title: Yin Yang 1 is increased in human heart failure and represses the activity of the human alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter.
abstract: Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a transcription factor that can repress or activate transcription of the genes with which it interacts. In this report we show that YY1 is a negative regulator of the alpha-myosin heavy chain (alphaMyHC) gene, which, with betaMyHC are the molecular motors of the heart. AlphaMyHC mRNA and protein levels are down-regulated in hypertrophy and heart failure, and this is thought to be detrimental for cardiac contractility. We show that YY1 specifically interacts with the alphaMyHC promoter and that overexpression of YY1 in cardiac cells represses the activity of the alphaMyHC promoter. We also show that the 170-200-amino acid region of YY1, important for its interaction with histone acetyl transferases and histone deacetylases, is important for its repressive activity and that YY1 deleted in this region is an activator of the alphaMyHC promoter. Moreover, we show that YY1 levels and DNA binding activity are increased in failing human left ventricles and in a mouse model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where alphaMyHC levels are decreased. These results suggest that YY1 is a negative regulator of alphaMyHC gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Carmen C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Sucharov
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mariner
authors.forename: Carlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bristow
authors.forename: Leslie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leinwand
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D015444:Exercise; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015870:Gene Expression; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D016296:Mutagenesis; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D013489:Suppression, Genetic; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D024723:Ventricular Myosins / Q000235:genetics*; D050986:YY1 Transcription Factor
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D050986:YY1 Transcription Factor; C494698:YY1 protein, human; C494700:Yy1 protein, rat; D024723:Ventricular Myosins; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains