Apoptosis-antagonizing transcription factor (AATF), also termed Che-1, was identified as interacting protein of Dlk/ZIP kinase and RNA polymerase II, respectively. Che-1 has additionally been shown to bind Rb, thereby activating transcription factor E2F and promoting cell cycle progression. Moreover, AATF enhances steroid receptor-mediated transactivation in a hormone-and dose-dependent manner (Leister, P., Burgdorf, S., and Scheidtmann, K. H., (2003) Signal Transduction 3, 18 -25). These data suggest that AATF exerts its functions through interaction with different transcription factors. In search of novel interaction partners of AATF, we identified the tumor susceptibility gene product TSG101, which had also been recognized as a co-regulator of nuclear hormone receptors. Interestingly, TSG101 and AATF functioned as cooperative coactivators in androgen receptor-mediated transcription. Because TSG101 was also shown to play a role in regulation of ubiquitin conjugation, we asked whether its coactivating function might be linked to ubiquitination. Indeed, TSG101 enhanced monoubiquitination of the androgen receptor in a ligand-dependent manner, and this correlated with enhanced transactivating capacity. Furthermore, a dominant-negative mutant of ubiquitin preventing polyubiquitination also stimulated androgen receptor-mediated transcription, which in this case could not be enhanced by TSG101. We propose that TSG101 activates androgen receptor-induced transcription by transient stabilization of the monoubiquitinated state, thus revealing a novel regulatory mechanism for nuclear receptors.
Apoptosis-antagonizing transcription factor (AATF)1 was first identified as a protein interaction partner of Dlk/ZIP kinase (1). Dlk/ZIP kinase, in turn, is a member of the deathassociated protein kinase family that plays a role in different processes like apoptosis (reviewed in Ref.2) and mitosis (3). AATF was shown to interfere with Dlk-induced apoptosis, thus explaining its name (1). AATF is conserved from yeast to man, suggesting that it fulfills an important function. Indeed, the mouse ortholog (termed traube) has been shown to play an essential role in early embryogenesis (4). Moreover, the human ortholog of AATF (termed Che-1) was independently identified as an interacting protein of the RNA polymerase II, subunit 11, and the tumor-suppressor protein Rb (5). This latter interaction releases the repression function of Rb on E2F-mediated transcription, presumably by displacing histone deacetylase-1 from the Rb⅐E2F complex, thereby promoting cell cycle progression (6). Thus, AATF/Che-1 appears to play a role in cell cycle control. Consistent with this assumption is its down-regulation upon TGF--induced differentiation (7).The AATF protein has a modular structure. At its N terminus it contains an acidic region that is characteristic of several transcription factors, such as VP16 or BRCA-1. In its C-terminal half, it contains three highly conserved regions, the significance of which is not known. Furthermore, AATF contains a leu...