a chromatin remodeller, being most frequently affected. Whether CHD8 mutations are causative for ASD and how they might establish ASD traits have remained unknown. Here we show that mice heterozygous for Chd8 mutations manifest ASD-like behavioural characteristics including increased anxiety, repetitive behaviour, and altered social behaviour. CHD8 haploinsufficiency did not result in prominent changes in the expression of a few specific genes but instead gave rise to small but global changes in gene expression in the mouse brain, reminiscent of those in the brains of patients with ASD. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that neurodevelopment was delayed in the mutant mouse embryos. Furthermore, reduced expression of CHD8 was associated with abnormal activation of RE-1 silencing transcription factor (REST), which suppresses the transcription of many neuronal genes. REST activation was also observed in the brains of humans with ASD, and CHD8 was found to interact physically with REST in the mouse brain. Our results are thus consistent with the notion that CHD8 haploinsufficiency is a highly penetrant risk factor for ASD, with disease pathogenesis probably resulting from a delay in neurodevelopment.

Fbxw7 contributes to tumor suppression by targeting multiple proteins for ubiquitin-dependent degradation

Fbxw7 (also known as Sel‐10, hCdc4 or hAgo) is the F‐box protein component of a Skp1–Cul1–F‐box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase. Fbxw7 contributes to the ubiquitin‐mediated degradation of cyclin E, c‐Myc, Aurora‐A, Notch and c‐Jun, all of which appear to function as cell‐cycle promoters and oncogenic proteins. Loss of Fbxw7 results in elevated expression of its substrates, which may lead to oncogenesis. However, it remains largely unclear which accumulating substrate is most related to cancer development in Fbxw7‐mutant cancer cells. In the present study, we examined the abundance of cyclin E, c‐Myc and Aurora‐A in seven cancer cell lines, which harbor wild‐type (three lines) or mutant (four lines) Fbxw7. Although these three substrates accumulated in the Fbxw7‐mutant cells, the extent of increase in the expression of these proteins varied in each line. Forced expression of Fbxw7 reduced the levels of cyclin E, c‐Myc and Aurora‐A in the Fbxw7‐mutant cells. In contrast, a decrease in the expression of cyclin E, c‐Myc or Aurora‐A by RNA interference significantly suppressed the rate of proliferation and anchorage‐independent growth of the Fbxw7‐mutant cells. These findings thus suggest that the loss of Fbxw7 results in accumulation of cyclin E, c‐Myc and Aurora‐A, all of which appear to be required for growth promotion of cancer cells. Fbxw7 seems to regulate the levels of multiple targets to suppress cancer development. (Cancer Sci 2006; 97: 729–736)

Early Embryonic Death in Mice Lacking the β-Catenin-Binding Protein Duplin

ABSTRACT The Wnt signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in vertebrate early development and morphogenesis. Duplin (axis duplication inhibitor) interacts with β-catenin and prevents its binding to Tcf, thereby inhibiting downstream Wnt signaling. Here we show that Duplin is expressed predominantly from early- to mid-stage mouse embryogenesis, and we describe the generation of mice deficient in Duplin. Duplin−/− embryos manifest growth retardation from embryonic day 5.5 (E5.5) and developmental arrest accompanied by massive apoptosis at E7.5. The mutant embryos develop into an egg cylinder but do not form a primitive streak or mesoderm. Expression of β-catenin target genes, including those for T (brachyury), Axin2, and cyclin D1, was not increased in Duplin −/− embryos, suggesting that the developmental defect is not simply attributable to upregulation of Wnt signaling caused by the lack of this inhibitor. These results suggest that Duplin plays an indispensable role, likely by a mechanism independent of inhibition of Wnt signaling, in mouse embryonic growth and differentiation at an early developmental stage.

Fbxw8 Is Essential for Cul1-Cul7 Complex Formation and for Placental Development

ABSTRACT Cullin-based ubiquitin ligases (E3s) constitute one of the largest E3 families. Fbxw8 (also known as Fbw6 or Fbx29) is an F-box protein that is assembled with Cul7 in an SCF-like E3 complex. Here we show that Cul7 forms a heterodimeric complex with Cul1 in a manner dependent on Fbxw8. We generated mice deficient in Fbxw8 and found that Cul7 did not associate with Cul1 in cells of these mice. Two-thirds of Fbxw8−/− embryos die in utero, whereas the remaining one-third are born alive and grow to adulthood. Fbxw8−/− embryos show intrauterine growth retardation and abnormal development of the placenta, characterized by both a reduced thickness of the spongiotrophoblast layer and abnormal vessel structure in the labyrinth layer. Although the placental phenotype of Fbxw8−/− mice resembles that of Cul7−/− mice, other abnormalities of Cul7−/− mice are not apparent in Fbxw8−/− mice. These results suggest that the Cul7-based SCF-like E3 complex has both Fbxw8-dependent and Fbxw8-independent functions.

HERC2 Targets the Iron Regulator FBXL5 for Degradation and Modulates Iron Metabolism

Background: FBXL5, the F-box protein subunit of an SCF-type ubiquitin-ligase complex, is a regulator of mammalian iron homeostasis. Results: The HECT-type E3 ligase HERC2 binds to FBXL5 and regulates its stability. Conclusion: HERC2 controls iron metabolism by promoting ubiquitin-dependent degradation of FBXL5. Significance: Our results provide new mechanistic insight into the proteolytic control of iron metabolism. FBXL5 (F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5) is the F-box protein subunit of, and therefore responsible for substrate recognition by, the SCFFBXL5 ubiquitin-ligase complex, which targets iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2) for proteasomal degradation. IRP2 plays a central role in the maintenance of cellular iron homeostasis in mammals through posttranscriptional regulation of proteins that contribute to control of the intracellular iron concentration. The FBXL5-IRP2 axis is integral to control of iron metabolism in vivo, given that mice lacking FBXL5 die during early embryogenesis as a result of unrestrained IRP2 activity and oxidative stress attributable to excessive iron accumulation. Despite its pivotal role in the control of iron homeostasis, however, little is known of the upstream regulation of FBXL5 activity. We now show that FBXL5 undergoes constitutive ubiquitin-dependent degradation at the steady state. With the use of a proteomics approach to the discovery of proteins that regulate the stability of FBXL5, we identified the large HECT-type ubiquitin ligase HERC2 (HECT and RLD domain containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2) as an FBXL5-associated protein. Inhibition of the HERC2-FBXL5 interaction or depletion of endogenous HERC2 by RNA interference resulted in the stabilization of FBXL5 and a consequent increase in its abundance. Such accumulation of FBXL5 in turn led to a decrease in the intracellular content of ferrous iron. Our results thus suggest that HERC2 regulates the basal turnover of FBXL5, and that this ubiquitin-dependent degradation pathway contributes to the control of mammalian iron metabolism.

Identification of CHD7S as a novel splicing variant of CHD7 with functions similar and antagonistic to those of the full‐length CHD7L

CHD7 is one of the nine members of the chromodomain helicase DNA‐binding family of ATP‐dependent chromatin remodeling enzymes. Mutations in CHD7 give rise to CHARGE syndrome, a human condition characterized by malformation of various organs. We have now identified a novel transcript of CHD7 that is generated by alternative splicing of exon 6. The protein encoded by this variant transcript (termed CHD7S) lacks one of the two chromodomains as well as the helicase/ATPase domain, DNA‐binding domain and BRK domains of the full‐length protein (CHD7L). CHD7S was found to localize specifically to the nucleolus in a manner dependent on a nucleolar localization signal. Over‐expression of CHD7S, as well as that of CHD7L, resulted in an increase in 45S precursor rRNA production. Conversely, depletion of both CHD7S and CHD7L by RNA interference inhibited both 45S precursor rRNA production and cell proliferation to a greater extent than did depletion of CHD7L alone. Furthermore, we found that, like CHD7L, CHD7S binds to Sox2 in the nucleoplasm. Unexpectedly, however, whereas over‐expression of CHD7L promoted Sox2‐mediated transcriptional regulation, over‐expression of CHD7S suppressed it. These results indicate that CHD7S functions cooperatively or antagonistically with CHD7L in the nucleolus and nucleoplasm, respectively.