Ajuba LIM proteins are snail/slug corepressors required for neural crest development in Xenopus.
Snail family transcriptional repressors regulate epithelial mesenchymal transitions during physiological and pathological processes. A conserved SNAG repression domain present in all vertebrate Snail proteins is necessary for repressor complex assembly. Here, we identify the Ajuba family of LIM proteins as functional corepressors of the Snail family via an interaction with the SNAG domain. Ajuba LIM proteins interact with Snail in the nucleus on endogenous E-cadherin promoters and contribute to Snail-dependent repression of E-cadherin. Using Xenopus neural crest as a model of in vivo Snail- or Slug-induced EMT, we demonstrate that Ajuba LIM proteins contribute to neural crest development as Snail/Slug corepressors and are required for in vivo Snail/Slug function. Because Ajuba LIM proteins are also components of adherens junctions and contribute to their assembly or stability, their functional interaction with Snail proteins in the nucleus suggests that Ajuba LIM proteins are important regulators of epithelia dynamics communicating surface events with nuclear responses.
Langer
Ellen M
EM
Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 South Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
Feng
Yunfeng
Y
Zhaoyuan
Hou
H
Rauscher
Frank J
FJ
Kroll
Kristen L
KL
Longmore
Gregory D
GD
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D029867:Xenopus Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C000604407:SNAI1 protein, human; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029867:Xenopus Proteins