During myelination of the peripheral nervous system, the myelin protein zero (Mpz) gene is induced to produce the most abundant protein component (P 0 ) of mature myelin. Although the basal embryonic expression of Mpz in Schwann cells has been attributed to regulation by Sox10, the molecular mechanism for the profound up-regulation of this gene during myelination has not been established. In this study, we have identified a highly conserved element within the first intron of the Mpz gene, which contains binding sites for the early growth response 2 (Egr2/Krox20) transcription factor, a critical regulator of peripheral nerve myelination. Egr2 can transactivate the intron element, and the induction is blocked by two known repressors of Egr2 activity. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we find that Egr2 binds in vivo to the intron element, but not to the Mpz promoter. Known inducers of Mpz expression such as forskolin and insulin-like growth factor-1 also activate the element in an Egr2-dependent manner. In addition, we found that Egr2 can act synergistically with Sox10 to activate this intron element, suggesting a model in which cooperative interactions between Egr2 and Sox10 mediate a large increase in Mpz expression to the high levels found in myelinating Schwann cells.

Ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a syndrome of cancer susceptibility, immune dysfunction, and neurodegeneration that is caused by mutations in the A-T-mutated (ATM) gene. ATM has been implicated as a critical regulator of cellular responses to DNA damage, including the activation of cell cycle checkpoints and induction of apoptosis. Although defective cell cycle-checkpoint regulation and associated genomic instability presumably contribute to cancer susceptibility in A-T, the mechanism of neurodegeneration in A-T is not well understood. In addition, although ATM is required for the induction of the p53 transcriptional program in response to DNA damage, the identities of the relevant transcription factors that mediate ATM-dependent changes in gene expression remain largely undetermined. In this article, we describe a signal transduction pathway linking ATM directly to the Ca 2؉ ͞cAMP response element-binding protein, CREB, a transcription factor that regulates cell growth, homeostasis, and survival. ATM phosphorylated CREB in vitro and in vivo in response to ionizing radiation (IR) and H2O2 on a stress-inducible domain. IR-induced phosphorylation of CREB correlated with a decrease in CREB transactivation potential and reduced interaction between CREB and its transcriptional coactivator, CREB-binding protein (CBP). A CREB mutant containing Ala substitutions at ATM phosphorylation sites displayed enhanced transactivation potential, resistance to inhibition by IR, and increased binding to CBP. We propose that ATM-mediated phosphorylation of CREB in response to DNA damage modulates CREBdependent gene expression and that dysregulation of the ATM-CREB pathway may contribute to neurodegeneration in A-T.A taxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a recessive genetic syndrome characterized by immune deficiency, cancer susceptibility, and cerebellar degeneration (1). A-T is caused by mutations in ATM, which encodes a protein kinase belonging to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase-related kinase gene superfamily (2). At the cellular level, ATM-deficient cells grow poorly in culture, are genetically unstable and display exquisite sensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR) and radiomimetic drugs (1). A-T cells are also characteristically defective in the G 1 -S, intraS, and G 2 -M cell cycle checkpoints after ␥-irradiation (3), which is believed to contribute to genomic instability and cancer susceptibility.The checkpoint-signaling functions of ATM are achieved by means of the coordinated phosphorylation of polypeptide substrates, including p53, BRCA1, NBS1, and CHK2, which transmit signals to the DNA repair, apoptosis, and cell cycle machinery (3). Far less is known regarding the mechanism of cerebellar degeneration in A-T. Purkinje and granule neurons, which are most severely affected in human A-T, are not grossly abnormal in ATM Ϫ/Ϫ mice (4, 5). However, brains from ATM Ϫ/Ϫ mice display subtle developmental defects and are abnormally resistant to IR-induced apoptosis (6, 7). It has been proposed that neurodegeneration in human A-T is due to the d...

Myelination of peripheral nerves by Schwann cells requires a large amount of lipid and cholesterol biosynthesis. To understand the transcriptional coordination of the myelination process, we have investigated the developmental relationship between early growth response 2 (Egr2)/Krox20 -a pivotal regulator of peripheral nerve myelination -and the sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) pathway, which controls expression of cholesterol/lipid biosynthetic genes. During myelination of sciatic nerve, there is a very significant induction of SREBP1 and SREBP2, as well as their target genes, suggesting that the SREBP transactivators are important regulators in the myelination process. Egr2/Krox20 does not appear to directly regulate the levels of SREBP pathway components, but rather, we found that Egr2/Krox20 and SREBP transactivators can synergistically activate promoters of several SREBP target genes, indicating that direct induction of cholesterol/lipid biosynthetic genes by Egr2/ Krox20 is a part of the myelination program regulated by this transactivator.

Dominant mutations in the early growth response 2 (Egr2/Krox20) transactivator, a critical regulator of peripheral myelin development, have been associated with peripheral myelinopathies. These dominant mutants interfere with the expression of genes required for myelination by Schwann cells, including that for the most abundant peripheral myelin protein, Myelin protein zero (Mpz). In this study, we show that Egr2 mutants specifically affect an Egr2-responsive element within the Mpz first intron that also contains binding sites for the transcription factor Sox10. Furthermore, Egr2 activation through this element is impaired by mutation of the Sox10 binding sites. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we found that Egr2 and Sox10 bind to this element in myelinating sciatic nerve and that a dominant Egr2 mutant does not perturb Egr2 binding but rather attenuates binding of Sox10 to the Mpz intron element. Sox10 binding at other sites of Egr2/Sox10 synergy, including a novel site in the Myelin-associated glycoprotein (Mag) gene, is also reduced by the dominant Egr2 mutant. These results provide the first demonstration of binding of Egr2/Sox10 to adjacent sites in vivo and also demonstrate that neuropathy-associated Egr2 mutants antagonize binding of Sox10 at specific sites, thereby disrupting genetic control of the myelination program.

Brahma related gene product 1 (BRG1) is an ATPase that drives the catalytic activity of a subset of the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling enzymes. BRG1 is overexpressed in most human breast cancer tumors without evidence of mutation and is required for breast cancer cell proliferation. We demonstrate that knockdown of BRG1 sensitized triple negative breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutic drugs used to treat breast cancer. An inhibitor of the BRG1 bromodomain had no effect on breast cancer cell viability, but an inhibitory molecule that targets the BRG1 ATPase activity recapitulated the increased drug efficacy observed in the presence of BRG1 knockdown. We further demonstrate that inhibition of BRG1 ATPase activity blocks the induction of ABC transporter genes by these chemotherapeutic drugs and that BRG1 binds to ABC transporter gene promoters. This inhibition increased intracellular concentrations of the drugs, providing a likely mechanism for the increased chemosensitivity. Since ABC transporters and their induction by chemotherapy drugs are a major cause of chemoresistance and treatment failure, these results support the idea that targeting the enzymatic activity of BRG1 would be an effective adjuvant therapy for breast cancer.

Egr2/Krox20 is a zinc finger transactivator that regulates a diverse array of genes required for peripheral nerve myelination. Although several studies have elucidated the Egr2-regulated gene network, it is not clear if Egr2 regulates its target genes directly or indirectly through induction of other transactivators. Moreover, very few Egr2 binding sites have been identified in regulatory elements of myelin genes. To address this issue, we have successfully adapted chromatin immunoprecipitation assays to test if Egr2 binds directly to target genes in myelinating rat sciatic nerve. These experiments demonstrate direct binding of Egr2 to previously described binding sites within the Schwann cell enhancer of the myelin basic protein gene. Furthermore, we show Egr2 binding to a conserved site within the myelin-associated glycoprotein gene. Finally, our experiments provide the first evidence that Egr2 directly regulates expression of desert hedgehog, which is critically involved in development, maintenance and regeneration of multiple nerve elements including myelinated fibers. Surprisingly, this analysis has identified an apparent preponderance of Egr2 binding sites within conserved intron sequences of several myelin genes. Application of chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis to myelination in vivo will prove to be a valuable asset in assaying transcription factor binding and chromatin modifications during activation of myelin genes.

Regulation of adipose tissue formation by adipogenic-regulatory proteins has long been a topic of interest given the ever-increasing health concerns of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the general population. Differentiation of precursor cells into adipocytes involves a complex network of cofactors that facilitate the functions of transcriptional regulators from the CCATT/enhancer binding protein, and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) families. Many of these cofactors are enzymes that modulate the structure of chromatin by altering histone-DNA contacts in an ATP-dependent manner or by posttranslationally modifying the histone proteins. Here we report that inhibition of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (Prmt5) expression in multiple cell culture models for adipogenesis prevented the activation of adipogenic genes. In contrast, overexpression of Prmt5 enhanced adipogenic gene expression and differentiation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that Prmt5 binds to and dimethylates histones at adipogenic promoters. Furthermore, the presence of Prmt5 promoted the binding of ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling enzymes and was required for the binding of PPARγ2 at PPARγ2-regulated promoters. The data indicate that Prmt5 acts as a coactivator for the activation of adipogenic gene expression and promotes adipogenic differentiation.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b is a negative regulator of TCR signaling that: 1) sets the activation threshold for T cells; 2) is induced in anergic T cells; and 3) protects against autoimmunity. However, the role of Cbl-b in regulating CD8 T cell activation and functions during physiological T cell responses has not been systematically examined. Using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection model, we show that Cbl-b deficiency did not significantly affect the clonal expansion of virus-specific CD8 T cells. However, Cbl-b deficiency not only increased the steady-state cell surface expression levels of TCR and CD8 but also reduced Ag-induced down-modulation of cell surface TCR expression by effector CD8 T cells. Diminished Ag-stimulated TCR down-modulation and sustained Ag receptor signaling induced by Cbl-b deficiency markedly augmented IFN-γ production, which is known to require substantial TCR occupancy. By contrast, Cbl-b deficiency minimally affected cell-mediated cytotoxicity, which requires limited engagement of TCRs. Surprisingly, despite elevated expression of CD8 and reduced Ag-induced TCR down-modulation, the functional avidity of Cbl-b-deficient effector CD8 T cells was comparable to that of wild-type effectors. Collectively, these data not only show that Cbl-b-imposed constraint on TCR signaling has differential effects on various facets of CD8 T cell response but also suggest that Cbl-b might mitigate tissue injury induced by the overproduction of IFN-γ by CD8 T cells. These findings have implications in the development of therapies to bolster CD8 T cell function during viral infections or suppress T cell-mediated immunopathology.