Notch signaling promotes commitment of keratinocytes to differentiation and suppresses tumorigenesis. p63, a p53 family member, has been implicated in establishment of the keratinocyte cell fate and/or maintenance of epithelial self-renewal. Here we show that p63 expression is suppressed by Notch1 activation in both mouse and human keratinocytes through a mechanism independent of cell cycle withdrawal and requiring down-modulation of selected interferon-responsive genes, including IRF7 and/or IRF3. In turn, elevated p63 expression counteracts the ability of Notch1 to restrict growth and promote differentiation. p63 functions as a selective modulator of Notch1-dependent transcription and function, with the Hes-1 gene as one of its direct negative targets. Thus, a complex cross-talk between Notch and p63 is involved in the balance between keratinocyte self-renewal and differentiation. Normal tissue homeostasis is determined by a complex interplay between developmental signals and other cell regulatory pathways. Notch cell surface receptors and their ligands belonging to the Delta and Serrate/Jagged families play a crucial role in cell fate determination and differentiation, functioning in a cell-and context-specific manner (Artavanis-Tsakonas et al. 1999). In mammalian cells, Notch activation is generally thought to maintain stem cell potential and inhibit differentiation, thereby promoting carcinogenesis (Artavanis-Tsakonas et al. 1999). However, in specific cell types such as keratinocytes, increased Notch activity causes exit from the cell cycle and commitment to differentiation (Lowell et al. 2000;Rangarajan et al. 2001;Nickoloff et al. 2002), whereas down-modulation or loss of Notch1 function promotes carcinogenesis (Talora et al. 2002;Nicolas et al. 2003).In the human epidermis, localized expression of the Notch-ligand Delta in putative "stem cells" has been proposed to induce commitment of neighboring Notch1-expressing keratinocytes to a "transit-amplifying" phenotype, through a negative feedback mechanism of lateral inhibition (Lowell et al. 2000). On the other hand, in both mouse and human epidermis, Jagged 1/2, Notch1, and Notch2 are coexpressed in differentiating keratinocytes of the supra-basal layers, consistent with a positive feedback loop between these molecules that serves to reinforce and synchronize Notch activation with differentiation (Luo et al. 1997;Rangarajan et al. 2001;Nickoloff et al. 2002).The best characterized "canonical" pathway of Notch activation involves proteolytic cleavage and translocation of the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor to the nucleus, where it associates with the DNA-binding protein RBP-J (CBF-1, CSL), converting it from a repressor

p21Cip1/WAF1 was the first cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor to be identified, as a mediator of p53 in DNA damage-induced growth arrest, cell senescence, and direct CDK regulation. p21 may also play an important role in differentiation-associated growth arrest, as its expression is augmented in many terminally differentiating cells. A general involvement of p21 in growth/differentiation control and tumor suppression has been questioned, as mice lacking p21 undergo a normal development, harbor no gross alterations in any of their organs, and exhibit no increase in spontaneous tumor development. However, a significant imbalance between growth and differentiation could be unmasked under conditions where normal homeostatic mechanisms are impaired. We report here that primary keratinocytes derived from p21 knockout mice, transformed with a ras oncogene, and injected subcutaneously into nude mice exhibit a very aggressive tumorigenic behavior, which is not observed with wild-type control keratinocytes nor with keratinocytes with a disruption of the closely related p27 gene. p21 knockout keratinocytes tested under well-defined in vitro conditions show a significantly increased proliferative potential, which is also observed but to a lesser extent with p27 knockout cells. More profound differences were found in the differentiation behavior of p21 versus p27 knockout keratinocytes, with p21 (but not p27) deficiency causing a drastic down-modulation of differentiation markers linked with the late stages of the keratinocyte terminal differentiation program. Thus, our results reveal a so far undetected role of p21 in tumor suppression, demonstrate that this function is specific as it cannot be attributed to the closely related p27 molecule, and point to an essential involvement of p21 in terminal differentiation control, which may account for its role in tumor suppression.

The mechanism of cell cycle withdrawal during terminal differentiation is poorly understood. We report here that the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p21ciPl/wAFl is induced at early times ofboth keratinocyte and myoblast differentiation. p2jCiPl/WAF1 induction is accompanied by a drastic inhibition of total Cdk2, as well as p21CiPl/wAFl-associated CDK kinase activities. p21ciPl/wAFl has been implicated in p53-mediated G, arrest and apoptosis.In keratinocyte differentiation, Cipi/WAFi induction is observed even in cells derived from p53-null mice. Similarly, keratinocyte differentiation is associated with induction of

Permanent congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a common disease that occurs in 1 of 3,000-4,000 newborns. Except in rare cases due to hypothalamic or pituitary defects, CH is characterized by elevated levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) resulting from reduced thyroid function. When thyroid hormone therapy is not initiated within the first two months of life, CH can cause severe neurological, mental and motor damage. In 80-85% of cases, CH is associated with and presumably is a consequence of thyroid dysgenesis (TD). In these cases, the thyroid gland can be absent (agenesis, 35-40%), ectopically located (30-45%) and/or severely reduced in size (hypoplasia, 5%). Familial cases of TD are rare, even though ectopic or absent thyroid has been occasionally observed in siblings. The pathogenesis of TD is still largely unknown. Although a genetic component has been suggested, mutations in the gene encoding the receptor for the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHR) have been identified in only two cases of TD with hypoplasia. We report mutations in the coding region of PAX8 in two sporadic patients and one familial case of TD. All three point mutations are located in the paired domain of PAX8 and result in severe reduction of the DNA-binding activity of this transcription factor. These genetic alterations implicate PAX8 in the pathogenesis of TD and in normal thyroid development.

Genome organizer Satb1 is regulated by p63 and contributes to epidermal morphogenesis by remodeling chromatin structure and gene expression at the epidermal differentiation complex locus.

Induction of tyrosine phosphorylation is an early and specific event which is required for mouse keratinocyte differentiation to occur, in response to both calcium and TPA (12-0-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate). We report here that there is an increase of tyrosine kinase activity immunoprecipitable with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies specifically in response to calcium--and a number of other divalent cationsmwithin 2 min of exposure. Such an activity does not correspond to any of the known tyrosine kinases that were tested. A second tyrosine kinase activity is induced in response to both calcium and TPA, and has been identified as fyn, a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase of the src family, fyn activation is induced in keratinocytes within 6 hr of calcium exposure, but already within 2 rain of TPA treatment. Cortactin, a p80-85 substrate of src-and fyn-related kinases that localizes with actin at cell adhesion sites, is increasingly tyrosine phosphorylated in calcium-and TPA-induced differentiation, with a time course which parallels that of fyn activation. Keratinocytes with a specific disruption of the fyn, but not yes kinase gene show no induction of phosphorylation of p80-85 proteins, and are significantly altered in their differentiation response both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, at least two tyrosine kinase activities are induced in keratinocyte differentiation, one of which has been identified as fyn and shown to be specifically involved in this process.

The Sonic hedgehog (Shh) pathway plays a critical role in hair follicle physiology and is constitutively active in basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), the most common human malignancy. Type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (D3), the thyroid hormone-inactivating enzyme, is frequently expressed in proliferating and neoplastic cells, but its role in this context is unknown. Here we show that Shh, through Gli2, directly induces D3 in proliferating keratinocytes and in mouse and human BCCs. We demonstrate that Gli-induced D3 reduces intracellular active thyroid hormone, thus resulting in increased cyclin D1 and keratinocyte proliferation. D3 knockdown caused a 5-fold reduction in the growth of BCC xenografts in nude mice. Shh-induced thyroid hormone degradation via D3 synergizes with the Shh-mediated reduction of the type 2 deiodinase, the thyroxine-activating enzyme, and both effects are reversed by cAMP. This previously unrecognized functional cross-talk between Shh/Gli2 and thyroid hormone in keratinocytes is a pathway by which Shh produces its proliferative effects and offers a potential therapeutic approach to BCC.basal cell carcinoma ͉ thyroxine ͉ differentiation ͉ cancer T hyroid hormone action is regulated by the activity of the deiodinases. Type 2 deiodinase (D2) activates the prohormone thyroxine (T4) by converting it to thyroid hormone (T3), whereas D3, by inactivating T3, terminates thyroid hormone action (1). All vertebrates express D2 and D3 that, in adults, contribute to plasma T3 and T4 homeostasis by their concerted actions with the hypothalamic-pituitary feedback axis. This homeostatic mechanism is possible because the Dio3 gene is transcriptionally stimulated by T3, whereas D2 is inhibited by two thyroid hormone-mediated effects, a transcriptional downregulation of Dio2 as well as protein inactivation by ubiquitination (for review, see ref.2). During development, preprogrammed changes in D2 and D3 expression are thought to regulate intracellular T3 concentrations essential to the normal development of the central nervous system, including the retina and the inner ear (3-6). However, the signals governing the changes in D2 and D3 expression during these complex processes are largely unknown.New insight into the developmental regulation of deiodinase expression has recently been obtained in the chicken growth plate, where Indian hedgehog induces WSB-1, an E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptor that inactivates D2 (7). The hedgehog pathway, acting through the Gli family of transcription factors, determines patterns of cell growth and differentiation in a wide variety of developmental settings (8-13). Given that, in general, signals regulating D2 expression affect D3 in a reciprocal fashion (2), we hypothesized that hedgehog proteins could up-regulate D3 while suppressing D2 expression. To explore this possibility, we turned to skin, a system in which Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is known to play dominant physiological as well as pathological roles (14). Both D2 and D3 are present in skin, a well recognized target of thyroid hormone...

BackgroundThe past few years have seen a vast increase in the amount of genomic data available for a growing number of taxa, including sets of full length cDNA clones and cis-regulatory sequences. Large scale cross-species comparisons of protein function and cis-regulatory sequences may help to understand the emergence of specific traits during evolution.Principal FindingsTo facilitate such comparisons, we developed a Gateway compatible vector set, which can be used to systematically dissect cis-regulatory sequences, and overexpress wild type or tagged proteins in a variety of chordate systems. It was developed and first characterised in the embryos of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis, in which large scale analyses are easier to perform than in vertebrates, owing to the very efficient embryo electroporation protocol available in this organism. Its use was then extended to fish embryos and cultured mammalian cells.ConclusionThis versatile vector set opens the way to the mid- to large-scale comparative analyses of protein function and cis-regulatory sequences across chordate evolution. A complete user manual is provided as supplemental material.