title: A WW domain-containing yes-associated protein (YAP) is a novel transcriptional co-activator.
abstract: A protein module called the WW domain recognizes and binds to a short oligopeptide called the PY motif, PPxY, to mediate protein-protein interactions. The PY motif is present in the transcription activation domains of a wide range of transcription factors including c-Jun, AP-2, NF-E2, C/EBPalpha and PEBP2/CBF, suggesting that it plays an important role in transcriptional activation. We show here that mutation of the PY motif in the subregion of the activation domain of the DNA-binding subunit of PEBP2, PEBP2alpha, abolishes its transactivation function. Using yeast two-hybrid screening, we demonstrate that Yes-associated protein (YAP) binds to the PY motif of PEBP2alpha through its WW domain. The C-terminal region of YAP fused to the DNA-binding domain of GAL4 showed transactivation as strong as that of GAL4-VP16. Exogenously expressed YAP conferred transcription-stimulating activity on the PY motif fused to the GAL4 DNA-binding domain as well as to native PEBP2alpha. The osteocalcin promoter was stimulated by exogenous PEBP2alphaA and a dominant negative form of YAP strongly inhibited this activity, suggesting YAP involvement in this promoter activity in vivo. These results indicate that the PY motif is a novel transcription activation domain that functions by recruiting YAP as a strong transcription activator to target genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Viral Oncology, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Shogo-in, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shigesada
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D002451:Cell Compartmentation; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D003593:Cytoplasm; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000235:genetics; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D000091102:YAP-Signaling Proteins
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000091102:YAP-Signaling Proteins; C088374:YAP1 protein, human; C486223:Yap1 protein, mouse; D015675:Osteocalcin