• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.355-362
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• 2010

The sterile alpha motif (SAM) is a putative protein interaction domain involved in a wide variety of biological processes. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel gene, SAMD4B, which encodes a putative protein of 694 amino acids with a SAM domain. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that SAMD4B is widely expressed in human embryonic and adult tissues. Transcriptional activity assays show SAMD4B suppresses transcriptional activity of L8G5-luciferase. Over-expression of SAMD4B in mammalian cells inhibited the transcriptional activities of activator protein-1 (AP-1), p53 and p21, and the inhibitory effects can be relieved by siRNA. Deletion analysis indicates that the SAM domain is the main region for transcriptional suppression. The results suggest that SAMD4B is a widely expressed gene involved in AP-1-, p53- and p21-mediated transcriptional signaling activity.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.193-198
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• 2010

In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a novel C2H2 zinc finger protein, ZNF552, from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. ZNF552 is composed of three exons and two introns and maps to chromosome 19q13.43. The cDNA of ZNF552 is 2.3 kb, encoding 407 amino acids with an amino-terminal KRAB domain and seven carboxyl-terminal C2H2 zinc finger motifs in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Northern blotting analysis indicated that a 2.3 kb transcript specific for ZNF552 was expressed in liver, lung, spleen, testis and kidney, especially with a higher level in the lung and testis in human adult tissues. Reporter gene assays showed that ZNF552 was a transcriptional repressor, and overexpression of ZNF552 in the COS-7 cells inhibited the transcriptional activities of AP-1 and SRE, which could be relieved through RNAi analysis. Deletion studies showed that the KRAB domain of ZNF552 may be involved in this inhibition.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2010

In this study, a novel member of BTB-kelch proteins, named KBTBD7, was cloned from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. The cDNA of KBTBD7 is 3,008 bp long and encodes a protein product of 684 amino acids (77.2 kD). This protein is highly conserved in evolution across different species. Western blot analysis indicates that a 77 kD protein specific for KBTBD7 is wildly expressed in all embryonic tissues examined. In COS-7 cells, KBTBD7 proteins are localized to the cytoplasm. KBTBD7 is a transcription activator when fused to GAL4 DNA-binding domain. Deletion analysis indicates that the BTB domain and kelch repeat motif are main regions for transcriptional activation. Overexpression of KBTBD7 in MCF-7 cells activates the transcriptional activities of activator protein-1 (AP-1) and serum response element (SRE), which can be relieved by siRNA. These results suggest that KBTBD7 proteins may act as a new transcriptional activator in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.432-437
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• 2010

LBH is a transcription factor as a candidate gene for CHD associated with partial trisomy 2p syndrome. To identify potential LBH-interacting partners, a yeast two-hybrid screen using LBH as a bait was performed with a human heart cDNA library. One of the clones identified encodes ${\alpha}B$-crystallin. Co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays showed that LBH interacts with ${\alpha}B$-crystallin, which is further confirmed by mammalian two-hybrid assays. Co-localization analysis showed that in COS-7 cells, ${\alpha}B$-crystallin that is cytoplasmic alone, accumulates partialy in the nucleus when co-transfected with LBH. Transient transfection assays indicated that overexpression of LBH or ${\alpha}B$-crystallin reduced the transcriptional activities of p53 and p21, respectively, Overexpression of both ${\alpha}B$-crystallin and LBH together resulted in a stronger repression of the transcriptional activities of p21 and p53. These results showed that the interaction of LBH and ${\alpha}B$-crystallin may inhibit synergistically the transcriptional regulation of p53 and p21.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2011

Zinc finger (ZNF) proteins play a critical role in cell growth, proliferation, apoptosis, and intracellular signal transduction. In this paper, we cloned and characterized a novel human KRAB-related zinc finger gene, ZNF425, which encodes a protein of 752 amino acids. ZNF425 is strongly expressed in the three month old human embryos and then is almost undetectable in six month old embryos and in adult tissues. An EGFP-ZNF425 fusion protein can be found in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. ZNF425 appears to act as a transcription repressor. Over-expression of ZNF425 inhibits the transcriptional activities of SRE, AP-1, and SRF. Deletion analysis indicates that the C2H2 domain is the main region responsible for the repression. Our results suggest that the ZNF425 gene is a new transcriptional inhibitor that functions in the MAPK signaling pathway.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2011

Leucine-rich repeat containing protein 10 (LRRC10) is characterized as a cardiac-specific gene, suggesting a role in heart development and disease. A severe cardiac morphogenic defect in zebrafish morphants was recently reported but a contradictory result was found in mice, suggesting a more complicated molecular mechanism exists during mouse embryonic development. To elucidate how LRRC10 is regulated, we analyzed the 5'enhancer region approximately 3 kilo bases (kb) upstream of the Lrrc10 start site using luciferase reporter gene assays. Our characterization of the Lrrc10 promoter indicates it possesses complicated cis-and trans-acting elements. We show that GATA4 and MEF2C could both increase transcriptional activity of Lrrc10 promoter individually but that they do not act synergistically, suggesting that there exists a more complex regulation pattern. Surprisingly, knockout of Gata4 and Mef2c binding sites in the 5’enhancer region (-2,894/-2,889) didn't change the transcriptional activity of the Lrrc10 promoter and the likely GATA4 binding site identified was located in a region only 100 base pair (bp) upstream of the promoter. Our data provides insight into the molecular regulation of Lrrc10 expression, which probably also contributes to its tissue-specific expression.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.443-453
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• 2008

The Bric-a-brac, Tramtrack, Broad-complex (BTB) domain is a protein-protein interaction domain that is found in many zinc finger transcription factors. BTB containing proteins play important roles in a variety of cellular functions including regulation of transcription, regulation of the cytoskeleton, protein ubiquitination, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a novel human gene, KLHL31, from a human embryonic heart cDNA library. The cDNA of KLHL31 is 5743 bp long, encoding a protein product of 634 amino acids containing a BTB domain. The protein is highly conserved across different species. Western blot analysis indicates that the KLHL31 protein is abundantly expressed in both embryonic skeletal and heart tissue. In COS-7 cells, KLHL31 proteins are localized to both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In primary cultures of nascent mouse cardiomyocytes, the majority of endogenous KLHL31 proteins are localized to the cytoplasm. KLHL31 acts as a transcription repressor when fused to GAL4 DNA-binding domain and deletion analysis indicates that the BTB domain is the main region responsible for this repression. Overexpression of KLHL31 in COS-7 cells inhibits the transcriptional activities of both the TPA-response element (TRE) and serum response element (SRE). KLHL31 also significantly reduces JNK activation leading to decreased phosphorylation and protein levels of the JNK target c-Jun in both COS-7 and Hela cells. These results suggest that KLHL31 protein may act as a new transcriptional repressor in MAPK/JNK signaling pathway to regulate cellular functions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.183-188
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• 2012

Participates in actin remodeling through Rac and receptor endocytosis via Rab5. Here, we used yeast two-hybrid system with Eps8 as bait to screen a human brain cDNA library. ITSN2 was identified as the novel binding factor of Eps8. The interaction between ITSN2 and Eps8 was demonstrated by the in vivo co-immunoprecipitation and colocalization assays and the in vitro GST pull-down assays. Furthermore, we mapped the interaction domains to the region between amino acids 260-306 of Eps8 and the coiled-coil domain of ITSN2. In addition, protein stability assays and immunofluorescence analysis showed ITSN2 overexpression induced the degradation of Eps8 proteins, which was markedly alleviated with the lysosome inhibitor NH4Cl treatment. Taken together, our results suggested ITSN2 interacts with Eps8 and stimulates the degradation of Eps8 proteins.

• BMB Reports
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.212-218
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• 2010

Zinc finger-containing transcription factors are the largest single family of transcriptional regulators in mammals, which play an essential role in cell differentiation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and neoplastic transformation. Here we have cloned a novel KRAB-related zinc finger gene, ZNF424, encoding a protein of 555aa. ZNF424 gene consisted of 4 exons and 3 introns, and mapped to chromosome 19p13.3. ZNF424 gene was ubiquitously expressed in human embryo tissues by Northern blot analysis. ZNF424 is conserved across species in evolution. Using a GFP-labeled ZNF424 protein, we demonstrate that ZNF424 localizes mostly in the nucleus. Transcriptional activity assays shows ZNF424 suppresses transcriptional activity of L8G5-luciferase. Overexpression of ZNF424 in HEK-293 cells inhibited the transcriptional activity of NFAT and p21, which may be silenced by siRNA. The results suggest that ZNF424 protein may act as a transcriptional repressor that suppresses NFAT and p21 pathway to mediate cellular functions.

• BMB Reports
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.153-158
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• 2012

Geft is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor, which can specifically activate Rho family of small GTPase by catalyzing the exchange of bound GDP for GTP. Geft is highly expressed in the excitable tissue as heart and skeletal muscle and plays important roles in many cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, migration, and cell fate decision. However, the in vivo role of Geft remains unknown. Here, we generated a Geft conditional knockout mouse by flanking exons 5-17 of Geft with loxP sites. Cre-mediated deletion of the Geft gene in heart using Mef2c-Cre transgenic mice resulted in a dramatic decrease of Geft expression. Geft knockout mice develop normally and exhibit no discernable phenotype, suggesting Geft is dispensable for the development of the second heart field in mouse. The Geft conditional knockout mouse will be a valuable genetic tool for uncovering the in vivo roles of Geft during development and in adult homeostasis.