Wei Ji

E2F-1 Directly Regulates Thrombospondin 1 Expression

Thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) has been shown to play a critical role in inhibiting angiogenesis, resulting in inhibition of tumor growth and metastases. To figure out TSP1s regulators will lead to reveal its biological function mechanistically. In this study, we show that E2F-1 could activate the transcription of TSP1 by both promoter assays and Northern blot. Analysis of various TSP1 promoter mutant constructs showed that a sequence located −144/−137 up-stream of the transcriptional initiation site, related to the consensus E2F-responsive sequence, is necessary for the activation. In consistence with up-regulation of TSP-1 activity by over-expression of E2F-1, the knockdown of endogenous E2F-1 inhibited TSP-1 promoter activity significantly, implying that E2F-1 mediated regulation of TSP-1 is relevant in vivo. In addition, E2F-1 could also directly bind to the TSP1 promoter region covering −144/−137 region as revealed by ChIP assays. Furthermore, the E2F-1-induced activation of TSP1 gene transcription is suppressed by pRB1 in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, the results demonstrate that TSP1 is a novel target for E2F1, which might imply that E2F-1 can affect angiogenesis by modulating TSP1 expression.

Negative Feedback Regulation of Wnt4 Signaling by EAF1 and EAF2/U19

Previous studies indicated that EAF (ELL-associated factor) family members, EAF1 and EAF2/U19, play a role in cancer and embryogenesis. For example, EAF2/U19 may serve as a tumor suppressor in prostate cancer. At the same time, EAF2/U19 is a downstream factor in the non-canonical Wnt 4 signaling pathway required for eye development in Xenopus laevis, and along with EAF1, contributes to convergence and extension movements in zebrafish embryos through Wnt maintenance. Here, we used zebrafish embryos and mammalian cells to show that both EAF1 and EAF2/U19 were up-regulated by Wnt4 (Wnt4a). Furthermore, we found that EAF1 and EAF2/U19 suppressed Wnt4 expression by directly binding to the Wnt4 promoter as seen in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. These findings indicate that an auto-regulatory negative feedback loop occurs between Wnt4 and the EAF family, which is conserved between zebrafish and mammalian. The rescue experiments in zebrafish embryos showed that early embryonic development required the maintenance of the appropriate levels of Wnt4a through the feedback loop. Others have demonstrated that the tumor suppressors p63, p73 and WT1 positively regulate Wnt4 expression while p21 has the opposite effect, suggesting that maintenance of appropriate Wnt4 expression may also be critical for adult tissue homeostasis and prevention against tumor initiation. Thus, the auto-regulatory negative feedback loop that controls expression of Wnt4 and EAF proteins may play an important role in both embryonic development and tumor suppression. Our findings provide the first convincing line of evidence that EAF and Wnt4 form an auto-regulatory negative feedback loop in vivo.

ELL targets c-Myc for proteasomal degradation and suppresses tumour growth

Increasing evidence supports that ELL (eleven–nineteen lysine-rich leukaemia) is a key regulator of transcriptional elongation, but the physiological function of Ell in mammals remains elusive. Here we show that ELL functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase and targets c-Myc for proteasomal degradation. In addition, we identify that UbcH8 serves as a ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme in this pathway. Cysteine 595 of ELL is an active site of the enzyme; its mutation to alanine (C595A) renders the protein unable to promote the ubiquitination and degradation of c-Myc. ELL-mediated c-Myc degradation inhibits c-Myc-dependent transcriptional activity and cell proliferation, and also suppresses c-Myc-dependent xenograft tumour growth. In contrast, the ELL(C595A) mutant not only loses the ability to inhibit cell proliferation and xenograft tumour growth, but also promotes tumour metastasis. Thus, our work reveals a previously unrecognized function for ELL as an E3 ubiquitin ligase for c-Myc and a potential tumour suppressor.

pVHL Negatively Regulates Antiviral Signaling by Targeting MAVS for Proteasomal Degradation

The von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) gene is a well-defined tumor suppressor linked to human heredity cancer syndromes. As a component of the VHL-elongin B/C E3 ligase complex, pVHL performs its tumor function by targeting proteins for proteasomal degradation. It is largely unknown whether pVHL functions in antiviral immunity. In this article, we identify that pVHL negatively regulates innate antiviral immunity, which acts mainly by inducing degradation of mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS, also known as Cardif, IPS-1, or VISA). Overexpression of pVHL abrogated the cellular response to viral infection, whereas knockdown of pVHL exerted the opposite effect. pVHL targeted the K420 residue of MAVS to catalyze the formation of K48-linked polyubiquitin chains, leading to proteasomal degradation of MAVS. After viral infection, Mavs levels remained low in wild type zebrafish embryos but became much higher in vhl-deficient (vhl−/−) zebrafish embryos. Higher MAVS levels correlated with a greatly exaggerated antiviral response. In this work, we demonstrate that pVHL exhibits a previously unknown role in innate antiviral immunity.

Studies on the toxic effects of microcystin‐LR on the zebrafish (Danio rerio) under different temperatures

It is well known that fish have stronger tolerance than mammals to microcystin (MC) exposure, and such a difference is attributed to their different core body temperatures. However, no in vivo study has been conducted to investigate the effects of temperature on MC‐induced toxicity in fish, a typical poikilotherm. Tolerance and detoxification response of zebrafish treated with MC‐LR were investigated under three temperatures. The LD50 values evidently increased with a decline of the temperature (547, 260 and 176u2009µgu2009kg−1 at 12, 22 and 32u2009°C, respectively), indicating stronger tolerance of the fish at lower temperatures. Changes in the transcription of glutathione S‐transferase (GST) isoforms in the fish were observed, and their sensitivity of response in the transcription of GST mRNA was on the order of 12 > 32 > 22°C. We screened out several GST genes which were more delicate to solve the MC‐LR exposure at different temperatures, i.e. GST rho1, al, p1 and theta1 in the 12u2009°C group, and GST zeta1 and p2 in the 22 and 32u2009°C groups. Our findings partly validate the hypothesis that high temperature enhances toxic effects of MCs on poikilotherms. Our studies also indicate that temperature‐dependent toxic effects should be taken into account for field toxic assessment of microcystins in fish. Copyright

The von hippel-lindau protein suppresses androgen receptor activity.

The androgen receptor (AR) plays a pivotal role in prostate homeostasis and prostate cancer development. To understand the mechanism underlying the regulation of the AR holds a promise for developing novel therapeutic approaches for prostate cancer. Here, we show that the Von Hippel-Lindau gene product, pVHL, physically interacts with AR and inhibits AR transcription activity but does not induce AR turnover. Moreover, pVHL also suppresses androgen-induced cell proliferation, implicating a physiological role of pVHL in androgen-induced signaling pathway. In addition, we provide evidence to show that pVHL actually enhanced AR de-ubiquitination instead of inducing AR ubiquitination, uncovering a noncanonical role of pVHL in the ubiquitin proteasome pathway. Our data reveal a novel function of pVHL in the regulation of AR transcription activity, which may expand the scope of pVHL in tumor suppression and provide mechanistic insight into prostate cancer initiation and progression.

Apoptotic responses of zebrafish (Danio rerio) after exposure with microcystin-LR under different ambient temperatures.

Microcystins (MCs) can cause evident hepatic apoptosis. In vitro studies indicated that uptake of MC by isolated hepatocytes was dramatically reduced as ambient temperature dropped, and some studies presented a hypothesis that differences in core body temperatures in animals result in diverse uptake of MC, as well as different toxic effects. Thus far, however, few in vivo studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of temperature on MC‐induced hepatocyte apoptosis in fish, a typical poikilotherm. In the present study, zebrafish were treated with MC‐LR, an MC metabolite, at three water temperatures (12, 22 and 32u2009°C), and evident differences in apoptotic profiles were observed. Damage to liver ultrastructures revealed temperature‐dependent early‐stage patterns of apoptosis. Flow‐cytometric analysis indicated that hepatocyte apoptotic rates varied with a temperature‐dependent effect. The transcription levels of some apoptosis‐related genes were determined using quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction, and significantly elevated gene expressions of P53, Bcl‐2, Bax and caspase‐3 were found in the 12 and 32u2009°C groups. Results of the present study indicate that different ambient temperatures can lead to various toxic effects of MCs on hepatic apoptosis in fish. Copyright

Microcystin-LR stabilizes c-myc protein by inhibiting protein phosphatase 2A in HEK293 cells

Microcystin-LR is the most toxic and the most frequently encountered toxin produced by the cyanobacteria in the contaminated aquatic environment. Previous studies have demonstrated that Microcystin-LR is a potential carcinogen for animals and humans, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified Microcystin-LR as a possible human carcinogen. However, the precise molecular mechanisms of Microcystin-LR-induced carcinogenesis remain a mystery. C-myc is a proto-oncogene, abnormal expression of which contributes to the tumor development. Although several studies have demonstrated that Microcystin-LR could induce c-myc expression at the transcriptional level, the exact connection between Microcystin-LR toxicity and c-myc response remains unclear. In this study, we showed that the c-myc protein increased in HEK293 cells after exposure to Microcystin-LR. Coexpression of protein phosphatase 2A and two stable c-myc protein point mutants (either c-myc(T58A) or c-myc(S62A)) showed that Microcystin-LR increased c-myc protein level mainly through inhibiting protein phosphatase 2A activity which altered the phosphorylation status of serine 62 on c-myc. In addition, we also showed that Microcystin-LR could increase c-myc promoter activity as revealed by luciferase reporter assay. And the TATA box for P1 promoter of c-myc might be involved. Our results suggested that Microcystin-LR can stimulate c-myc transcription and stabilize c-myc protein, which might contribute to hepatic tumorigenesis in animals and humans.

ELL Inhibits E2F1 Transcriptional Activity by Enhancing E2F1 Deacetylation via Recruitment of Histone Deacetylase 1

ABSTRACT ELL (eleven-nineteen lysine-rich leukemia protein) was first identified as a translocation partner of MLL in acute myeloid leukemia; however, the exact mechanism of its action has remained elusive. In this study, we identified ELL as a direct downstream target gene of E2F1. Coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that ELL interacted with E2F1 in vitro and in vivo, leading to inhibition of E2F1 transcriptional activity. In addition, ELL enhanced E2F1 deacetylation via recruitment of histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1). Notably, the MLL-ELL fusion protein lost the inhibitory role of ELL in E2F1 transcriptional activity. Furthermore, DNA damage induced ELL in an E2F1-dependent manner and ELL protected cells against E2F1-dependent apoptosis. Our findings not only connect ELL to E2F1 function and uncover a novel role of ELL in response to DNA damage but also provide an insight into the mechanism for MLL-ELL-associated leukemogenesis.

Zebrafish eaf1 suppresses foxo3b expression to modulate transcriptional activity of gata1 and spi1 in primitive hematopoiesis

Studies implicate a potential role for EAF1 in MLL-ELL induced leukemogenesis; however the biological function of EAF1 in this process remains unknown. In this study, we show that knockdown of zebrafish eaf1 by morpholinos caused serious defects in both primitive and definitive hematopoiesis. Using microarray analysis, we identified foxo3b as a target gene suppressed by eaf1. Ectopic expression of foxo3b in embryos mimicked the phenotypes exhibited in eaf1 morphants, except that foxo3b had no effect on runx1 and c-myb expression while eaf1 morphants did not express these markers in the ventral wall of dorsal aorta. Subsequent experiments showed that a dominant negative form of Foxo3b (dn-foxo3b) partially restored primitive hematopoietic defects in eaf1 morphants, suggesting that foxo3b might serve as a key factor for mediating eaf1 function in primitive hematopoiesis. Furthermore, we observed that foxo3b inhibited the transcriptional activity of gata1 and spi1 through protein-protein interaction. Our findings not only suggest a function of eaf1 on hematopoiesis in vivo, but also reveal a novel regulatory pathway, eaf1-foxo3b-gata1/spi1, that may shed light on the role of EAF1 in MLL-ELL induced leukemogenesis.