title: Nuclear export of alpha-catenin: overlap between nuclear export signal sequences and the beta-catenin binding site.
abstract: Mutations in APC or in beta-catenin, which are common in colon cancer, lead to constitutive activation of beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent signaling. alpha-Catenin is also found in some colon cancer cell nuclei, and loss of its expression correlates with increased beta-catenin/Tcf transcriptional activity. Moreover, targeted expression of alpha-catenin in the nucleus inhibits beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent transcription. Thus, an understanding of the regulation of alpha-catenin localization could provide insight into the control of beta-catenin signaling. While the beta-catenin/Tcf complex can promote nuclear import of alpha-catenin, the mechanism for its nuclear export is not known. We found that leptomycin B (LMB) inhibited nuclear export of GFP-alpha-catenin in HCT116 colon cancer cells, suggesting that alpha-catenin localization is regulated by CRM-1-dependent nuclear export. We identified two putative nuclear export signals in a domain of alpha-catenin that overlaps with the beta-catenin binding domain. Using a nuclear export assay, we determined that one of these (NES1) is a weak LMB-insensitive NES, whereas the other (NES2) is strong and LMB-sensitive. Mutations in either NES reduced nuclear export of alpha-catenin in HCT116 cells. In addition, mutations in NES1, but not NES2, reduced binding of alpha-catenin to beta-catenin and impaired the ability of alpha-catenin to repress beta-catenin/Tcf-dependent transcription. Therefore, NES1 is required both for repression of beta-catenin signaling and for nuclear export, while NES2 is required only for nuclear export.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Cell Biology, Division of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannini
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazor
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orme
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vivanco
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waxman
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kypta
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017931:DNA Primers; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014162:Transfection; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins