title: Identification of the LIM protein FHL2 as a coactivator of beta-catenin.
abstract: Beta-catenin is a key mediator of the Wnt pathway, which plays a critical role in embryogenesis and oncogenesis. As a transcriptional activator, beta-catenin binds the transcription factors, T-cell factor and lymphoid enhancer factor, and regulates gene expression in response to Wnt signaling. Abnormal activation of beta-catenin has been linked to various types of cancer. In a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identified the four and a half of LIM-only protein 2 (FHL2) as a novel beta-catenin-interacting protein. Here we show specific interaction of FHL2 with beta-catenin, which requires the intact structure of FHL2 and armadillo repeats 1-9 of beta-catenin. FHL2 cooperated with beta-catenin to activate T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor-dependent transcription from a synthetic reporter and the cyclin D1 and interleukin-8 promoters in kidney and colon cell lines. In contrast, coexpression of beta-catenin and FHL2 had no synergistic effect on androgen receptor-mediated transcription, whereas each of these two coactivators independently stimulated AR transcriptional activity. Thus, the ability of FHL2 to stimulate the trans-activating function of beta-catenin might be dependent on the promoter context. The detection of increased FHL2 expression in hepatoblastoma, a liver tumor harboring frequent beta-catenin mutations, suggests that FHL2 might enforce beta-catenin transactivation activity in cancer cells. These findings reveal a new function of the LIM coactivator FHL2 in transcriptional activation of Wnt-responsive genes.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recombinaison et Expression Génétique, Institut Pasteur, INSERM U163, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France. ywei@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Claire-Angélique
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Renard
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Labalette
authors.forename: Yuanfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lévy
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Neuveut
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Prieur
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flajolet
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prigent
authors.forename: Marie-Annick
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Buendia
mesh_terms: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006367:HeLa Cells; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C105987:FHL2 protein, human; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases