title: Cyclic AMP-mediated regulation of transcription factor Lot1 expression in cerebellar granule cells.
abstract: Lot1, a zinc finger transcription factor acting as a tumor suppressor gene on tumoral cells, is highly expressed during brain development. In developing rat cerebellum, Lot1 expression is high in cerebellar granule cells (CGC), a neuronal population undergoing postnatal neurogenesis. The time course of Lot1 cerebellar expression closely matches the expression of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) receptors coupled to adenylyl cyclase. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether Lot1 expression is regulated by cAMP-dependent pathways and to identify mechanisms of Lot1 activation in CGC cultures. Our results show that Lot1 expression in CGC is cAMP-dependent, as treatments with either forskolin or PACAP-38 induced an increase in its expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. This effect on Lot1 expression was mimicked by dibutyryl cAMP and suppressed by protein kinase A and MEK inhibitors. In parallel, we found that treatments with forskolin and PACAP-38 in precursor CGC inhibited bromodeoxyuridine incorporation by 25 and 35%, respectively, indicating a negative effect on neuronal precursor proliferation. Luciferase reporter analysis and mutagenesis of the Lot1 promoter region indicated a crucial role of the AP1-binding site (located at -268 bp) in cAMP-induced Lot1 transcription. In addition, cotransfection experiments indicated that the c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimer is responsible for cAMP-dependent Lot1 transcriptional activation. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that, in CGC, Lot1 is under the transcriptional control of cAMP through an AP1 site regulated by the c-Fos/c-Jun heterodimer and suggest that this gene may be an important element of the cAMP-mediated pathway that regulates neuronal proliferation through the protein kinase A-MEK signaling cascade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human and General Physiology, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contestabile
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fila
authors.forename: Renata
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bartesaghi
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ciani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology*; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019281:Dimerization; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007700:Kinetics; D008156:Luciferases / Q000378:metabolism; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005576:Colforsin; D003994:Bucladesine; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D008156:Luciferases; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine