title: Regulation of lymphoid enhancer factor 1/T-cell factor by mitogen-activated protein kinase-related Nemo-like kinase-dependent phosphorylation in Wnt/beta-catenin signaling.
abstract: The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway regulates many developmental processes by modulating gene expression. Wnt signaling induces the stabilization of cytosolic beta-catenin, which then associates with lymphoid enhancer factor and T-cell factor (LEF-1/TCF) to form a transcription complex that activates Wnt target genes. Previously, we have shown that a specific mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway involving the MAP kinase kinase kinase TAK1 and MAP kinase-related Nemo-like kinase (NLK) suppresses Wnt signaling. In this study, we investigated the relationships among NLK, beta-catenin, and LEF-1/TCF. We found that NLK interacts directly with LEF-1/TCF and indirectly with beta-catenin via LEF-1/TCF to form a complex. NLK phosphorylates LEF-1/TCF on two serine/threonine residues located in its central region. Mutation of both residues to alanine enhanced LEF-1 transcriptional activity and rendered it resistant to inhibition by NLK. Phosphorylation of TCF-4 by NLK inhibited DNA binding by the beta-catenin-TCF-4 complex. However, this inhibition was abrogated when a mutant form of TCF-4 was used in which both threonines were replaced with valines. These results suggest that NLK phosphorylation on these sites contributes to the down-regulation of LEF-1/TCF transcriptional activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, and CREST, Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishitani
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ninomiya-Tsuji
authors.forename: Kunihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors; D013912:Threonine / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D058118:Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques; D014633:Valine; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D000099151:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 7
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D020930:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012694:Serine; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors; D013912:Threonine; D015534:Trans-Activators; D058118:Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 Protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014633:Valine; D051153:Wnt Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D051176:beta Catenin; D000099151:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 7; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C497573:LEF1 protein, human; C544894:TCF7L2 protein, human; C470551:NLK protein, human