title: The nuclear receptor Ftz-F1 and homeodomain protein Ftz interact through evolutionarily conserved protein domains.
abstract: The Drosophila homeodomain protein Fushi Tarazu (Ftz) and its partner, the orphan receptor Ftz-F1, are members of two distinct families of DNA binding transcriptional regulators. Ftz and Ftz-F1 form a novel partnership in vivo as a Hox/orphan receptor heterodimer. Here we show that the murine Ftz-F1 ortholog SF-1 functionally substitutes for Ftz-F1 in vivo, rescuing the defects of ftz-f1 mutants. This finding identified evolutionarily conserved domains of Ftz-F1 as critical for activity of this receptor in vivo. These domains function, at least in part, by mediating direct protein interactions with Ftz. The Ftz-F1 DNA binding domain interacts strongly with Ftz and dramatically facilitates the binding of Ftz to target DNA. This interaction is augmented by a second interaction between the AF-2 domain of Ftz-F1 and the N-terminus of Ftz via an LRALL sequence in Ftz that is reminiscent of LXXLL motifs in nuclear receptor coactivators. We propose that Ftz-F1 serves as a cofactor for Ftz by facilitating the selection of target sites in the genome that contain Ftz/Ftz-F1 composite binding sites. Ftz, on the other hand, influences Ftz-F1 activity by interacting with its AF-2 domain in a manner that mimics a nuclear receptor coactivator.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yussa
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Löhr
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pick
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D051717:Fushi Tarazu Transcription Factors; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019476:Insect Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D051717:Fushi Tarazu Transcription Factors; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C497169:ftz protein, Drosophila; C499712:nuclear hormone receptor FTZ-F1, Drosophila; D004247:DNA