title: Repression of endogenous Smad7 by Ski.
abstract: The Ski protein has been proposed to serve as a corepressor for Smad4 to maintain a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta)-responsive promoter at a repressed, basal level. However, there have been no reports so far that it indeed acts on a natural promoter. We have previously cloned the human Smad7 promoter and shown that it contains the 8-base pair palindromic Smad-binding element (SBE) necessary for TGF-beta induction. In this report, we have characterized the negative regulation of Smad7 promoter basal activity by Ski. We show that Ski inhibits the Smad7 promoter basal activity in a SBE-dependent manner. Mutation of the SBE abrogates the inhibitory effect of Ski on the Smad7 promoter. Moreover, mutation of the SBE increases the Smad7 promoter basal activity. Using the chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, we further show that Ski together with Smad4 binds to the endogenous Smad7 promoter. Finally, we show that RNAi knockdown of Ski increases Smad7 reporter gene activity in transient transfection assays as well as elevating the endogenous level of Smad7 mRNA. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that Ski is indeed a corepressor for Smad4, which can inhibit a natural TGF-beta responsive gene at the basal state.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Department of Chemical Biology, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 679 Hoes Land, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Denissova
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051901:Smad4 Protein; D051906:Smad7 Protein; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C497796:SMAD4 protein, human; C497806:SMAD7 protein, human; D051901:Smad4 Protein; D051906:Smad7 Protein; D015534:Trans-Activators; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; C060614:SKI protein, human