Tilman Borggrefe

The Notch signaling pathway: Transcriptional regulation at Notch target genes

Abstract.The Notch gene encodes a transmembrane receptor that gave the name to the evolutionary highly conserved Notch signaling cascade. It plays a pivotal role in the regulation of many fundamental cellular processes such as proliferation, stem cell maintenance and differentiation during embryonic and adult development. After specific ligand binding, the intracellular part of the Notch receptor is cleaved off and translocates to the nucleus, where it binds to the transcription factor RBP-J. In the absence of activated Notch, RBP-J represses Notch target genes by recruiting a corepressor complex. Here, we review Notch signaling with a focus on gene regulatory events at Notch target genes. This is of utmost importance to understand Notch signaling since certain RBP-J associated cofactors and particular epigenetic marks determine the specificity of Notch target gene expression in different cell types. We subsequently summarize the current knowledge about Notch target genes and the physiological significance of Notch signaling in development and cancer.

RBP-Jκ/SHARP Recruits CtIP/CtBP Corepressors To Silence Notch Target Genes

ABSTRACT Notch is a transmembrane receptor that determines cell fates and pattern formation in all animal species. After ligand binding, proteolytic cleavage steps occur and the intracellular part of Notch translocates to the nucleus, where it targets the DNA-binding protein RBP-Jκ/CBF1. In the absence of Notch, RBP-Jκ represses Notch target genes through the recruitment of a corepressor complex. We and others have identified SHARP as a component of this complex. Here, we functionally demonstrate that the SHARP repression domain is necessary and sufficient to repress transcription and that the absence of this domain causes a dominant negative Notch-like phenotype. We identify the CtIP and CtBP corepressors as novel components of the human RBP-Jκ/SHARP-corepressor complex and show that CtIP binds directly to the SHARP repression domain. Functionally, CtIP and CtBP augment SHARP-mediated repression. Transcriptional repression of the Notch target gene Hey1 is abolished in CtBP-deficient cells or after the functional knockout of CtBP. Furthermore, the endogenous Hey1 promoter is derepressed in CtBP-deficient cells. We propose that a corepressor complex containing CtIP/CtBP facilitates RBP-Jκ/SHARP-mediated repression of Notch target genes.

Histone demethylase KDM5A is an integral part of the core Notch–RBP-J repressor complex

Timely acquisition of cell fates and the elaborate control of growth in numerous organs depend on Notch signaling. Upon ligand binding, the core transcription factor RBP-J activates transcription of Notch target genes. In the absence of signaling, RBP-J switches off target gene expression, assuring the tight spatiotemporal control of the response by a mechanism incompletely understood. Here we show that the histone demethylase KDM5A is an integral, conserved component of Notch/RBP-J gene silencing. Methylation of histone H3 Lys 4 is dynamically erased and re-established at RBP-J sites upon inhibition and reactivation of Notch signaling. KDM5A interacts physically with RBP-J; this interaction is conserved in Drosophila and is crucial for Notch-induced growth and tumorigenesis responses.

Interactions between subunits of the Mediator complex with gene-specific transcription factors.

The Mediator complex forms the bridge between gene-specific transcription factors and the RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) machinery. Mediator is a large polypetide complex consisting of about thirty polypeptides that are mostly conserved from yeast to human. Mediator coordinates RNAP II recruitment, phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain of RNAP II, enhancer-loop formation and post-initiation events. The focus of the review is to summarize the current knowledge of transcription factor/Mediator interactions in higher eukaryotes and illuminate the physiological and gene-selective roles of Mediator.

The mediator complex functions as a coactivator for GATA-1 in erythropoiesis via subunit Med1/TRAP220

The Mediator complex forms the bridge between transcriptional activators and RNA polymerase II. Mediator subunit Med1/TRAP220 is a key component of Mediator originally found to associate with nuclear hormone receptors. Med1 deficiency causes lethality at embryonic day 11.5 because of defects in heart and placenta development. Here we show that Med1-deficient 10.5 days postcoitum embryos are anemic but have normal numbers of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Med1-deficient progenitor cells have a defect in forming erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-E) and colony-forming units (CFU-E), but not in forming myeloid colonies. At the molecular level, we demonstrate that Med1 interacts physically with the erythroid master regulator GATA-1. In transcription assays, Med1 deficiency leads to a defect in GATA-1-mediated transactivation. In chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments, we find Mediator components at GATA-1-occupied enhancer sites. Thus, we conclude that Mediator subunit Med1 acts as a pivotal coactivator for GATA-1 in erythroid development.

The Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (S1P) Lysophospholipid Receptor S1P3 Regulates MAdCAM-1+ Endothelial Cells in Splenic Marginal Sinus Organization

Marginal zones (MZs) are microdomains in the spleen that contain various types of immune cells, including MZ B cells, MOMA1+ metallophilic macrophages, and mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAdCAM-1)+ endothelial cells. MAdCAM-1+ and MOMA1+ cells line the sinus, that separates MZs from splenic follicles. Here we show that a receptor for the lysophospholipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), S1P3, is required for normal numbers of splenic immature and MZ B cells, and for S1P-induced chemotaxis of MZ B cells. S1P3 is also essential for proper alignment of MOMA1+ macrophages and MAdCAM-1+ endothelial cells along the marginal sinus. The lack of cohesion of the marginal sinus in S1P3 −/− mice affects MZ B cell functions, as wild-type (WT) MZ B cells migrate more into S1P3 −/− follicles than into WT follicles after treatment with lipopolysaccharide. Additionally, short-term homing experiments demonstrate that WT MZ B cells home to the S1P3 −/− spleen in increased numbers, suggesting a role for the marginal sinus in regulating MZ B cells numbers. Moreover, S1P3 −/− mice are defective in mounting immune responses to thymus-independent antigen type 2 due to defects in radiation-resistant cells in the spleen. These data identify lysophospholipids and the S1P3 receptor as essential regulators of the MZ sinus and its role as a barrier to the follicle.

Fine-tuning of the intracellular canonical Notch signaling pathway

Notch signaling plays a pivotal role in the regulation of many fundamental cellular processes, such as proliferation, stem cell maintenance and differentiation during embryonic and adult development. At the molecular level, ligand binding induces the proteolytic cleavage of the Notch receptor. The intracellular domain of Notch translocates subsequently into the nucleus, associates with the central transcription factor RBP-J and activates transcription. Although, this pathway is remarkably short, with no second messenger involved, it regulates expression of more than hundred target genes in a tissue-specific manner. This review summarizes recent studies on transcriptional and chromatin control mechanisms, which set the stage for specific expression of Notch target genes. Furthermore, we review how the canonical (RBP-J dependent) Notch pathway is fine-tuned by downstream effectors and feedback loops in mammals.

The Notch intracellular domain integrates signals from Wnt, Hedgehog, TGFβ/BMP and hypoxia pathways

Notch signaling is a highly conserved signal transduction pathway that regulates stem cell maintenance and differentiation in several organ systems. Upon activation, the Notch receptor is proteolytically processed, its intracellular domain (NICD) translocates into the nucleus and activates expression of target genes. Output, strength and duration of the signal are tightly regulated by post-translational modifications. Here we review the intracellular post-translational regulation of Notch that fine-tunes the outcome of the Notch response. We also describe how crosstalk with other conserved signaling pathways like the Wnt, Hedgehog, hypoxia and TGFβ/BMP pathways can affect Notch signaling output. This regulation can happen by regulation of ligand, receptor or transcription factor expression, regulation of protein stability of intracellular key components, usage of the same cofactors or coregulation of the same key target genes. Since carcinogenesis is often dependent on at least two of these pathways, a better understanding of their molecular crosstalk is pivotal.

The Tumor Suppressor Ikaros Shapes the Repertoire of Notch Target Genes in T Cells

By binding to Notch target genes, Ikaros shuts off the expression of these genes in T cells and prevents the development of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Another Notch in Ikaros’ Belt Signaling by the Notch family of receptors is required for the early stages of thymocyte differentiation into T cells, after which the expression of Notch target genes is silenced. Aberrant Notch signaling in mature thymocytes and T cells causes T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL). Geimer Le Lay et al. performed genome-wide analyses of Notch target genes in T cells and found that the tumor suppressor protein Ikaros was recruited to sites adjacent to those bound by the Notch transcriptional coregulator RBPJ. Recruitment of Ikaros repressed the expression of most Notch target genes. Thymocytes from Ikaros mutant mice exhibited aberrant expression of Notch target genes at the later stages of development and developed T-ALL. Together, these data suggest that the appropriate expression of most Notch target genes is dependent on the repressive effect of Ikaros. The Notch signaling pathway is activated in many cell types, but its effects are cell type– and stage-specific. In the immune system, Notch activity is required for the differentiation of T cell progenitors, but it is reduced in more mature thymocytes, in which Notch is oncogenic. Studies based on single-gene models have suggested that the tumor suppressor protein Ikaros plays an important role in repressing the transcription of Notch target genes. We used genome-wide analyses, including chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, to identify genes controlled by Notch and Ikaros in gain- and loss-of-function experiments. We found that Ikaros bound to and directly repressed the expression of most genes that are activated by Notch. Specific deletion of Ikaros in thymocytes led to the persistent expression of Notch target genes that are essential for T cell maturation, as well as the rapid development of T cell leukemias in mice. Expression of Notch target genes that are normally silent in T cells, but are activated by Notch in other cell types, occurred in T cells of mice genetically deficient in Ikaros. We propose that Ikaros shapes the timing and repertoire of the Notch transcriptional response in T cells through widespread targeting of elements adjacent to Notch regulatory sequences. These results provide a molecular framework for understanding the regulation of tissue-specific and tumor-related Notch responses.

Site-specific methylation of Notch1 controls the amplitude and duration of the Notch1 response

Methylation of the active Notch cleavage product promotes its degradation to produce short periods of Notch signaling necessary for proper development. Turned on by cleavage; turned off by methylation and ubiquitination Notch signaling regulates several processes during development, and aberrant signaling contributes to human disease. The Notch receptor is proteolytically processed, releasing an intracellular fragment called NICD that translocates to the nucleus to regulate gene expression. Hein et al. found that NICD is methylated by the methyltransferase CARM1 at five conserved arginine residues within a domain required for gene regulatory activity. Methylated NICD was targeted for degradation. A mutant form of NICD that could not be methylated was more stable but biologically less active when expressed in frog or zebrafish embryos. Thus, control of Notch signaling involves cleavage to produce the transcriptional regulator and then methylation to target this irreversibly activated product for degradation. Physiologically, Notch signal transduction plays a pivotal role in differentiation; pathologically, Notch signaling contributes to the development of cancer. Transcriptional activation of Notch target genes involves cleavage of the Notch receptor in response to ligand binding, production of the Notch intracellular domain (NICD), and NICD migration into the nucleus and assembly of a coactivator complex. Posttranslational modifications of the NICD are important for its transcriptional activity and protein turnover. Deregulation of Notch signaling and stabilizing mutations of Notch1 have been linked to leukemia development. We found that the methyltransferase CARM1 (coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1; also known as PRMT4) methylated NICD at five conserved arginine residues within the C-terminal transactivation domain. CARM1 physically and functionally interacted with the NICD-coactivator complex and was found at gene enhancers in a Notch-dependent manner. Although a methylation-defective NICD mutant was biochemically more stable, this mutant was biologically less active as measured with Notch assays in embryos of Xenopus laevis and Danio rerio. Mathematical modeling indicated that full but short and transient Notch signaling required methylation of NICD.