Sustainable hydrogen production for the greener environment by quantum dots-based efficient photocatalysts: A review

Nano-size photocatalysts exhibit multifunctional properties that opened the door for improved efficiency in energy, environment, and health care applications. Among the diversity of catalyst Quantum dots are a class of nanomaterials having a particle size between 2 and 10 nm, showing unique optoelectrical properties that are limited to some of the metal, metal oxide, metal chalcogenides, and carbon-based nanostructures. These unique characteristics arise from either pristine or binary/ternary composites where noble metal/metal oxide/metal chalcogenide/carbon quantum dots are anchored on the surface of semiconductor photocatalyst. It emphasized that properties, as well as performance of photocatalytic materials, are greatly influenced by the choice of synthesis methods and experimental conditions. Among the chemical methods, photo-deposition, precipitation, and chemical reduction, are the three most influential synthesis approaches. Further, two types of quantum dots namely metal based and carbon-based materials have been highlighted. Based on the optical, electrical and surface properties, quantum dots based photocatalysts have been divided into three categories namely (a) photocatalyst (b) co-catalyst and (c) photo-sensitizer. They showed enhanced photocatalytic performance for hydrogen production under visible/UV-visible light irradiation. Often, pristine metal chalcogenides as well as metal/metal oxide/carbon quantum dots attached to a semiconductor particle exhibit enhanced the photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production through absorption of visible light. Alternatively, noble metal quantum dots, which provide plenty of defects/active sites facilitate continuous hydrogen production. For instance, production of hydrogen in the presence of sacrificial agents using metal chalcogenides, metal oxides, and coinage metals based catalysts such as CdS/MoS₂ (99,000 μmol h^-1g^-1) TiO₂-Ni(OH)₂ (47,195 μmol h^-1g^-1) and Cu/Ag-TiO₂ nanotubes (56,167 μmol h^-1g^-1) have been reported. Among the carbon-based nanostructures, graphitic C₃N₄ and carbon quantum dots composites displayed enhanced hydrogen gas (116.1 μmol h^-1) production via overall water splitting. This review accounts recent findings on various chemical approaches used for quantum dots synthesis and their improved materials properties leading to enhanced hydrogen production particularly under visible light irradiation. Finally, the avenue to improve quantum efficiency further is proposed.

The facile hydrothermal synthesis of CuO@ZnO heterojunction nanostructures for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

CuO@ZnO nanostructures prepared via a modified hydrothermal method exhibited superior catalytic activity in the removal of organic pollutants and more efficient H₂ production.

Molecular Mechanism Linking BRCA1 Dysfunction to High Grade Serous Epithelial Ovarian Cancers with Peritoneal Permeability and Ascites

Ovarian cancer constitutes the second most common gynecological cancer with a five-year survival rate of 40%. Among the various histotypes associated with hereditary ovarian cancer, high-grade serous epithelial ovarian carcinoma (HGSEOC) is the most predominant and women with inherited mutations in BRCA1 have a lifetime risk of 40-60%. HGSEOC is a challenge for clinical oncologists, due to late presentation of patient, diagnosis and high rate of relapse. Ovarian tumors have a wide range of clinical presentations including development of ascites as a result of deregulated endothelial function thereby causing increased vascular permeability of peritoneal vessels. The molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Studies have shown that fallopian tube cancers develop in women with BRCA1 gene mutations more often than previously suspected. Recent studies suggest that many primary peritoneal cancers and some high-grade serous epithelial ovarian carcinomas actually start in the fallopian tubes. In this article we have addressed the molecular pathway of a recently identified potential biomarker Ubc9 whose deregulated expression due to BRCA1 dysfunction can result in HGSEOC with peritoneal permeability and formation of ascites. We also discuss the role of downstream targets Caveolin-1 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in the pathogenesis of ascites in ovarian carcinomas. Finally we hypothesize a signaling axis between Ubc9 over expression, loss of Caveolin-1 and induction of VEGF in BRCA1 mutant HGSEOC cells. We suggest that Ubc9-mediated stimulation of VEGF as a novel mechanism underlying ovarian cancer aggressiveness and ascites formation. Agents that target Ubc9 and VEGF signaling may represent a novel therapeutic strategy to impede peritoneal growth and spread of HGSEOC.

Transfer of disability care of leprosy to the affected persons and the community members

Bargarh district in the western Orissa had high leprosy burden and LEPRA India supported in control activities. Its main focus was on POD care with community participation. After motivation and capacity building, it transferred the responsibility of POD care to affected persons, family, community partners and GHS staff in 2006. The effectiveness of this approach was evaluated in 2009. With personal contact responses from 112 (17%) persons with disability and 18 stakeholders were obtained. Result shows 98% affected persons are staying with family; 92% are practicing self-care; 92% felt self-care is beneficial; 57% and 36% are using commercial and MCR footwear respectively. Surgical correction of deformity is maintained in 80% of cases. Difficulty in activity and in community participation was experienced in about one third of affected persons the latter is mostly due to self stigma. The facilitators were happy with their beneficiaries.

A novel mechanism whereby BRCA1/1a/1b fine tunes the dynamic complex interplay between SUMO-dependent/independent activities of Ubc9 on E2-induced ERalpha activation/repression and degradation in breast cancer cells

BRCA1 dysfunction is associated with hormone-responsive cancers. We have identified a consensus SUMO modification site in the amino-terminal region of BRCA1/1a/1b proteins and the mutation in this potential SUMO acceptor site (K 109 to R) impaired their ability to bind and repress ligand-dependent ERalpha transcriptional activity in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, we have found SUMO E2-conjugating enzyme Ubc9 to bind BRCA1 proteins. We have mapped BRCA1 [within amino acids (aa) 1-182] as the minimum domain that is sufficient for in vitro binding to Ubc9 as well as for regulating ERalpha activity. BRCA1 Mutant #1 (K109 to R) was impaired in its ability to both bind, as well as modulate Ubc9 mediated SUMO-dependent/independent E2-induced ERalpha transcriptional activity in breast cancer cells. Similarly, BRCA1 cancer-predisposing mutation (61Cys-Gly) abrogated the ability to both bind Ubc9 as well as inhibit ERalpha activity suggesting physiological significance. Addition of BRCA1 but not Mutant #1 to E2-induced ERalpha in the presence of SUMO-1 and Ubc9 resulted in the degradation of ERalpha suggesting BRCA1 to be a putative SUMO-1 and Ubc9-dependent E3 ubiquitin ligase for ERalpha. This is the first report demonstrating the participation of Ubc9 in BRCA1 E3 ubiquitin ligase mediated degradation of ERalpha. These results suggest a novel function for BRCA1 in regulating the dynamic cycles of SUMO and ubiquitin modifications required for ERalpha turn over and deregulation of this molecular switch due to lack of BRCA1 results in ERalpha-negative/positive breast cancers. This study will help in designing novel BRCA1 function-based targeted treatment for breast cancers.

Comparison of faecal culture and IS900 PCR assay for the detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in bovine faecal samples

Comparative efficacy of faecal culture and IS900 Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay of faecal samples was investigated in 40 clinically suspected cases of Johne's disease in dairy cattle. The sensitivity of faecal culture and PCR assay in this study was 52.5% (21/40) and 90% (36/40) respectively. All isolates appeared only on the mycobactin J supplemented Herrold's egg yolk medium (HEYM) at 8-16 weeks post-inoculation, were acid-fast and were positive for IS900 PCR yielding a single amplicon of 217 bp. A total of 28 faecal samples out of 40 were positive by IS900 primary PCR assay for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) yielding an expected product of size 217 bp. Twelve faecal samples, which gave negative results in the primary PCR, were subjected to secondary PCR assay. Of the 12 samples, 8 gave positive results in the IS900 nested PCR (nPCR), which yielded a PCR product of 167 bp, proving better sensitivity of nPCR assay than single amplification PCR. PCR could detect additionally 15 samples as positive which were negative by faecal culture. The chi-square analysis showed a highly significant difference between the tests (P< 0.01). This study suggests that IS900-PCR-based detection of Map could be used as a potential diagnostic tool for rapid and effective Johne's disease surveillance.

BRCA1a has antitumor activity in TN breast, ovarian and prostate cancers

Breast cancer gene 1 (BRCA1) mutations predispose women to breast and ovarian cancers and men to increased risks for prostate cancer. We have previously showed BRCA1 splice variant BRCA1a/p110 to induce apoptosis of human breast cancer cells. In the current study, stable expression of BRCA1a/p110 resulted in inhibition of growth of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive and triple-negative (TN) human breast, ovarian, prostate and colon cancer cells and mouse fibroblast cells. Similar to wild-type BRCA1, only those cells with wild-type Rb were sensitive to BRCA1a-induced growth suppression and the status of p53 did not affect the ability of BRCA1a to suppress growth of tumor cells. BRCA1a also significantly inhibited tumor mass in nude mice bearing human CAL-51 TN breast cancer, ES-2 ovarian cancer and PC-3 prostate cancer xenografts. These results suggest that the majority of exon 11 sequences (residues 263-1365) are not required for the tumor suppressor function of BRCA1 proteins. This is the first report demonstrating antitumor activity of BRCA1a in human ER-positive and TN breast, hormone-independent ovarian and prostate cancer cells. Currently, there are no effective treatments against TN breast cancers and results from these studies will provide new treatments for one of the biggest needs in breast cancer research.

EWS-ATF-1 chimeric protein in soft tissue clear cell sarcoma associates with CREB-binding protein and interferes with p53-mediated trans-activation function

The recurrent t(12;22) (q13;q12) chromosomal translocation associated with soft tissue clear cell sarcoma results in a chimeric protein EWS-ATF-1 that acts as a constitutive transcriptional activator. The CBP/p300 transcriptional coactivator, which links various transcriptional factors to basal transcription apparatus, participates in transcriptional activation, growth and cell cycle control and differentiation. In this study, we show that EWS-ATF-1 associates constitutively with CBP both in vitro and in vivo. Both EWS and ATF-1 fusion domains are needed for this interaction. Here, we demonstrate that EWS-ATF-1 represses p53/CBP-mediated trans-activation function. Overexpression of CBP can counteract this repressive effect of EWS-ATF-1. Taken together, these findings suggest that one of the mechanisms by which EWS-ATF-1 may cause tumors is through targeting CBP/p300 resulting in the loss of function of p53. This novel mechanism may be responsible for the development of these and other related solid tumors.

c-Fos oncogene regulator Elk-1 interacts with BRCA1 splice variants BRCA1a/1b and enhances BRCA1a/1b-mediated growth suppression in breast cancer cells

Elk-1, a c-Fos protooncogene regulator, which belongs to the ETS-domain family of transcriptional factors, plays an important role in the induction of immediate early gene expression in response to a variety of extracellular signals. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time the in vitro and in vivo interaction of Elk-1 with BRCA1 splice variants BRCA1a and BRCA1b using GST-pull down assays, co-imunoprecipitations/Western blot analysis of cell extracts from breast cancer cells and mammalian two-hybrid assays. We have localized the BRCA1 interaction domain of Elk-1 protein to the conserved ETS domain, a motif involved in DNA binding and protein-protein interactions. We also observed binding of BRCA1 proteins to other ETS-domain transcription factors SAP1, ETS-1, ERG-2 and Fli-1 but not to Elk-1 splice variant DeltaElk-1 and c-Fos protooncogene. Both BRCA1a and BRCA1b splice variants function as growth suppressors of human breast cancer cells. Interestingly, our studies reveal that although both Elk-1 and SAP-1 are highly homologous members of a subfamily of ETS domain proteins called ternary complex factors, it is only Elk-1 but not SAP-1 that can augment the growth suppressive function of BRCA1a/1b proteins in breast cancer cells. Thus Elk-1 could be a potential downstream target of BRCA1 in its growth control pathway. Furthermore, we have observed inhibition of c-Fos promoter activity in BRCA1a transfected stable breast cancer cells and over expression of BRCA1a/1b attenuates MEK-induced SRE activation in vivo. These results demonstrate for the first time a link between the growth suppressive function of BRCA1a/1b proteins and signal transduction pathway involving Elk-1 protein. All these results taken together suggest that one of the mechanisms by which BRCA1a/1b proteins function as growth/tumor suppressors is through inhibition of the expression of Elk-1 target genes like c-Fos.

Structure and expression of variant BRCA2a lacking the transactivation domain

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are tumor suppressor genes shown to be involved in 90% of familial breast cancers and also known to be involved in ovarian and prostate cancers. Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene products are regulated in a cell cycle-dependent manner and have potential transactivation function. Here, we show that BRCA2 undergoes differential splicing giving rise to a novel variant protein BRCA2a, lacking putative transcriptional activation domain. Both BRCA2a and BRCA2 are expressed at high levels in thymus and testis but moderate levels in mammary gland and prostate suggesting that BRCA2a and BRCA2 may have a role in the development and differentiation of these tissues.

The second BRCT domain of BRCA1 proteins interacts with p53 and stimulates transcription from the p21WAF1/CIP1 promoter

Inherited mutations in the breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 are associated with high risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers. Several studies link BRCA1 to transcriptional regulation, DNA repair, apoptosis and growth/tumor suppression. BRCA1 associates with p53 and stimulates transcription in both p53 dependent and p53-independent manners. BRCA1 splice variants BRCA1a (p110) and BRCA1b (p100) associates with CBP/p300 co-activators. Here we show that BRCA1a and BRCA1b proteins stimulate p53-dependent transcription from the p21WAF1/CIP1 promoter. In addition, the C-terminal second BRCA1 (BRCT) domain is sufficient for p53 mediated transactivation of the p21 promoter. Previous studies emphasized the importance of the BRCT domain, which shows homology with p53 binding protein (53BP1), in transcriptional activation, growth inhibition and tumor suppression. Our findings demonstrate an additional function for this domain in protein-protein interaction and co-activation of p53. We also found that BRCA1a and BRCA1b proteins interact with p53 in vitro and in vivo. The p53 interaction domain of BRCA1a/1b maps, in vitro, to the second BRCT domain (aa 1760-1863). The BRCT domain binds to the central domain of p53 which is required for sequence specific DNA binding. These results demonstrate for the first time the presence of a second p53 interaction domain in BRCA1 proteins and suggests that BRCA1a and BRCA1b proteins, like BRCA1, function as p53 co-activators. This BRCT domain also binds in vitro to CBP. These results suggest that one of the mechanisms by which BRCA1 proteins function is through recruitment of CBP/p300 associated HAT/FAT activity for acetylation of p53 to specific promoters resulting in transcriptional activation.

Fli-1b is generated by usage of differential splicing and alternative promoter

The proto-oncogene Fli-1, a member of Ets family is rearranged or activated through proviral integration in erythroleukemias, induced by Friends' Murine Leukemia Virus. The DNA binding domain (ETS domain) of Fli-1 is fused to the RNA binding domain of EWS by t(11q24:22q12) chromosomal translocation in Ewing's sarcoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumors. Screening of human cDNA libraries has identified two different 5'-termini and alternatively spliced forms of the human Fli-1 gene (Fli-1b), suggesting the possible existence of two independent promoters. The genomic sequence adjacent to the alternate exon of human Fli-1b gene shows functional promoter activity when cloned in promoter-less CAT expression vector and transfected into QT-6 cells. The transcription initiation (CAP) site and minimum promoter region necessary for function were localized. The 5'-flanking regions of human Fli-1b and mouse Fli-1 show 80% homology suggesting conserved promoter regulatory elements. The Fli-1b 5'-flanking sequence lacks canonical TATA or CCAAT boxes but contains a partially conserved TATA-like sequence at position 242. Several transcription factor binding sequences like ATF/CREB, E2A-PBX1, EBP, PEA-3, ETS-2, Sp-1, c-Myc, TBP, GATA-1 and Oct-3 were conserved in the promoter sequence. Functional promoter assays revealed that Fli-1b promoter shows very strong transcriptional activation compared to Fli-1 promoter. We also showed that variant Fli-1b has transcriptional activation properties similar to those of Fli-1. Fli-1b and Fli-1 show differential expression in various hematopoietic cell lines. This differential expression and promoter activities of Fli-1 and Fli-1b suggests that several mechanisms are involved in Fli-1 gene regulation which are mediated by many transcription factors.

Induction of apoptosis by Elk-1 and deltaElk-1 proteins

Elk-1, an ets related gene codes for at least two splice variants Elk-1, which regulates c-fos transcription and deltaElk-1, both of which function as transcriptional activators. To investigate the role of Elk-1 and deltaElk-1 proteins in apoptosis; we have developed rat fibroblast cell lines and human breast cancer cell lines expressing Elk-1 and deltaElk-1. The expression of Elk-1 and deltaElk-1 proteins in the Elk-1/deltaElk-1 transfectants were analysed by immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot analysis. The Elk-1 unlike deltaElk-1 transfectants showed a shortened and flattened morphology compared to the parental cells. We have found that calcium ionophore treatment of Rat-1 Elk-1, MCF-7 Elk-1, Rat-1 deltaElk-1 and MCF-7 deltaElk-1 transfectants resulted in programmed cell death. These results indicate that constitutive expression of Elk-1 and deltaElk-1 proteins triggers apoptosis in Rat-1 fibroblasts and breast cancer cells when treated with calcium ionophore.

Retroviral transduction of TLS-ERG initiates a leukemogenic program in normal human hematopoietic cells

Many chimeric oncogenes have been identified by virtue of the association between chromosomal translocation and specific human leukemias. However, the biological mechanism by which these oncogenes disrupt the developmental program of normal human hematopoietic cells during the initiation of the leukemogenic process is poorly understood due to the absence of an appropriate experimental system to study their function. Here, we report that retroviral transduction of TLS-ERG, a myeloid leukemia-associated fusion gene, to human cord blood cells results in altered myeloid and arrested erythroid differentiation and a dramatic increase in the proliferative and self-renewal capacity of transduced myeloid progenitors. Thus, TLS-ERG expression alone induced a leukemogenic program that exhibited similarities to the human disease associated with this translocation. These results provide an experimental examination of the early stages of the human leukemogenic process induced by a single oncogene and establish a paradigm to functionally assay putative leukemogenic genes in normal human hematopoietic cells.

BRCA1 splice variants BRCA1a and BRCA1b associate with CBP co-activator

The tumor suppressor gene BRCA1, is a nuclear phosphoprotein which associates with RNA polymerase II holoenzyme. CBP is a component of the holoenzyme. Previously, we have characterized two new BRCA1 splice variants BRCA1a/p110 and BRCA1b/p100. In the present study, the carboxy-terminal domain of transcription factor CBP interacts both in vivo and in vitro with full length BRCA1a and BRCA1b proteins as demonstrated by mammalian two- hybrid assays, co-immunoprecipitation/western blot studies, GST binding assays and histone acetyl transferase (HAT) assays of BRCA1 immunoprecipitates from human breast cancer cells. Our results suggest that one of the mechanisms by which BRCA1 proteins function is through recruitment of CBP associated HAT/FAT (transcription factor acetyl-transferase) activity for acetylation of either themselves or general transcription factors or both to specific promoters resulting in transcriptional activation.

Differential transcriptional activation by the N-terminal region of BRCA1 splice variants BRCA1a and BRCA1b

The breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1, is a nuclear phosphoprotein which functions as a tumor suppressor in human breast cancer cells. BRCA1 protein contains an amino-terminal zinc finger motif and a carboxy-terminal acidic region. Recently, the carboxy-terminal region of BRCA1 and the amino-terminal region of BRCA2 proteins were shown to function as transactivation domains when fused to GAL4 DNA binding domain. We have recently isolated and characterized two new naturally occurring variants of BRCA1 (BRCA1a/p110 and BRCA1b/p100) which are phosphoproteins containing phosphotyrosine that associate with E2F transcriptional factors, cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases indicating a role for BRCA1 proteins in cell-cycle regulation. Here we show for the first time that the amino-terminal region of BRCA1a (BNT) but not BRCA1b can also function as a transcriptional activator when fused to GAL4 DNA binding domain. Thus, BRCA1/1a proteins contain two autonomous transcriptional activation domains, one at the amino-terminal region (BNT) and the other at the carboxy-terminal region (BCT). BRCA1b retains only the BCT domain since it has lost part of the potential BNT domain as a result of alternative splicing. Our results also suggest the presence of an inhibitory domain at the carboxy terminal region of BRCA1 and BRCA1a proteins (BID). Thus, BRCA1b protein may function as a dominant negative variant that could regulate the transcriptional activity of BRCA1/BRCA1a proteins and hence may serve as a marker for identifying individuals with greater potential for developing breast cancer. It may be possible that loss of transcriptional activation or protein-protein interactions in patients with mutations in the amino terminal zinc finger domain could deprive the cell of an important mechanism for regulating cell proliferation leading to the development of breast cancer.

The BRCA2 is a histone acetyltransferase

Patients carrying mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 tumor suppressor genes have shown to have high risk in developing breast and ovarian cancers. Two potential functions of BRCA2 were proposed which includes role in the regulation of transcription and also in DNA repair. Forty-five-amino acid region encoded by exon 3 of BRCA2 was shown to have transcriptional activation function. Recent studies of the several enzymes involved in acetylation and deacetylation of histone residues have revealed a possible relationship between gene transcriptional activation and histone acetylation. Since BRCA2 appear to function as a transcriptional factor, we have tested for Histone acetyl transferase (HAT) activity of BRCA2. Here, we present evidence that BRCA2 has intrinsic HAT activity, which maps to the amino-terminal region of BRCA2. Our results demonstrate that BRCA2 proteins acetylate primarily H3 and H4 of free histones. These observations suggest that HAT activity of BRCA2 may play an important role in the regulation of transcription and tumor suppressor function.

Too far, too little, too late: a community-based case-control study of maternal mortality in rural west Maharashtra, India

A total of 121 maternal deaths, identified through multiple-source surveillance in 400 villages in Maharashtra, were prospectively enrolled during 1993-95 in a population-based case-control study, which compared deaths with the survivors of similar pregnancy complications. The cases took significantly longer to seek care and to make the first health contact after the decision to seek care was taken. They also travelled significantly greater distances through a greater number of health facilities before appropriate treatment was started. Multivariate analysis showed the negative effect of excessive referrals and the protective effect of the following: residing in and not away from the village; presence of a resident nurse in the village; having an educated husband and a trained attendant at delivery; and being at the woman's parents' home at the time of illness. Other significant findings showed that deaths due to domestic violence were the second-largest cause of deaths in pregnancy, that more than two-thirds of maternal deaths were underreported in official records, and that liveborn infants of maternal deaths had a markedly higher risk of dying in the first year of life. This study points to the need for information-education-communication (IEC) efforts to increase family (especially male) preparedness for emergencies, decentralized obstetric management with effective triage, and a restructuring of the referral system.

BRCA1 proteins are transported to the nucleus in the absence of serum and splice variants BRCA1a, BRCA1b are tyrosine phosphoproteins that associate with E2F, cyclins and cyclin dependent kinases

BRCA1, a familial breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene encodes nuclear phosphoproteins that function as tumor suppressors in human breast cancer cells. Previously, we have shown that overexpression of a BRCA1 splice variant BRCA1a accelerates apoptosis in human breast cancer cells. In an attempt to determine whether the subcellular localization of BRCA1 is cell cycle regulated, we have studied the subcellular distribution of BRCA1 in asynchronous and growth arrested normal, breast and ovarian cancer cells using different BRCA1 antibodies by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical staining. Upon serum starvation of NIH3T3, some breast and ovarian cancer cells, most of the BRCA1 protein redistributed to the nucleus revealing a new type of regulation that may modulate the activity of BRCA1 gene. We have also characterized two new variant BRCA1 proteins (BRCA1a/p110 and BRCA1b/ p100) which are phosphoproteins containing phosphotyrosine. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting analysis indicate cytoplasmic and nuclear localization of BRCA1a and BRCA1b proteins. To elucidate the biological function of BRCA1, we created a bacterial fusion protein of glutathione-transferase (GST) and BRCA1 zinc finger domain and detected two cellular proteins with molecular weights of approximately 32 and 65 kD, one of which contains phosphotyrosine designated p32 and p65 BRCA1 interacting proteins (BIP) that specifically interact with BRCA1. Western blot analysis of BIP with cyclins/CDKs and E2F antisera indicated association with cdc2, cdk2, cdk4, cyclin B, cyclin D, cyclin A and E2F-4 but not with cdk3, cdk5, cdk6, E2F-1, E2F-2, E2F-3, E2F-5 and cyclin E. Furthermore, we have also demonstrated a direct interaction of in vitro translated BRCA1a and BRCA1b proteins with recombinant cyclin A, cyclin B1, cyclin D1, cdc2, cdk2 and E2F fusion proteins in vitro. Taken together these results seem to suggest that BRCA1 could be an important negative regulator of cell cycle that functions through interaction with E2F transcriptional factors and phosphorylation by cyclins/cdk complexes with the zinc ring finger functioning as a major protein-protein interaction domain. If the interactions we observe in vitro is also seen in vivo then it may be possible that lack or impaired binding of the disrupted BRCA1 proteins to E2F, cyclins/CDKs in patients with mutations in the zinc finger domain could deprive the cell of an important mechanism for braking cell proliferation leading to the development of breast and ovarian cancers.

Inhibition of apoptosis by normal and aberrant Fli-1 and erg proteins involved in human solid tumors and leukemias

Two ets family members, namely erg and Fli-1 are fused with two EWS family members namely EWS and TLS/FUS as a result of chromosome translocation in human solid tumors and leukemias. EWS-erg and EWS-Fli-1, which are involved in greater than 95% of Ewing family of tumors, were shown to function as transcriptional activators. TLS/FUS-erg, which is involved in human myeloid leukemias also functions as a transcriptional activator. Expression of these fusion proteins (EWS-erg and EWS-Fli-1) are shown to be essential for maintaining the oncogenic and tumorigenic properties of tumor cells. Cancer is thought to be caused not only by uncontrolled cell proliferation but also by deregulation of programmed cell death. Therefore, we have studied the role of normal (Fli-1 and erg) and aberrant fusion proteins (EWS-erg, EWS-Fli-1 and TLS/FUS-erg) in apoptosis. We have found that expression of normal (Fli-1 and erg) and aberrant fusion proteins inhibit the apoptosis of NIH3T3 cells induced by either serum deprivation or by treatment with calcium ionophore. We have also observed similar suppression of apoptosis in Ewing's sarcoma cells expressing EWS-Fli-1 and EWS-erg proteins suggesting that these fusion proteins may be responsible for the decreased ability of these tumor cells to undergo apoptosis. Inhibition of the expression of these aberrant fusion proteins by antisense RNA technique resulted in increased susceptibility to apoptosis leading to the death of tumor cells. Therefore, our results suggest that one can use therapeutic agents which can down regulate the expression of fusion proteins in combination with chemotherapeutic agents as an effective treatment for these human solid tumors and leukemias.

Induction of apoptosis by the tumor suppressor protein BRCA1

The breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1, is a nuclear phosphoprotein which functions as a tumor suppressor. To investigate the role of BRCA1 in apoptosis, we have developed mouse fibroblast cell lines and human breast cancer cell lines expressing BRCA1. The expression of BRCA1 protein in the BRCA1 transfectants were analysed by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. The BRCA1 transfectants showed a flattened morphology compared to the parental cells. We show that serum deprivation or calcium ionophore treatment of BRCA1 transfectants resulted in programmed cell death. These results indicate that BRCA1 genes may play a critical role in the regulation of apoptosis. Thus, since a wide variety of human malignancies like breast and ovarian cancers have a decreased ability to undergo apoptosis, this could be due to lack/decreased levels of functional BRCA1 proteins. Treatments that are aimed at increasing the apoptotic threshold by BRCA1 gene therapy may have the potential to prevent the progression of these malignancies.

Regulation of Population Densities of Heterodera cajani and Other Plant-Parasitic Nematodes by Crop Rotations on Vertisols, in Semi-Arid Tropical Production Systems in India

The significance of double crop (intercrop and sequential crop), single crop (rainy season crop fallow from June to September), and rotations on densities of Heterodera cajani, Helicotylenchus retusus, and Rotylenchulus reniformis was studied on Vertisol (Typic Pellusterts) between 1987 and 1993. Cowpea (Vigna sinensis), mungbean (Phaseolus aureus), and pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan) greatly increased the population densities of H. cajani and suppressed the population densities of other plant-parasitic nematodes. Mean population densities of H. cajani were about 8 times lower in single crop systems than in double crop systems, with pigeonpea as a component intercrop. Plots planted to sorghum, safflower, and chickpea in the preceding year contained fewer H. cajani eggs and juveniles than did plots previously planted to pigeonpea, cowpea, or mungbean. Continuous cropping of sorghum in the rainy season and safflower in the post-rainy season markedly reduced the population density of H. cajani. Sorghum, safflower, and chickpea favored increased population densities of H. retusus. Adding cowpea to the system resulted in a significant increase in the densities of R. reniformis. Mean densities of total plant-parasitic nematodes were three times greater in double crop systems, with pigeonpea as a component intercrop than in single crop systems with rainy season fallow component. Cropping systems had a regulatory effect on the nematode populations and could be an effective nematode management tactic. Intercropping of sorghum with H. cajani tolerant pigeonpea could be effective in increasing the productivity of traditional production systems in H. cajani infested regions.

Antisense RNA to the putative tumor suppressor gene BRCA1 transforms mouse fibroblasts

Recently, BRCA1, a familial breast and ovarian cancer susceptible gene has been cloned and shown to be either lost or mutated in families with breast and ovarian cancers. BRCA1 has been postulated to encode a tumor suppressor, a protein that acts as a negative regulator of tumor growth. We have characterized the BRCA1 gene products by Western blot and immunoprecipitation analysis in mouse and tumor cells. Multiple BRCA1 polypeptides of approximately 225, 185, 160, 145, 100, 52 and 38 kD were identified in these cells. BRCA1 proteins were found to be localized mainly in the nucleus of normal Rat1 cells and human breast cancer cells. In order to understand the role of BRCA1 in cell transformation, we have established a stable NIH3T3 cell line expressing BRCA1 antisense RNA. The inhibition of expression of endogenous BRCA1 protein was detected in NIH3T3 transfectants by Western blot analysis. The antisense BRCA1 expressing NIH3T3 cells showed accelerated growth rate, anchorage independent growth and tumorigenicity in nude mice unlike the parental and sense transfectants. These results provide the first direct biological evidence for the possible function of BRCA1 as a tumor suppressor gene.

The EWS-ATF-1 gene involved in malignant melanoma of soft parts with t(12;22) chromosome translocation, encodes a constitutive transcriptional activator

Molecular characterization of malignant melanoma of soft parts or soft tissue clear cell sarcoma which shares t(12;22) chromosome translocation revealed fusion of EWS with a transcriptional factor gene ATF-1. The EWS gene, which encodes an RNA binding protein, was also shown to be involved in Ewing sarcoma, related primitive neuroectodermal tumors and desmoplastic small round cell tumors. In order to understand the functional role of EWS-ATF-1 chimeric protein in human solid tumors, we have cloned the aberrant human ATF-1 (EWS-ATF-1) cDNA and studied its DNA binding, transcriptional activation properties and compared with normal ATF-1 protein. Our results demonstrate that EWS-ATF-1 binds weakly to DNA in vitro but functions as an efficient constitutive transcriptional activator unlike the normal ATF-1 which needs to be induced with cAMP. Deletion analysis revealed that EWS-fusion domain functions as a regulatory domain for the transcriptional activation properties of EWS-ATF-1 chimeric protein. Deletion of leucine zipper domain results in a loss of transcriptional activation of EWS-ATF-1 chimeric protein suggesting that protein-protein interaction play a role in the transcriptional activation properties of EWS-ATF-1. We demonstrate that EWS-fusion domain negatively regulates the DNA binding activity of EWS-ATF-1 chimeric protein. Therefore replacement of part of the amino-terminal kinase regulatory domain of ATF-1 protein with EWS regulatory domain results in an altered DNA binding, protein-protein interactions and transcriptional activation properties of EWS-ATF-1 causing deregulated gene expression which may be responsible for the genesis of t(12;22) chromosome translocation-bearing human solid tumors. Targeting the transcriptional cofactors (CBP, etc) by EWS-fusion proteins could be one of the mechanisms of activation of EWS-fusion proteins in human neoplasia.

Loss of tumorigenicity of Ewing's sarcoma cells expressing antisense RNA to EWS-fusion transcripts

Cytogenetic analysis of Ewing's sarcoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumors and Askin tumors revealed characteristic translocations t(11;22) or t(21;22). Molecular analysis of these translocations revealed 5'-region of EWS gene (from band 22q12) is fused to the 3'-region of either Fli-1 gene (from band 11q24) or erg gene (from band 21q22). Functional characterization of the EWS-Fli-1 and EWS-erg chimeric proteins suggested that they function as transcriptional activators. In order to develop therapeutic agents, it is essential to know whether expression of the EWS-fusion gene products is coupled to tumorigenicity of Ewing's sarcoma cells and if targeting the EWS-fusion products results in loss of tumorigenicity of Ewing's sarcoma cells. For this reason, we have made stable Ewing's sarcomas expressing antisense EWS-Fli-1 or EWS-erg expression plasmids. Expression of antisense EWS fusion transcripts resulted in a significant loss of endogenous EWS-Fli-1 and EWS-erg proteins in Ewing's sarcoma cells. These cells expressing antisense EWS fusion transcripts showed loss of anchorage independent growth and tumorigenicity in nude mice unlike the parental Ewing's sarcoma cells. These results demonstrate the necessity of a certain threshold level of expression of EWS-fusion products in the clonogenicity and tumorigenicity of Ewing's sarcoma cells and therefore emphasizes the importance of targeting the EWS-fusion products as a therapy for Ewing family of tumors.

TLS/FUS fusion domain of TLS/FUS-erg chimeric protein resulting from the t(16;21) chromosomal translocation in human myeloid leukemia functions as a transcriptional activation domain

EWS and TLS/FUS genes, which code for RNA binding proteins are involved in a wide variety of human solid tumors. The TLS/FUS gene is involved both in human myxoid liposarcomas which carry a characteristic chromosomal translocation, t(12;16)(q13;p11) and in human myeloid leukemias with recurrent chromosomal translocation, t(16;21)(p11:q22). The TLS/FUS gene is fused to a transcriptional repressor, CHOP (in human myxoid liposarcomas) or transcriptional activator, erg (in human myeloid leukemias). To understand better the functional role of TLS/FUS-erg in human myeloid leukemias, we have cloned the TLS/FUS and TLS/FUS-erg cDNAs and studied the functional properties of their gene products. TLS/FUS protein binds to RNA in vitro and shows preferential binding to poly G. Both the amino- and the carboxy- terminal regions of TLS/FUS containing the conserved RNA binding motifs are needed for poly G specific RNA binding activity. The TLS/FUS fusion domain (TFD) appears to regulate the DNA binding activity of TLS/FUS-erg chimeric protein which shows weaker transcriptional activation properties compared to normal erg proteins. Mutational analysis of the TLS/FUS-erg chimeric protein reveals TFD to function as a transcriptional activation domain thus replacing the amino terminal transcriptional activation domain of the erg protein. Therefore alterations in both DNA binding and transcriptional activation properties of aberrant erg proteins may be responsible for the genesis of t(16;21) chromosomal translocation-bearing human myeloid leukemias.

The EWS gene, involved in Ewing family of tumors, malignant melanoma of soft parts and desmoplastic small round cell tumors, codes for an RNA binding protein with novel regulatory domains

The EWS gene, which maps to band q12 of human chromosome 22, is involved in a wide variety of human solid tumors including Ewing sarcoma, related primitive neuroectodermal tumors, malignant melanoma of soft parts and desmoplastic small round cell tumors. In these tumors, the EWS is fused to genes encoding transcriptional activators/repressors, like Fli-1 or erg or ATF 1 or wt1. To better understand the function of the EWS protein, we cloned the EWS cDNA. Sequence analysis of this cDNA revealed differential splicing involving two exons encoding 72 amino acids. Both alternatively spliced transcripts, EWS and EWS-b, are expressed in a variety of cells. Because EWS proteins contain putative conserved RNA binding motifs, we studied the RNA binding properties of the EWS protein. The EWS-b protein binds to RNA in vitro and, specifically, to poly G and poly U. The RNA binding activity was localized to the carboxy terminal 86 amino acids, which constitute RGG box. Thus the amino terminal domain of EWS (NTD-EWS), which is involved in chromosome translocation may regulate the specificity of RNA binding activity of EWS. An EWS-erg chimeric protein, which is found in Ewing's sarcoma cells, functions as a transcriptional activator. Mutational analysis of EWS-erg chimeric protein revealed that NTD-EWS functions as a regulatory domain for the transcriptional activation properties of EWS-erg chimeric protein.

elk-1 proteins interact with MAP kinases

Mitogen activated protein kinases (MAP) or extracellular signal regulated protein kinases (ERK) are a family of protein serine/threonine kinases that are activated very rapidly in response to many extracellular stimuli. elk-1, an ets related gene codes for two transcriptional factors elk-1, which regulates c-fos transcription and delta elk-1, both of which are substrates for MAP kinases. A part of the C-terminal transcriptional activation domain (ETA-2) which is common to both the proteins was previously shown to function as an activator of MAP kinases. In this report, in an attempt to investigate the mechanism of activation of MAP kinases, purified preparations of recombinant elk-1 and P44mpk/ERK-1/ERK-2 proteins were used to show the association of elk-1 proteins with MAP kinases. The specific interactions of elk-1 proteins with MAP kinases were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation studies. Thus elk-1 proteins appear to regulate the activity of MAP kinases by interacting with them ensuring a conformational change and stimulating their autophosphorylation and activation property. The activation was dependent on the presence of ATP and Mg2+. In vitro phosphorylation of elk-1 protein was not regulatory for autonomous DNA binding activity of elk-1 protein. Cells which were exposed to EGF showed a rapid stimulation of an elk-1 specific kinase activity, probably MAP kinase which phosphorylated MBP and was found to be associated with immobilized GST-elk-1. Furthermore, dephosphorylation studies indicate that elk-1 proteins can activate only tyrosine phosphorylated MAP kinase. These results demonstrate the presence of an alternative pathway/mechanism (other than MAP kinase kinase, MAPKK/Mek) for the activation of MAP kinases with tyrosine phosphorylation occurring before serine/threonine autophosphorylation and activation by elk-1 proteins.

Differentially spliced erg-3 product functions as a transcriptional activator

ets oncogene superfamily consists of a family of transcriptional factors that functions as activators and/or repressors. Previously, we have identified a member of this ets superfamily namely erg, ets related gene. erg gene was shown to code for at least two proteins erg-1 and erg-2 because of alternative splicing and alternative usage of initiation codon. In this report we show that erg gene codes for an additional erg variant protein, erg-3 as a result of differential splicing which results in the insertion of 24 amino acids in the coding region of erg-2 protein. RNAase protection analysis revealed that erg-3 transcripts are expressed in a variety of cells. Erg-3 was also found to activate the transcription of the reporter TK-CAT gene linked to erg target sequences suggesting that erg-3 codes for a sequence specific transcriptional activator.

EWS/Fli-1 chimeric protein is a transcriptional activator

Fli-1, an ets related gene, was found to be rearranged in 75% of erythroleukemias induced by Friend murine leukemia virus. We have shown previously that the Fli-1 gene codes for a sequence specific transcriptional activator which contains two autonomous transcriptional activation domains, one at the amino terminal region and the other at the carboxy terminal region. Recently human Fli-1 gene was shown to be involved in Ewing's sarcoma and related subtypes of primitive neuroectodermal tumors which share t(11;22) (q24;q12) chromosome translocation. In these tumors the carboxyl terminal region of Fli-1 was found to be fused with the amino terminal region of a putative RNA binding protein, EWS. Because part of the amino terminal transcriptional activation domain of Fli-1 was replaced with the amino terminal domain of the EWS (NTD-EWS) which shares homology with RNA polymerase II, it was speculated that NTD-EWS may interfere with RNA pol II function. Alternatively, NTD-EWS could also contribute to the transcriptional activation function of EWS/Fli-1 chimeric protein by providing either a modulatory/regulatory domain or a novel transcriptional activation domain. Here we show that EWS/Fli-1 chimeric protein functions as a transcriptional activator. Deletion analysis reveals that the EWS domain functions as a modulatory/regulatory domain for the transcriptional activation properties of the carboxy terminal transcriptional activation domain of EWS/Fli-1. We therefore propose that replacement of the amino terminal transcriptional activation domain of the Fli-1 protein with the regulatory domain of NTD-EWS results in the activation of the carboxy terminal transcriptional activation domain of Fli-1 which may be the molecular mechanism involved in these human tumors.

Transcriptional activation domains of elk-1, delta elk-1 and SAP-1 proteins

elk-1, an ets related gene codes for a sequence specific DNA binding transcriptional activator which in association with serum response factor (SRF) forms a ternary complex at the c-fos serum response element (SRE). Recently the C-terminal region of both elk-1 and delta elk-1 proteins was shown to undergo phosphorylation by MAP kinases and function as an activator of MAP kinases. Here we show that delta elk-1 and two other elk-1 related proteins SAP-1a and SAP-1b, like elk-1, can function as transcriptional activators. In this report we have localized the transcriptional activation domain of the SAP-1 proteins (STA) to a large portion of the carboxy terminal region and have identified two autonomous transcriptional activation domains in the elk-1 protein, one at the amino (ETA-1) and the other at the carboxy terminal region (ETA-2). delta elk-1 protein contains only the ETA-2 domain indicating differential usage of activation domains as a result of alternative splicing. We can speculate that the ETA-1 domain can function in vivo independent of ETA-2, but the ETA-2 domain can function either in the absence of ETA-1 (as seen in delta elk-1) or in the presence of accessory proteins like SRF. The role of SRF in the activation of the ternary complex might be to bind to the ETA-1 domain, somehow conceal it's activation domain and in the process unmask the ETA-2 domain (for phosphorylation by MAP kinases) and activate transcription. The ETA-1 domain may be functioning as a negative regulatory transcriptional activation domain for ETA-2. These observations suggest that the elk-1 family of proteins may not only regulate fos and MAP kinases but also other elk-1 target genes that are essential for cellular growth control.

Analysis of the DNA-binding and transcriptional activation functions of human Fli-1 protein

Three of the ets oncogene superfamily members v-ets, Spi-1/PU.1 and Fli-1, have been shown to be directly involved in retroviral-mediated acute erythroleukemias. The Fli-1 gene was found to be rearranged in 75% of the erythroleukemias induced by Friend murine leukemia virus (F-MuLV), suggesting that it could play a key role in cellular transformation. We have previously isolated and characterized the human Fli-1 gene and have found it to be highly homologous (80%) to the human erg-2 gene. Human Fli-1 was also shown to be rearranged in Ewing's sarcoma cases, in which the amino-terminal region of the Fli-1 gene was replaced with a novel coding region of a putative RNA-binding protein, EWS. In this report, we show that the recombinant Fli-1 protein expressed in bacteria binds to DNA in a sequence-specific manner. It appears that Fli-1 and erg proteins fall into the category of ets proteins that recognize limited ets target sequences, unlike c-ets-1, ets-2 and Elk-1. The Fli-1 gene was found to activate the transcription of the reporter gene that was linked to Fli-1 target sequences, suggesting that Fli-1 is a sequence-specific transcriptional activator. Deletion analysis revealed the presence of two autonomous transcriptional activation domains, one at the amino-terminal region (amino-terminal transcriptional activation domain, ATA) and the other at the carboxy-terminal region (carboxy-terminal transcriptional activation domain, CTA). Secondary structural analysis of ATA and CTA domains revealed the presence of helix-loop-helix (H-L-H) and/or turn-loop-turn (T-L-T) regions. From these results it appears that a portion of the Fli-1 ATA domain (H-L-H region) was replaced by the amino-terminal domain of EWS gene in Ewing's sarcoma cases. Therefore alteration in the transcriptional activation function of Fli-1 may be responsible for human malignancies such as sarcomas, leukemias and lymphomas in which this gene is rearranged.

Elk-1 proteins are phosphoproteins and activators of mitogen-activated protein kinase

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) or meiosis-activated myelin basic protein kinase (p44mpk) are known to be activated by a mechanism involving dual phosphorylation at both tyrosine and serine/threonine in response to many extracellular stimuli. There has been considerable speculation as to whether MAP kinases are autophosphorylated and activated by an upstream protein kinase (MAP kinase kinase) or an activator of autophosphorylation or both. Here we report that the ets-related proteins elk-1 and delta elk-1 to be potential physiological substrates and activators of MAP kinases. Our results demonstrate for the first time that MAP kinase activators can also be non-kinase proteins that enhance the autophosphorylation and activation of MAP kinase. These findings could establish a general mechanism wherein specific MAP kinase activator protein(s) may function by interacting with MAP kinases ensuring a conformational change and stimulating their autophosphorylation and activation property. Our results also suggest that the amino-terminal truncated elk-1 proteins are better activators of MAP kinase than full length proteins indicating the presence of a potential negative regulatory region which may control the kinase activator function of elk-1 proteins. Our results suggest differential regulation of elk-1 and delta elk-1 proteins in fibroblasts stimulated by epidermal growth factor implicating a key role for these proteins in the signal transduction pathway. These results establish the presence of an alternative pathway for activation of MAP kinases. Thus we propose that elk-1 proteins may represent key intermediates which would transmit signals arriving at the surface of the cell from activated receptors to downstream MAP kinases in the cytoplasm to reach the transcriptional factors in the nucleus.

Characterization of the DNA binding and transcriptional activation domains of the erg protein

erg, an ets related gene encodes a sequence specific DNA binding transcriptional activator protein. We have identified four functional domains of erg protein that are responsible for DNA binding, transcriptional activation and negative regulation of transcriptional activation. Deletion analysis revealed that the 3'-ets domain of the erg protein is sufficient for DNA binding activity. Analysis of these deletion mutants also revealed the presence of two autonomous transcriptional activation domains, one at the amino and the other at the carboxyterminal region. This aminoterminal transcriptional activator domain (5'-ets domain) is conserved in six of the ets genes suggesting that it (ETA, ets Transcriptional Activation domain) may contribute to a common function among these genes. The transcriptional activation function of the carboxy terminal transcriptional activation domain (CTA) was inhibited by the presence of a Negative Regulatory Transcriptional activation domain (NRT), which is located at the amino terminal region of erg DNA binding domain. These results may help in understanding the structure/function relationship of other erg/ets related proteins.

Delta elk-1, a variant of elk-1, fails to interact with the serum response factor and binds to DNA with modulated specificity

The ets oncogene superfamily codes for a family of transcriptional factors that are involved in gene regulation not only by autonomous DNA binding but also by indirect DNA binding through interaction with cellular factors. We have previously shown that a member of this superfamily, elk-1, is a sequence specific transcriptional activator, which forms a serum response factor (SRF) dependent ternary complex with serum response element (SRE) similar to p62TCF. We describe here an alternatively spliced variant of elk-1 named delta elk-1, which has lost the SRF interaction domain, negative regulatory DNA binding domain, and part of the elk-1 DNA binding domain. This variant elk-1 protein has lost the capacity to form a SRF dependent ternary complex with SRE and to activate fos transcription. Since this splice variant lacks part of the ets DNA binding domain, it binds to DNA with a specificity that is different from that of the full length elk-1 protein. Therefore differential splicing within the DNA binding and protein-protein interaction domains of transcriptional factors can generate proteins with modulated DNA binding specificities and transcriptional regulation. Thus it is conceivable that variant elk-1 might function by competing for some of the elk-1 target sequences (like SRE) and thereby block the transcriptional activation of fos by SRF and elk-1. Alternately, variant elk-1 protein may be the repressor, recruited by the SRE bound SRF for c-fos repression, or it may have an altogether different function. Therefore, elk-1 appears to fall in the category of genes that encode activators and repressors through the mechanism of differential splicing.

elk-1 domains responsible for autonomous DNA binding, SRE:SRF interaction and negative regulation of DNA binding

The ets oncogene superfamily consists of a family of sequence-specific DNA-binding transcriptional activator proteins. We have previously identified, cloned and characterized one of the divergent ets-related members elk-1 and shown that it codes for a sequence-specific DNA-binding transcriptional activator. We have also shown that elk-1 forms SRF (Serum Response Factor) dependent ternary complex with SRE (Serum Response Element), similar to p62TCF. In this report, we have mapped the DNA-binding domain of the elk-1 protein (EDB, elk-1 DNA Binding domain) to the 76 amino acid ets homology region. We have also mapped the SRF interaction domain of the elk-1 protein (ESI, elk-1 SRF Interaction domain) to the carboxy-terminal region of the EDB domain. Ternary complex formation by elk-1 requires both EDB and ESI domains of the elk-1 protein. Our results also show that the EDB domain of the elk-1 protein (residues 1-89) binds SRE autonomously, unlike full-length elk-1 protein, suggesting the presence of a potential Negative Regulatory DNA binding domain (NRD) which prevents the binding of elk-1 protein to SRE. Interaction of SRF with the ESI domain allows the elk-1 protein to bind to SRE. Thus elk-1 belongs to a class of transcriptional factors that are involved in gene regulation not only by autonomous DNA binding but also by indirect DNA binding through recruitment by cellular factors.

Structure and expression of human Fli-1 gene

Three ets family members, v-ets, spleen focus forming virus proviral integration 1/Pu.1, and Friend leukemia integration 1 (Fli-1), were shown to be involved in retroviral mediated acute leukemias suggesting that ets family members play a crucial role in transformation. Mouse Fli-1 was shown to be involved in 75% erythroleukemias induced by Friend murine leukemia virus suggesting the possibility that Fli-1 may play a critical role in cellular transformation. Since Fli-1 maps to the mouse chromosome region syntenic with human chromosome 11q23-24, it is tempting to speculate that human Fli-1 may be involved in human sarcomas, leukemias, and lymphomas involving human chromosome 11q23-24. We have isolated complementary DNA clones representing the human homologue of Fli-1 gene. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the human Fli-1 gene codes for a 452-residue protein the predicted amino sequence of which shows 80% homology to the human erg-2 protein previously described. A 3.5-kilobase transcript of the human Fli-1 gene was observed in different cells. Sequence analysis revealed two domains of ets homology, one at the 5' and the other at the 3' end of the Fli-1 gene. This 3'-ets homology domain, which is mainly responsible for DNA binding activity, is seen in all the ets family members; however, the 5'-ets homology region is conserved in only five genes, Fli-1, c-ets-1, ets-2, GABP-alpha, and erg, suggesting a common biological function which is shared among these genes. Interestingly, mouse and human Fli-1 transcripts contain highly homologous 5'-untranslated region suggesting that this conserved region may play an important role in the posttranscriptional regulation of the Fli-1 transcript.

Myb and Ets proteins cooperate in transcriptional activation of the mim-1 promoter

In the generation of the acutely transforming avian retrovirus E26, both myb and ets genes have been transduced, leading to the production of a Gag-Myb-Ets fusion protein. This co-occurrence of v-myb and v-ets oncogenes suggests that the two might have a functional relationship. To look for such a relationship, we tested the transcriptional activation activity of Myb alone or with coexpressed Ets-1 or Ets-2. Using the promoter of the v-Myb-inducible mim-1 gene as a target, we found that full-length c-Myb gene products were poor activators of transcription, while an oncogenic (truncated) form of this protein was a strong trans-activator. However, coexpression of Ets-2 with full-length or truncated forms of Myb greatly increased trans-activation. Coexpression of Ets-1, Fos, Jun, or Myc with Myb did not increase trans-activation of the mim-1 promoter. The ability of Myb and Ets-2 to transactivate was cooperative, since Ets-2 alone gave little or no activation. Bacterially synthesized Ets-2 protein was found to bind specifically to the mim-1 promoter, suggesting that it may be a target for both Myb and Ets proteins. Thus, Myb and Ets proteins can cooperate in transcriptional activation, and their co-occurrence in the E26 virus may reflect a functional relationship between these two oncoproteins. Truncated forms of Myb may have a reduced need for cooperating factors such as Ets-2, and this might constitute an important mechanism associated with oncogenic activation.

A divergent ets-related protein, elk-1, recognizes similar c-ets-1 proto-oncogene target sequences and acts as a transcriptional activator

The ets oncogene superfamily consists of a family of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins that activate transcription. We have previously identified two new members of the ets oncogene superfamily, namely elk-1 and elk-2. In this report we show that the recombinant elk-1 protein expressed in bacteria, like the c-ets-1 proto-oncogene, binds in a sequence-specific manner to Moloney murine sarcoma virus long terminal repeat, E74 target sequences and the PEA3 motif (polyoma enhancer), but does not bind to PU box sequences. Thus analysis of the DNA-binding specificity of ets-related proteins supports the view that different members show similar DNA-binding specificity, which is a general feature of the homeobox proteins. Our data using the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene linked to a thymidine kinase promoter containing multimers of the elk-1 target sequence indicates that elk-1 functions as a transcriptional activator. Interestingly, although elk-1 is the most divergent of all the members of the ets gene family, it shows very close similarities with c-ets-1 in some of its sequence-specific DNA-binding specificities. Here, we propose a new function for the elk-1 gene to act as a transcriptional activator of retroviruses and DNA tumor viruses.

Ets-related protein Elk-1 is homologous to the c-fos regulatory factor p62TCF

A key event in the response of cells to proliferative signals is the rapid, transient induction of the c-fos proto-oncogene, which is mediated through the serum response element (SRE) in the fos promoter. Genomic footprinting and transfection experiments suggest that this activation occurs through a ternary complex that includes the serum response factor (SRF) and the ternary complex factor p62. Interaction of p62TCF with the SRF-SRE binary complex requires a CAGGA tract immediately upstream of the SRE. Proteins of the ets proto-oncogene family bind to similar sequences and we have found that a member of this family, Elk-1, forms SRF-dependent ternary complexes with the SRE. Elk-1 and p62TCF have the same DNA sequence requirements and antibodies against Elk-1 block the binding of both proteins. Furthermore, we show that like p62TCF, Elk-1 forms complexes with the yeast SRF-homologue MCM1 but not with yeast ARG80. But ARG80 mutants that convey interaction with p62TCF can also form complexes with Elk-1. The similarity, or even identity, between Elk-1 and p62TCF suggests a novel regulatory role for Ets proteins that is effected through interaction with other proteins, such as SRF. Furthermore, the possible involvement of an Ets protein in the control of c-fos has interesting implications for proto-oncogene cooperation in cellular growth control.

erg, an ets-related gene, codes for sequence-specific transcriptional activators

E26 is a replication-defective avian acute leukemia virus which causes erythroblastosis and myeloblastosis in chickens. It carries two distinct oncogenes, v-myb and v-ets, both of which contribute to its transforming properties. Several genes related to the ets oncogene (c-ets-1, ets-2, erg, elk-1, elk-2, PU.1/Spi-1, E74 and Fli-1) have been described. Previously we have shown that the erg gene (ets-related gene) codes for at least two proteins (erg-1 and erg-2) because of alternative splicing and alternative usage of the initiation codon. We have expressed erg-1 and erg-2 proteins in Escherichia coli and have used these recombinant proteins to show that they bind to DNA in a sequence-specific manner. erg proteins exhibited different sequence specificity and affinity for the oligonucleotides recognized by c-ets-1, ets-2, some of PU.1/Spi-1 and elk-1, suggesting that the DNA-binding specificities of erg and other members may overlap but are not necessarily identical. The erg gene was found to transactivate a reporter gene that was linked to erg target sequences. These results suggest that erg-1 and erg-2 are sequence-specific transcriptional activators like the other members of the ets oncogene superfamily which represent a distinct class of transcriptional activators.

Localization and modulation of the DNA-binding activity of the human c-ets-1 protooncogene

The avian acute leukemia virus (E26) induces a mixed erythroid-myeloid leukemia in chickens and carries two distinct oncogenes, v-myb and v-ets. The viral protein responsible for transformation is a gag-myb-ets fusion protein that is located in the nucleus of the transformed cells. The cellular homologue of v-ets (c-ets-1) is highly expressed in lymphoid cells and differs from the v-ets gene at its carboxy terminal region. Here, we show that both the c-ets-1 and v-ets gene products are DNA-binding proteins and their DNA-binding activity is located in the carboxy terminal (46 amino acid residues) region. It appears that this DNA-binding activity is modulated by the extreme carboxy terminal region. The amino acid sequences of the putative ets DNA-binding domain at its carboxy terminal region showed a helix-turn-helix secondary structure. Exchanging the nonhomologous extreme carboxy terminal regions of c-ets-1 with v-ets gene sequences showed differences in DNA-binding affinity, indicating that these differences may be partly responsible for the activation of the ets oncogene.

elk, tissue-specific ets-related genes on chromosomes X and 14 near translocation breakpoints

The myb-ets-containing acute leukemia virus, E26, transforms myeloblasts and erythroblasts in culture and causes a mixed erythroid and myeloid leukemia in chicks. Genes (ets-1, ets-2, and erg) with variable relatedness to the v-ets oncogene of the E26 virus have been identified, cloned, and characterized in several species. Two new members (elk-1 and elk-2) of the ets oncogene superfamily have now been identified. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the elk-1 cDNA clone revealed that this gene encodes a 428-residue protein whose predicted amino acid sequence showed 82% similarity to the 3' region of v-ets. The elk or related sequences appear to be transcriptionally active in testis and lung. The elk cDNA probe detects two loci in the human genome, elk-1 and elk-2, which map to chromosome regions Xp11.2 and 14q32.3, respectively. These loci are near the translocation breakpoint seen in the t(X;18) (p11.2;q11.2), which is characteristic of synovial sarcoma, and the chromosome 14q32 breakpoints seen in ataxia telangiectasia and other T cell malignancies. This suggests the possibility that rearrangements of elk loci may be involved in pathogenesis of certain tumors.

The human erg gene maps to chromosome 21, band q22: relationship to the 8; 21 translocation of acute myelogenous leukemia

There is accumulating evidence to support that genes on chromosome 21 play an important role in the development of pathologies associated with leukemia, Down's syndrome, and Alzheimer's disease. We have previously described erg, a human gene related to the ets oncogene. In this study, we have regionally assigned the erg gene to chromosome 21q22.3 by using somatic cell hybrids and in situ hybridization analysis. In light of this chromosome assignment, the relationship of erg to the 21q translocation breakpoint characteristic of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) was considered. By using a DNA probe that is specific for the erg gene, a panel of rodent-human cell hybrids was analyzed by the Southern technique to study specific chromosome translocations occurring in acute myeloblastic leukemia. The erg gene was found to translocate from chromosome 21 to 8 in the t(8; 21) (q22; q22), a non-random translocation found in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia of the subgroup M2 (AML-M2). The localization of the erg gene to chromosome 21q22 raises the possibility that this gene may be involved in the pathogenesis of AML-M2.

The erg gene: a human gene related to the ets oncogene

We have isolated a cDNA clone representing the complete coding sequence of a human gene named erg, related to the ets oncogene. Nucleotide sequence analysis of this cDNA (4.6 kilobases long) revealed that this gene encodes a 363-residue protein whose predicted amino acid sequence showed a homology of approximately equal to 40% and approximately equal to 70% to two domains corresponding to the 5' and 3' regions of v-ets oncogene, respectively. A 3.2- to 3.6-kilobase and approximately equal to 5-kilobase transcript of the erg gene, which differ in size from those of the previously described Hu-ets 1 and Hu-ets 2 genes, were observed in different cells. These results suggest that the erg gene is a member of the ets oncogene family.

erg, a human ets-related gene on chromosome 21: alternative splicing, polyadenylation, and translation

The avian acute leukemia virus E26 induces a mixed erythroid-myeloid leukemia in chickens and carries two distinct oncogenes, v-myb and v-ets. Recently, a novel gene named erg, closely related to the v-ets oncogene, was identified in human COLO 320 cells and the nucleotide sequence of its approximately 5.0-kilobase transcript, erg 1 was determined. In the present study, the nucleotide sequence of the alternatively spliced transcript, erg 2, was found to differ from erg 1 by a splicing event that causes a coding frameshift near the amino terminus, resulting in an additional 99-amino acid insertion at the amino-terminus. Expression of complementary DNAs for the two transcripts in vitro resulted in synthesis of polypeptides of approximately 41 and 52 kilodaltons, suggesting the use of alternative translation initiation codons in the case of erg proteins. The erg gene was localized by somatic cell genetic analysis to human chromosome 21. It is proposed that alternative sites of splicing and polyadenylation, together with alternative sites of translation initiation, allow the synthesis of two related polypeptides from a single erg gene transcriptional unit.

Expression of the late gene of simian virus 40 under the control of the simian virus 40 early-region promoter in monkey and mouse cells

We constructed a recombinant plasmid (pVNR4) with the simian virus 40 (SV40) early promoter positioned 30 nucleotides upstream from the major SV40 late transcription initiation site at residue 325. After transfection of the recombinant plasmid DNA into COS and mouse L cells, the transcripts of the SV40 late region were analyzed by S1 nuclease and primer extension analysis. The following are the principal findings. (i) The 16S and 19S late RNAs used the characteristic wild-type splice; no detectable levels of 19S unspliced RNA were observed. (ii) The majority of the late RNAs were heterogeneous and initiated in the early region (upstream and downstream from the Hogness-Goldberg sequence), and a minor population initiated at residue 325, the principal 5' terminus of the wild-type late RNA. (iii) During SV40 lytic infection there was a shift in initiation sites used to transcribe the early region from sites that are downstream to sites which are upstream (up RNA) of the origin of DNA replication. We observed that unlike lytic infection, T antigen and viral DNA replication were not needed for the appearance of up RNA in mouse L cells. (iv) In mouse L cells late RNAs were made, and the residue 325 5' end was utilized in the absence of T antigen or DNA replication. (v) In COS cells we found down RNA and up RNA transcribed from the extrachromosomally replicating plasmid but only down RNA produced by the integrated SV40 genome.