Polycomb complex 2 is required for E-cadherin repression by the Snail1 transcription factor.
The transcriptional factor Snail1 is a repressor of E-cadherin (CDH1) gene expression essential for triggering epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Snail1 represses CDH1, directly binding its promoter and inducing the synthesis of the Zeb1 repressor. In this article, we show that repression of CDH1 by Snail1, but not by Zeb1, is dependent on the activity of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). Embryonic stem (ES) cells null for Suz12, one of the components of PRC2, show higher levels of Cdh1 mRNA than control ES cells. In tumor cells, interference of PRC2 activity prevents the ability of Snail1 to downregulate CDH1 and partially derepresses CDH1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that Snail1 increases the binding of Suz12 to the CDH1 promoter and the trimethylation of lysine 27 in histone H3. Moreover, Snail1 interacts with Suz12 and Ezh2, as shown by coimmunoprecipitation experiments. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that Snail1 recruits PRC2 to the CDH1 promoter and requires the activity of this complex to repress E-cadherin expression.
Herranz
Nicolás
N
Programa de Recerca en Càncer, IMIM-Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.
Pasini
Diego
D
Díaz
Víctor M
VM
Francí
Clara
C
Gutierrez
Arantxa
A
Dave
Natàlia
N
Escrivà
Maria
M
Hernandez-Muñoz
Inma
I
Di Croce
Luciano
L
Helin
Kristian
K
García de Herreros
Antonio
A
Peiró
Sandra
S
D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
D015820:Cadherins; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C000604407:SNAI1 protein, human; C000604429:Snai1 protein, mouse; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; C494163:Suz12 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2