title: DNA-binding and transcriptional regulatory properties of hepatic leukemia factor (HLF) and the t(17;19) acute lymphoblastic leukemia chimera E2A-HLF.
abstract: The t(17;19) translocation in acute lymphoblastic leukemias results in creation of E2A-hepatic leukemia factor (HLF) chimeric proteins that contain the DNA-binding and protein dimerization domains of the basic leucine zipper (bZIP) protein HLF fused to a portion of E2A proteins with transcriptional activation properties. An in vitro binding site selection procedure was used to determine DNA sequences preferentially bound by wild-type HLF and chimeric E2A-HLF proteins isolated from various t(17;19)-bearing leukemias. All were found to selectively bind the consensus sequence 5'-GTTACGTAAT-3' with high affinity. Wild-type and chimeric HLF proteins also bound closely related sites identified previously for bZIP proteins of both the proline- and acidic amino acid-rich (PAR) and C/EBP subfamilies; however, E2A-HLF proteins were significantly less tolerant of certain deviations from the HLF consensus binding site. These differences were directly attributable to loss of an HLF ancillary DNA-binding domain in all E2A-HLF chimeras and were further exacerbated by a zipper mutation in one isolate. Both wild-type and chimeric HLF proteins displayed transcriptional activator properties in lymphoid and nonlymphoid cells on reporter genes containing HLF or C/EBP consensus binding sites. But on reporter genes with nonoptimal binding sites, their transcriptional properties diverged and E2A-HLF competitively inhibited activation by wild-type PAR proteins. These findings establish a spectrum of binding site-specific transcriptional properties for E2A-HLF which may preferentially activate expression of select subordinate genes as a homodimer and potentially antagonize expression of others through heteromeric interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hunger
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cleary
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17; D002888:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C076554:E2a-Hlf fusion protein, human; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors