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Waardenburg's syndrome patients have mutations in the human homologue of the Pax-3 paired box gene.

Waardenburg's syndrome (WS) is an autosomal dominant combination of deafness and pigmentary disturbances, probably caused by defective function of the embryonic neural crest. We have mapped one gene for WS to the distal part of chromosome 2. On the basis of their homologous chromosomal location, their close linkage to an alkaline phosphatase gene, and their related phenotype, we suggested that WS and the mouse mutant Splotch might be homologous. Splotch is caused by mutation in the mouse Pax-3 gene. This gene is one of a family of eight Pax genes known in mice which are involved in regulating embryonic development; each contains a highly conserved transcription control sequence, the paired box. Here we show that some families with WS have mutations in the human homologue of Pax-3. Mutations in a related gene, Pax-6, which, like Pax-3, has both a paired box and a paired-type homeobox sequence, cause the Small-eye mutation in mice and aniridia in man. Thus mutations in the Pax genes are important causes of human developmental defects.

Amino Acid Sequence

Genomic structure, evolutionary conservation and aniridia mutations in the human PAX6 gene.

Aniridia is a semidominant disorder in which development of the iris, lens, cornea and retina is disturbed. The mouse mutation Small eye (Sey), which has been proposed as a model for aniridia, results from defects in Pax-6, a gene containing paired-box and homeobox motifs that is specifically expressed in the developing eye and brain. To test the role of PAX6 in aniridia, we isolated human cDNA clones and determined the intron-exon structure of this gene. PAX6 spans 22 kilobases and is divided into 14 exons. Analysis of DNA from 10 unrelated aniridia patients revealed intragenic mutations in three familial and one sporadic case. These findings indicate that the human aniridia and murine Small eye phenotypes arise from homologous defects in PAX6.

Amino Acid Sequence

An exonic mutation in the HuP2 paired domain gene causes Waardenburg's syndrome.

Here we report the identification and characterization of a gene defect causing Waardenburg's syndrome with hearing loss in a large Brazilian family. This demonstrates a mutation causing Waardenburg's syndrome as well as a mutation causing a form of congenital deafness. The mutation was found in the HuP2 gene, a member of the paired domain family of proteins that bind DNA and regulate gene expression. The mutation occurred in 100% of the cases with the disease in this family and was absent in a random sample of 50 unrelated control subjects. Identification of the Waardenburg's syndrome gene and future characterization of its gene product is likely to increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disorder and may allow prevention of deafness of this type.

Amino Acid Sequence

PAX3-FOXO1 Drives Targetable Cell State-Dependent Metabolic Vulnerabilities in Rhabdomyosarcoma.

UNLABELLED: PAX3-FOXO1, an oncogenic transcription factor, drives a particularly aggressive subtype of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) by enforcing gene expression programs that support malignant cell states. In this study, we show that PAX3-FOXO1+ RMS cells exhibit altered pyrimidine metabolism and increased dependence on enzymes involved in de novo pyrimidine synthesis, including dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). Consequently, PAX3-FOXO1+ cells display increased sensitivity to inhibition of DHFR by the chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate, and this dependence is rescued by provision of pyrimidine nucleotides. Methotrexate treatment mimics the metabolic and transcriptional impact of PAX3-FOXO1 silencing, reducing expression of genes related to PAX3-FOXO1-driven malignant cell states. Accordingly, methotrexate treatment slows the growth of multiple PAX3-FOXO1+ tumor xenograft models but not their fusion-negative counterparts. Taken together, these data demonstrate that PAX3-FOXO1 induces cell states characterized by altered pyrimidine dependence and nominates methotrexate as an addition to the current therapeutic arsenal for treatment of these malignant pediatric tumors. SIGNIFICANCE: PAX3-FOXO1+ rhabdomyosarcoma cells and tumors exhibit increased sensitivity to DHFR inhibition via methotrexate, identifying a potential therapeutic vulnerability that can be exploited to treat this aggressive pediatric sarcoma.

Humans

A conserved molecular logic for neurogenesis to gliogenesis switch in the cerebral cortex.

During development, neural stem cells in the cerebral cortex, also known as radial glial cells (RGCs), generate excitatory neurons, followed by production of cortical macroglia and inhibitory neurons that migrate to the olfactory bulb (OB). Understanding the mechanisms for this lineage switch is fundamental for unraveling how proper numbers of diverse neuronal and glial cell types are controlled. We and others recently showed that Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling promotes the cortical RGC lineage switch to generate cortical oligodendrocytes and OB interneurons. During this process, cortical RGCs generate intermediate progenitor cells that express critical gliogenesis genes Ascl1, Egfr, and Olig2. The increased Ascl1 expression and appearance of Egfr+ and Olig2+ cortical progenitors are concurrent with the switch from excitatory neurogenesis to gliogenesis and OB interneuron neurogenesis in the cortex. While Shh signaling promotes Olig2 expression in the developing spinal cord, the exact mechanism for this transcriptional regulation is not known. Furthermore, the transcriptional regulation of Olig2 and Egfr has not been explored. Here, we show that in cortical progenitor cells, multiple regulatory programs, including Pax6 and Gli3, prevent precocious expression of Olig2, a gene essential for production of cortical oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. We identify multiple enhancers that control Olig2 expression in cortical progenitors and show that the mechanisms for regulating Olig2 expression are conserved between the mouse and human. Our study reveals evolutionarily conserved regulatory logic controlling the lineage switch of cortical neural stem cells.

Animals

The paired box gene pox neuro: a determinant of poly-innervated sense organs in Drosophila.

This study describes the structure and function of pox neuro (poxn), a gene previously isolated by virtue of a conserved domain, the paired box, which it shares with the segmentation genes paired and gooseberry. Its expression pattern has been analyzed, particularly during development of the PNS. We propose that poxn is a "neuroblast identity" gene acting in both the PNS and the CNS on the basis of the following evidence. Its expression is restricted to four neuronal precursors in each hemisegment: two neuronal stem cells (neuroblasts) in the CNS, and two sensory mother cells (SMCs) in the PNS. The SMCs that express poxn produce the poly-innervated external sense organs of the larva. In poxn- embryos, poly-innervated sense organs are transformed into mono-innervated. Conversely, ectopic expression of poxn in embryos transformed with a heat-inducible poxn gene can switch mono-innervated to poly-innervated sense organs. Expression of poxn in the wing disc is restricted to the SMCs of the poly-innervated sense organs, suggesting that poxn also determines the lineage of poly-innervated adult sense organs.

Amino Acid Sequence

Pax1, a member of the paired box-containing class of developmental control genes, is mapped to human chromosome 20p11.2 by in situ hybridization (ISH and FISH).

Pax-1, a member of a murine multigene family, belongs to the paired box-containing class of developmental control genes first identified in Drosophila. The Pax-1 gene encodes a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein with transcriptional activating properties and has been found to be mutated in the autosomal recessive mutation undulated (un) on mouse chromosome 2 with vertebral anomalies along the entire rostrocaudal axis. By radioactive in situ hybridization (ISH) using a fragment from the murine Pax-1 paired box that is almost identical to the respective sequences from the cognate human gene HuP48 and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a complete mouse Pax-1 cDNA, we have assigned the human homologue of murine Pax-1, the PAX1 locus, to chromosome 20p. The map position of PAX1 after FISH (FL-pter value of 0.34 +/- 0.04) corresponds to band p11.2. These results confirm the exceptional homology between human chromosome 20 and the distal segment of mouse chromosome 2, extending from bands F to G, and add PAX1 to the group of genes on 20p like PTPA, PRNP, SCG1, BMP2A, which are located in proximity on both chromosomes.

Animals

Identification and characterization of the chicken transforming growth factor-beta 3 promoter.

The promoter regions of the three mammalian transforming growth factor-beta genes (TGF-beta s 1, 2, and 3) have been recently cloned and characterized. The sequences show little similarity, suggesting different mechanisms of transcriptional control of these genes. To study differences in transcriptional regulation of mammalian and avian TGF-beta, we have cloned and sequenced the 5'-flanking region of chicken TGF-beta 3. Characterization of this region showed a TATA box and cAMP-responsive element (CRE) and AP-2 binding site consensus sequences starting at 12 and 28 base pairs, respectively, upstream from the TATA box. Moreover, four additional AP-2-like sites, 10 binding sites for the transcription factor Sp1, as well as two AP-1-like sites were also identified. Except for 32 base pairs of identity centered around the TATA box and CRE site and four other relatively small regions of identity, the chicken TGF-beta 3 promoter was found to be structurally very different from the human TGF-beta 3 promoter. Promoter fragments were cloned into a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter plasmid to study functional activity. Basal transcriptional activity of the promoter was regulated in quail fibrosarcoma QM7 cells and in human adenocarcinoma A375 cells by multiple upstream elements including the TATA, CRE, and AP-2 sites. As in the human TGF-beta 3 promoter, the CRE site showed activation by forskolin, an effect which could be shown by expression of TGF-beta 3 mRNA in cultured chicken and quail cells as well. Our results indicate a complex pattern of transcriptional regulation of the chicken TGF-beta 3 gene and suggest that differences in the regulation of expression of the genes for mammalian and avian TGF-beta 3 may result in part from the unique structure of their 5'-flanking regions.

Amino Acid Sequence

The paired domain-containing nuclear factor pax[b] is expressed in specific commissural interneurons in zebrafish embryos.

The zebrafish paired box (Pax) genes are expressed in the early neural tube and are thought to be transcription factors that regulate the differentiation of cells in the central nervous system (CNS). The protein product of one of these Pax genes, pax[b], is detectable as a nuclear antigen in all the regions of the embryo that transcribe the gene including the posterior midbrain, the nephritic primordium, the Wolffian duct, the optic stalk, and, in specific neurons, in the hindbrain and spinal cord. The timing and pattern of axonal outgrowth by the early pax[b]-positive neurons suggest that they are the commissural secondary ascending (CoSA) interneurons in the spinal cord; the primary commissural interneurons (MiD2c and MiD3c) in hindbrain rhombomeres mi2 and mi3; and a previously unclassified set of commissural interneurons that we termed the commissural caudalrhombomere ascending (CoCaA) interneurons in the caudal hindbrain. In contrast, the Mauthner interneurons do not express pax[b] early in development. Shortly after the appearance of the first pax[b]-positive interneurons, additional nuclei adjacent to the first pax[b]-positive interneurons become pax[b] positive. This pattern of expression suggests that the pax[b] protein may be involved in determining the identity of specific commissural interneurons.

3,3'-Diaminobenzidine

Limited proteolysis unmasks specific DNA-binding of the murine RNA polymerase I-specific transcription termination factor TTFI.

Previously we have shown that nuclear extracts from mouse cells contain a heterogeneous group of polypeptides (p65, p80, p90, p100) which form distinct DNA-protein complexes on the 18 base-pair sequence element (termed Sal-box), which constitutes the murine rDNA transcription termination signal. These distinct proteins mediate cessation of RNA polymerase I (pol I) transcription elongation and release of the nascent RNA chains, indicating that they function as termination factor(s). Here, we report the biochemical analysis of the pol I-specific transcription termination factor TTFI. We show that the heterogeneity of TTFI is due to limited proteolysis of a larger, 130 kDa precursor protein (p130). The DNA-binding activity of p130 is strongly reduced as compared to the proteolytic derivatives, indicating that the DNA-binding domain is repressed within the full-length molecule. We have used limited proteolysis to purify and functionally characterize a TTFI core polypeptide (p50) which still specifically binds to the Sal-box target sequence and directs rDNA transcription termination. The equilibrium constant of purified p50 to bind specifically to DNA is 9 x 10(9) M-1. Additionally, we demonstrate that TTFI binds to DNA as a monomer and that binding induces DNA bending. This observation suggests that not only specific DNA-protein and protein-protein interactions but also conformational alterations of DNA may play a role in the termination process.

Animals

PAX8, a human paired box gene: isolation and expression in developing thyroid, kidney and Wilms' tumors.

Recent evidence indicates a crucial role for paired box genes in mouse and human embryogenesis. The murine Pax8 gene encodes a sequence-specific transcription factor and is expressed in the developing secretory system as well as in the developing and adult thyroid. This restricted expression pattern suggested involvement of the Pax8 gene in the morphogenesis of the above organs and prompted us to investigate the PAX8 gene in humans. In this report, we describe the isolation and characterization of PAX8 cDNAs from a human adult kidney cDNA library. An open reading frame of 450 amino acids contains the 128 amino acid paired domain at its amino-terminal end. The predicted human and mouse Pax8 proteins show 97.8% conservation and are identical in their paired domains. Two independent cDNA clones reveal differential splicing of the PAX8 transcripts resulting in the removal of a 63 amino acid serine-rich region from the carboxy end of the predicted Pax8 protein. The truncated Pax8 protein becomes more similar to the predicted murine Pax2 protein, that is also expressed during kidney development and lacks the serine rich region. RNAse protection analysis shows the presence of both PAX8 transcripts in human thyroid, kidney and five Wilms' tumors. No truncated Pax8 transcripts could be detected in mouse kidney. In situ hybridization to sections of human embryonic and fetal kidney showed expression of PAX8 in condensed mesenchyme, comma-shaped and S-shaped bodies. In contrast, PAX2 expression was present mainly in the very early stages of differentiation, in the induced, condensing mesenchyme. This restricted expression pattern suggests a specific role for both genes during glomeruli maturation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Sequence

Functional binding of the "TATA" box binding component of transcription factor TFIID to the -30 region of TATA-less promoters.

Many viral and cellular promoters transcribed in higher eukaryotes by RNA polymerase II lack obvious A+T-rich sequences, called "TATA" boxes, that bind the transcription factor TFIID. One such TATA-less promoter, the simian virus 40 major late promoter, contains a genetically important sequence element 30 base pairs upstream of its transcription initiation site that has no obvious sequence similarity to a TATA box. We show here that the cloned human TATA box-binding protein, hTFIID tau, functionally binds to this upstream sequence element, although with an affinity one-sixth of that to which it binds the TATA box of the adenovirus type 2 major late promoter. Analysis of point mutations in the -30 element of the simian virus 40 major late promoter shows that the affinity of binding correlates with the efficiency of transcription from this promoter. Furthermore, this element has genetic properties similar to those of a TATA box. (i) It directs RNA polymerase II to initiate transcription approximately 30 base pairs downstream of its location, and (ii) inactivation of this element results in increased heterogeneity in the sites of transcription initiation. All of five other TATA-less promoters tested were found to contain a sequence approximately 30 base pairs upstream of their major transcription initiation sites to which hTFIID tau binds. We conclude that many, if not all, TATA-less promoters differ from TATA box-containing promoters simply in the affinity of their -30 regions for binding of TFIID, with functional binding of TFIID supported in part by other nearby sequence elements of the promoter.

Base Sequence

SWI6 is a regulatory subunit of two different cell cycle START-dependent transcription factors in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Most genes involved in DNA replication in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are transcribed transiently during late G1 as cells undergo START. Their promoters all contain one or more versions of an 8-base pair motif (ACGCGTNA) called the MluI cell cycle box (MCB). MCBs have been shown to be both necessary and sufficient for the late G1-specific transcription of the TMP1 thymidylate synthase and POLI DNA polymerase genes. A different late G1-specific transcription element called the SCB (CACGAAAA) is bound by a factor containing the SWI4 and SWI6 proteins. We describe here the formation in vitro of complexes on TMP1 MCBs that contain the SWI6 protein and, we suggest, a 120 kDa protein that is distinct from SWI4. Transcription due to SCBs and MCBs occurs in the absence of SWI6 but it is no longer correctly cell cycle regulated. We suggest that SWI6 is an essential regulatory subunit of two different START-dependent transcription factors. One factor (SBF) contains SWI4 and binds to SCBs whereas the other (MBF) contains p120 and binds MCBs.

Base Sequence

Cloning and chromosomal mapping of a human immunodeficiency virus 1 "TATA" element modulatory factor.

A critical regulatory element in many promoters transcribed by RNA polymerase II is the "TATA" box, which is located 25-30 nucleotides upstream of the transcription initiation site. TFIID is a biochemically defined HeLa cell nuclear fraction containing a transcription factor activity that binds specifically to the TATA box and is critical in determining both basal and regulated promoter activity. Recently, the gene for a TATA-binding protein was cloned and found to bind to various TATA elements and to substitute for TFIID in stimulating basal gene expression in in vitro transcription systems. However, it is possible that additional cellular factors can bind to the TATA element and influence the level of gene expression. By using lambda gt11 expression cloning with oligonucleotides corresponding to the human immunodeficiency virus 1 TATA element, we report the identification of a cellular protein with a calculated molecular mass of 123 kDa that we designate TATA element modulatory factor (TMF). TMF binds to the human immunodeficiency virus 1 TATA element in gel-retardation assays and inhibits activation of the viral long terminal repeat by the TATA-binding protein in in vitro transcription assays. TMF contains leucine-zipper amino acid motifs and exhibits homology in its DNA binding domain with the phage-encoded DNA binding protein Ner. Chromosomal mapping localizes the TMF gene to human chromosome 3p12-p21, which is a site of frequent rearrangements in lung and renal carcinomas. Thus, TMF is a transcription factor that likely regulates the expression of both viral and cellular genes.

Amino Acid Sequence

Structure of the murine tissue factor gene. Chromosome location and conservation of regulatory elements in the promoter.

Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that mediates cellular initiation of the coagulation serine protease cascades. Moreover, expression of TF in human atherosclerotic plaques is likely to play a significant role in the thrombotic complications associated with plaque rupture. In this study the complete murine TF gene, Cf-3, was isolated from mouse NIH 3T3 cells and was found to consist of six exons spanning about 11 kilobase pairs (kbp) of DNA. A major transcriptional start site was located 24 bp downstream of a TATA box. Cf-3 was mapped to chromosome 3 by analysis of an intersubspecies test cross. Conserved transcription factor-binding sites were identified by comparison of 5' flanking regions of the murine and human TF genes. A region of the TF promoter required for constitutive expression exhibited 85% identity in DNA sequence and included two conserved binding sites for Sp1. Furthermore, two AP-1 sites and an NF-kappa B site were conserved in a 56-bp region necessary for transcriptional activation in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide. These highly conserved regions of the TF promoter, which contain several binding sites for well-characterized transcription factors, are likely to be functionally important in the complex pattern of TF gene expression observed in a variety of cell types.

Amino Acid Sequence

Fusion of the leucine zipper gene HLF to the E2A gene in human acute B-lineage leukemia.

A t(17;19) chromosomal translocation in early B-lineage acute leukemia was shown to result in chimeric transcripts that contain sequences from the E2A basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor gene on chromosome 19, fused to sequences from a previously unidentified gene (HLF) on chromosome 17 that encodes a hepatic leukemia factor. The chimeric protein consisted of the amino-terminal transactivation domain of E2A linked to the carboxyl-terminal basic region-leucine zipper domain of HLF. HLF was normally expressed in liver and kidney, but not in lymphoid cells, and was found to be closely related to the leucine zipper-containing transcription factors DBP (albumin D-box binding protein) and TEF (thyrotroph embryonic factor), which regulate developmental stage-specific gene expression.

Adenovirus Early Proteins

5'-upstream cis-elements and binding factor(s) potentially involved in light-regulated expression of a Brassica napus rbcS gene.

The 5'-upstream region of a Brassica napus rbcS gene contains sequence elements that resemble the cis-regulatory elements described for other species. In band shift competition assays using whole-cell extracts and sets of deletion fragments we could assign protein binding to a region located 110-130 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. DNase I protection experiments showed that the binding region is non-contiguous and reveals symmetry. On the non-coding strand, the sequence contains 5'-CAC-3' and 5'-GTGG-3' elements which together resemble the contiguous G-box core motif, CACGTGG, of other rbcS genes. The DNA-protein interaction was more efficient with extracts from light-grown than with those from dark-grown seedlings, indicating the possible involvement of light-regulated factors(s).

Amino Acid Sequence

Topography of transcription factor complexes on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae 5 S RNA gene.

Locations of component proteins of yeast RNA polymerase III transcription factors (TFIII) A, C and B on a 5 S rRNA gene have been determined by site-specific DNA-protein photo-crosslinking. Comparison with a previously analyzed tRNA gene shows that similar nucleoprotein structures assemble on these two genes despite their differently located internal promoter elements. A principal signature of this homology is the placement of the 95 kDA subunit of TFIIIC, which associates with the box A promoter element of the tRNA gene. On the 5 S rRNA gene, the 95 kDa subunit occupies the same space in the absence of a box A sequence, and despite the presence of a box A-like sequence 30 base-pairs further downstream. A 90 kDa component that was not previously recognized as an integral part of TFIIIC has been specifically located at the 3' end of the 5 S rRNA gene.

Base Sequence