Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023418 (leukemia)
 93,477 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene at chromosome band 11q23 is commonly involved in reciprocal translocations that are detected in acute leukemias. Evidence suggests that the resulting MLL fusion genes contribute to leukemogenesis. AF9 is a common MLL fusion partner in acute myeloid leukemia. The AF9 protein functions as a transcriptional activator in artificial reporter gene assays and a structurally related protein in yeast, ANC1/TFG3, is a component of the SWI/SNF complex. Apart from these observations, little is known about the biologic function of AF9 in mammals. We have found that a recently described transcriptional repressor, BCL-6 corepressor (BCoR), interacts with the carboxy-terminus of AF9. The interaction of AF9 with BCoR has been confirmed by independent in vitro and in vivo protein-binding studies. The BCoR gene is expressed as several alternatively spliced transcripts. AF9 only binds BCoR isoforms that contain a unique 34 aa sequence located in the mid-portion of the protein. In artificial reporter gene assays, a BCoR isoform that binds AF9 efficiently suppresses AF9 transcriptional activity, while a nonbinding isoform does not. These results indicate that different isoforms of BCoR have unique biologic properties and that cell function may be partly determined by the different isoforms that are present within the cell.
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PMID:The mixed lineage leukemia fusion partner AF9 binds specific isoforms of the BCL-6 corepressor. 1277 90

Infection with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) results in adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. Tax, a 40-kDa protein, regulates viral and cellular transcription, host signal transduction, the cell cycle, and apoptosis. Tax has been shown to modulate cellular CREB and NFkappaB pathways; however, to date, its role in binding to various host cellular proteins involved in tumorigenesis has not been fully described. In this study, we describe the Tax-associated proteins and their functions in cells using several approaches. Tax eluted from a sizing column mostly at an apparent molecular mass of 1800 kDa. Following Tax immunoprecipitation, washes with high salt buffer, two-dimensional gel separation, and mass spectrometric analysis, a total of 32 proteins was identified. Many of these proteins belong to the signal transduction and cytoskeleton pathways and transcription/chromatin remodeling. A few of these proteins, including TXBP151, have been shown previously to bind to Tax. The interaction of Tax with small GTPase-cytoskeleton proteins, such as ras GAP1m, Rac1, Cdc42, RhoA, and gelsolin, indicates how Tax may regulate migration, invasion, and adhesion in T-cell cancers. Finally, the physical and functional association of Tax with the chromatin remodeling SWI/SNF complex was assessed using in vitro chromatin remodeling assays, chromatin remodeling factor BRG1 mutant cells, and RNA interference experiments. Collectively, Tax is able to bind and regulate many cellular proteins that regulate transcription and cytoskeletal related pathways, which might explain the pleiotropic effects of Tax leading to T-cell transformation and leukemia in HTLV-1-infected patients.
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PMID:Protein profile of tax-associated complexes. 1453 Feb 71

The mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex is composed of more than 10 protein subunits, and plays important roles in epigenetic regulation. Each complex includes a single BRG1 or Brm molecule as the catalytic subunit. We previously reported that loss of Brm, but not BRG1, causes transcriptional gene silencing of murine leukemia virus-based retrovirus vectors. To understand the biological function and biogenesis of Brm protein, we examined seven cell lines derived from various human tumors that do not produce Brm protein. We show here that these Brm-deficient cell lines transcribe the Brm genes efficiently as detected by nuclear run-on transcription assay, whereas Brm mRNA and Brm hnRNA were undetectable by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. These results indicate that expression of Brm is strongly and promptly suppressed at the post-transcriptional level, through processing and transport of the primary transcript or through stability of mature Brm mRNA. This suppression was attenuated by transient treatment of these cell lines with HDAC inhibitors probably through indirect mechanism. Importantly, all of the treated cells showed prolonged induction of Brm expression after the removal of HDAC inhibitors, and acquired the ability to maintain retroviral gene expression. These results indicate that these Brm-deficient human tumor cell lines carry a functional Brm gene. Treatment with HDAC inhibitors or introduction of exogenous Brm into Brm-deficient cell lines significantly reduced the oncogenic potential as assessed by colony-forming activity in soft agar or invasion into collagen gel, indicating that, like BRG1, Brm is involved in tumor suppression.
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PMID:The Brm gene suppressed at the post-transcriptional level in various human cell lines is inducible by transient HDAC inhibitor treatment, which exhibits antioncogenic potential. 1600 16

The human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is integrated into the host cell DNA and assembled into nucleosomes. Within the repressive chromatin environment, the virally encoded Tax protein mediates the recruitment of the coactivators CREB-binding protein/p300 to the HTLV-1 promoter, located within the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the provirus. These proteins carry acetyltransferase activity that is essential for strong transcriptional activation of the virus in the context of chromatin. Consistent with this, the amino-terminal tails of nucleosomal histones at the viral promoter are acetylated in Tax-expressing cells. We have developed a system in which we transfect Tax into cells carrying integrated copies of the HTLV-1 LTR driving the luciferase gene to analyze changes in "activating" histone modifications at the LTR. Unexpectedly, Tax transactivation led to an apparent reduction of these modifications at the HTLV-1 promoter and downstream region that correlates with a similar reduction in histone H3 and linker histone H1. Micrococcal nuclease protection analysis showed that less LTR-luciferase DNA is nucleosomal in Tax-expressing cells. Furthermore, nucleosome depletion correlated with RNA polymerase II recruitment and loss of SWI/SNF. The M47 Tax mutant, deficient in HTLV-1 transcriptional activation, was also defective for nucleosome depletion. Although this mutant formed complexes with CREB and p300 at the HTLV-1 promoter in vivo, it was unable to mediate RNA polymerase II recruitment or SWI/SNF displacement. These results support a model in which nucleosomes are depleted from the LTR and transcribed region during Tax-mediated transcriptional activation and correlate RNA polymerase II recruitment with nucleosome depletion.
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PMID:Tax-dependent displacement of nucleosomes during transcriptional activation of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1. 1654 51

A case of brain stem capillary telangiectasia diagnosed by susceptibility-weighted imaging is reported. A small enhancing pontine lesion was found on postcontrast T1-weighted MR images in a 56-year-old woman with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 infection. Imaging diagnosis was difficult with conventional MR imaging because the lesion did not show characteristic signal loss on conventional gradient-echo images. SWI was useful for imaging diagnosis as it demonstrated marked signal loss of the lesion.
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PMID:Capillary telangiectasia of the brain stem diagnosed by susceptibility-weighted imaging. 1708 6

In the acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line, NB4, activation of the CD44 receptor triggers apoptosis. This pathway does not operate in the retinoid-maturation-resistant NB4-LR1 subclone. In this work, we show that the CD44 gene is silenced in these cells. The molecular defect involves DNA methylation of cytosine phosphate guanine (CpG) island and underacetylation of histone H3 at CD44 promoter. The methylating inhibitor 5-aza-CdR and cyclic AMP (cAMP) reverse the CD44 gene silencing. Contrary to 5-aza-CdR, cAMP does not induce DNA demethylation or histone modification at the CD44 promoter, whereas an H3pS10/AcK14 dual modification is observed on a global level. cAMP also induces the expression of c-Jun transcription factor and its recruitment at the CD44 promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays further show the association of brahma (Brm), a subunit of SWI/SNF chromatin-remodelling complex involved in the crosstalk between transcription and RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) processing, as well as the binding of phosphorylated RNA Pol II to the proximal promoter region of CD44. Finally, our study reveals that cAMP re-establishes the CD44-mediated cell death signalling. We propose that one of the actions of cAMP in restoring normal cell phenotype of leukaemia cells may consist in a broad trans-reactivation of silenced genes, despite marked hypermethylation of their promoters, as illustrated here with CD44 re-expression.
Leukemia 2008 Mar
PMID:Re-expression of DNA methylation-silenced CD44 gene in a resistant NB4 cell line: rescue of CD44-dependent cell death by cAMP. 1809 16

Stable silencing of the INK4b-ARF-INK4a tumor suppressor locus occurs in a variety of human cancers, including malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs). MRTs are extremely aggressive cancers caused by the loss of the hSNF5 subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling complex. We found previously that, in MRT cells, hSNF5 is required for p16(INK4a) induction, mitotic checkpoint activation, and cellular senescence. Here, we investigated how the balance between Polycomb group (PcG) silencing and SWI/SNF activation affects epigenetic control of the INK4b-ARF-INK4a locus in MRT cells. hSNF5 reexpression in MRT cells caused SWI/SNF recruitment and activation of p15(INK4b) and p16(INK4a), but not of p14(ARF). Gene activation by hSNF5 is strictly dependent on the SWI/SNF motor subunit BRG1. SWI/SNF mediates eviction of the PRC1 and PRC2 PcG silencers and extensive chromatin reprogramming. Concomitant with PcG complex removal, the mixed lineage leukemia 1 (MLL1) protein is recruited and active histone marks supplant repressive ones. Strikingly, loss of PcG complexes is accompanied by DNA methyltransferase DNMT3B dissociation and reduced DNA methylation. Thus, various chromatin states can be modulated by SWI/SNF action. Collectively, these findings emphasize the close interconnectivity and dynamics of diverse chromatin modifications in cancer and gene control.
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PMID:SWI/SNF mediates polycomb eviction and epigenetic reprogramming of the INK4b-ARF-INK4a locus. 1833 16

CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha) is the founding member of a family of basic region/leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors and is a master regulator of granulopoiesis. It is expressed at high levels throughout myeloid differentiation and binds to the promoters of multiple myeloid-specific genes at different stages of myeloid maturation. Profound hematopoietic abnormalities occur in mice nullizygous for C/EBP alpha including a selective early block in the differentiation of granulocytes. Mutations in C/EBP alpha are present in a subset of patients with AML presenting with a normal karyotype. These mutations can result in the expression of a 30 kDa dominant negative C/EBP alpha isoform, which contributes to loss of C/EBP alpha function. The molecular basis for this observation remains unknown. In addition to phosphorylation, C/EBP alpha is modified, post-translationally by a small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) at a lysine residue (K159), which lies within the growth inhibitory region of the C/EBP alpha protein. Sumoylation at K159 in the C/EBP alpha protein prevents association of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex with C/EBP alpha, thereby hampering transactivation. In this review, the functional implications of post-translational modification, particularly sumoylation, of C/EBP alpha in normal granulopoiesis and leukemia are considered.
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PMID:Sumoylation and the function of CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP alpha). 1840 80

The leukaemia-associated eight-twenty-one (ETO) family members ETO, MTG16 (Myeloid Translocation Gene on chromosome 16) and MTGR1 (Myeloid Transforming Gene-Related protein1) are putative transcriptional repressor proteins, which form complexes with coregulatory nuclear corepressors such as SIN3 (SWI-Independent) and N-CoR (Nuclear receptor Co Repressor). In acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), fusion proteins involving the transcription factor AML1 and corepressors ETO or MTG16 are recurrently found. We investigated transcriptional repression by the ETO family members ETO and MTG16 with attention to the conserved Nervy Homology Regions (NHRs) and the interacting corepressors human SIN3B (hSIN3B) and N-CoR. Transcriptional repression was examined in a cell line by a GAL4-thymidine kinase luciferase reporter to which the corepressors were tethered through a binding domain. ETO- and MTG16-mediated repression was found to be independent of deletion of the oligomerization NHR2, but deletion of NHR4 and in particular combined deletion of NHR2 and NHR4 lowered the capacity for repression. An interaction was observed between the corepressors hSIN3B and N-CoR and these two proteins cooperated for transcriptional repression independent of co-transfected ETO and MTG16. Transcriptional repression mediated by ETO and MTG16 was only slightly strengthened by coexpression of hSIN3B or N-CoR and was dependent on HDAC activity. Our data indicate that ETO family member-mediated oligomerization and repression can be distinct events and that interaction between ETO family members and hSIN3B or N-CoR may not necessarily strengthen transcriptional repression.
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PMID:Transcriptional repression by leukaemia-associated ETO family members can be independent of oligomerization and coexpressed hSIN3B and N-CoR. 1858 23

Protein complexes and protein-protein interactions are essential for almost all cellular processes. Here, we establish a mammalian affinity purification and lentiviral expression (MAPLE) system for characterizing the subunit compositions of protein complexes. The system is flexible (i.e. multiple N- and C-terminal tags and multiple promoters), is compatible with Gateway cloning, and incorporates a reference peptide. Its major advantage is that it permits efficient and stable delivery of affinity-tagged open reading frames into most mammalian cell types. We benchmarked MAPLE with a number of human protein complexes involved in transcription, including the RNA polymerase II-associated factor, negative elongation factor, positive transcription elongation factor b, SWI/SNF, and mixed lineage leukemia complexes. In addition, MAPLE was used to identify an interaction between the reprogramming factor Klf4 and the Swi/Snf chromatin remodeling complex in mouse embryonic stem cells. We show that the SWI/SNF catalytic subunit Smarca2/Brm is up-regulated during the process of induced pluripotency and demonstrate a role for the catalytic subunits of the SWI/SNF complex during somatic cell reprogramming. Our data suggest that the transcription factor Klf4 facilitates chromatin remodeling during reprogramming.
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PMID:A lentiviral functional proteomics approach identifies chromatin remodeling complexes important for the induction of pluripotency. 2030 87


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