125 : The Sin3a repressor complex regulates the balance between the activities of different STAT proteins

Abstract

The activity of Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) proteins is regulated by a multitude of posttranslational modifications, which control different aspects of signal transduction. In particular, lysine acetylation and deacetylation has emerged as a critical modification, regulating the activity of all seven STAT members. Unlike tyrosine phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, which mainly acts as an on/off switch of STAT activity, the control exerted by acetylation appears multifaceted and by far more complex, exerting distinct and even opposed regulation to different STAT members. We observed that type I interferons (IFNs) can activate both the ISGF3 (STAT1:STAT2:IRF9) complex and STAT3, but with cell-specific, selective triggering of only the ISGF3 transcriptional program. Following a genome-wide siRNA screen, we identified the SIN3 transcription regulator homolog A (Sin3a) as a novel regulator of STAT activity. Sin3a directly interacts with STAT3 and controls its acetylation status, its nuclear accumulation and DNA binding, strongly influencing the transcription of a subset of STAT3-responsive genes. Interfering with Sin3a expression restores, at least partially, the STAT3 transcriptional blockade observed upon IFN treatment. Strikingly, Sin3a exerts opposed regulation on ISGF3 activity, as it is required for ISGF3-dependent gene transcription and for an efficient IFN-mediated antiviral protection against influenza A and hepatitis C viruses. We conclude that Sin3a contributes to the regulation of the balance between the activities of different STAT members, and interfering with its activity or expression may re-direct cytokine signals, favoring the onset of pathological conditions, such as autoimmune syndromes, inflammation and cancer.