title: Role played by microphthalmia transcription factor phosphorylation and its Zip domain in its transcriptional inhibition by PIAS3.
abstract: Mutation of microphthalmia transcription factor (MITF) results in deafness, bone loss, small eyes, and poorly pigmented eyes and skin. A search for MITF-associated proteins, using a mast cell library that was screened with a construct that encodes the basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper (Zip) domain of MITF, resulted in the isolation of the STAT3 inhibitor, PIAS3. PIAS3 functions in vivo as a key molecule in suppressing the transcriptional activity of MITF. Here, we report that the Zip domain is the region of MITF that is involved in the direct interaction between MITF and PIAS3. Additionally, we investigated the effect of phosphorylation of MITF on its interaction with PIAS3. We found that phosphorylation of MITF on serines in positions 73 and 409 plays an important role in its association with PIAS3. This effect was profound with phosphorylation on Ser409, which significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of PIAS3 on MITF and also modulated the transcriptional activity of MITF. Thus, phosphorylation of MITF could be considered a fine, and alternative, tuning of its transcriptional machinery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Carmit
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sonnenblick
authors.forename: Ehud
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Razin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D050828:Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D038744:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa / Q000378:metabolism; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; C497235:Mitf protein, mouse; C109279:Pias3 protein, mouse; D050828:Protein Inhibitors of Activated STAT; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D038744:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa; C512964:Rps6ka1 protein, mouse