title: Functional dissection of a transcriptionally active, target-specific Hox-Pbx complex.
abstract: Hox genes control cell fates and specify regional identities in vertebrate development. Hox proteins show a relaxed DNA-binding selectivity in vitro, suggesting that functional specificity is achieved in vivo through the action of transcriptional co-factors. Pbx proteins are good candidates for such a role, on the basis of both genetic and biochemical evidence. We report that the human Pbx1 and HOXB1 proteins can cooperatively activate transcription through a genetically characterized Hox target, i.e. an autoregulatory element directing spatially restricted expression of the murine Hoxb-1 gene (b1-ARE) in the developing hindbrain. On the b1-ARE, only a restricted subset of HOX proteins (HOXA1, HOXB1, HOXA2) are able to bind cooperatively with Pbx1 and activate transcription. Selective recognition of the b1-ARE is mediated by the N-terminal region of the HOX homeodomain. The DNA-binding and protein-protein interaction functions of HOXB1 and Pbx1 are all necessary for the assembly of a transcriptionally active complex on the b1-ARE. Functional dissection of the complex allowed the localization of the main activation domain in the HOXB1 N-terminal region, and of an additional one in the C-terminal region of Pbx1 contained in the Pbx1a but not in the alternatively spliced Pbx1b isoform. Our results indicate that Pbx1 acts as a transcriptional co-factor of Hox proteins, allowing selective recognition and cooperative activation of regulatory target sequences.
authors.affiliation: DIBIT-Istituto Scientifico H.S. Raffaele, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Rocco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mavilio
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zappavigna
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D019556:COS Cells; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D000075062:Pre-B-Cell Leukemia Transcription Factor 1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014162:Transfection; D029867:Xenopus Proteins
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C101121:HOXB1 homeodomain protein; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C078105:Hox 2.7 protein, Xenopus; D000075062:Pre-B-Cell Leukemia Transcription Factor 1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D029867:Xenopus Proteins; C083400:PBX1 protein, human; D008156:Luciferases