title: Protein interactions of the transcription factor Hoxa1.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hox proteins are transcription factors involved in crucial processes during animal development. Their mode of action remains scantily documented. While other families of transcription factors, like Smad or Stat, are known cell signaling transducers, such a function has never been squarely addressed for Hox proteins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To investigate the mode of action of mammalian Hoxa1, we characterized its interactome by a systematic yeast two-hybrid screening against ~12,200 ORF-derived polypeptides. Fifty nine interactors were identified of which 45 could be confirmed by affinity co-purification in animal cell lines. Many Hoxa1 interactors are proteins involved in cell-signaling transduction, cell adhesion and vesicular trafficking. Forty-one interactions were detectable in live cells by Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation which revealed distinctive intracellular patterns for these interactions consistent with the selective recruitment of Hoxa1 by subgroups of partner proteins at vesicular, cytoplasmic or nuclear compartments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The characterization of the Hoxa1 interactome presented here suggests unexplored roles for Hox proteins in cell-to-cell communication and cell physiology.
authors.affiliation: Molecular and Cellular Animal Embryology group, Life Sciences Institute (ISV), Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348, Belgium.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vandeputte
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Remacle
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bergiers
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Simonis
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Twizere
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vidal
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rezsohazy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D000075062:Pre-B-Cell Leukemia Transcription Factor 1; D011485:Protein Binding; D060066:Protein Interaction Maps; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D047990:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques; D000099261:Homeobox A1 Protein
chemical_list: D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D000075062:Pre-B-Cell Leukemia Transcription Factor 1; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D047990:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000099261:Homeobox A1 Protein; C481797:Pbx1 protein, mouse