Transcriptional Intermediary Factor Research Articles

Expression of the dermatomyositis autoantigen transcription intermediary factor 1γ in regenerating muscle.

Autoantibodies against transcription intermediary factor 1γ (TIF1γ) are found in many patients with dermatomyositis (DM). Although TIF1γ is known to play a role in the differentiation of other tissues, its functional role in muscle regeneration has not been elucidated. This study was undertaken to explore the regulation and functional role of this protein during muscle differentiation and regeneration. TIF1γ expression was analyzed in human muscle biopsy specimens using immunofluorescence microscopy. Immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoblotting analyses were used to study TIF1γ expression in a mouse model of muscle injury and repair. The effect of premature TIF1γ silencing on muscle differentiation was studied in cultured mouse myoblasts. In muscle biopsy specimens from DM patients, TIF1γ was expressed at low levels in the nuclei of histologically normal muscle cells but at high levels in the centralized nuclei of atrophic, perifascicular myofibers expressing markers of regeneration. TIF1γ levels were also increased in regenerating myonuclei following muscle injury in mice. Premature silencing of TIF1γ in vitro using small interfering RNA did not accelerate the expression of myogenin, a transcription factor that plays a central role in regulating relatively early stages of muscle differentiation. However, premature silencing of TIF1γ did accelerate myotube fusion and the expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC), a later marker of muscle differentiation. The DM autoantigen TIF1γ is markedly up-regulated during muscle regeneration in human and mouse muscle cells. Premature silencing of this protein in cultured myoblasts accelerates MyHC expression and myoblast fusion. However, TIF1γ may function independently of, or downstream from, myogenin.

PPARα Activation Bypasses the Transcription Elongation Defect in Mutant tif1γ Erythroid Differentiation

Aberrant erythroid differentiation can give rise to anemias and leukemias. Regulated transcription elongation at erythroid loci is vital for specific differentiation steps during blood development. Transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma (TIF1γ), whose gene is mutated in the blood deficient zebrafish moonshine mutant, recruits positive elongation factors to erythroid genes, thus relieving paused Pol II. To elucidate the TIF1γ-mediated mechanisms in erythroid differentiation, we have performed a chemical suppressor screen in the bloodless moonshine mutant. Progeny of heterozygous moonshine mutants were treated at 50% epiboly with 4,000 individual chemical compounds with mostly known functional targets. A rescue in blood formation was assessed for by in situ hybridization for β-globin e3 expression in primitive erythrocytes at 22 hours post fertilization (hpf). Using this strategy we have identified peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) agonists, most importantly, Clofibrate to rescue βe3 globin expression at 22 hpf in 70 - 90% of moonshine embryos in a dose-dependent manner. To address whether the rescue by Clofibrate is due to its activation of the PPARα receptor, we either knocked down PPARα using morpholinos or treated zebrafish embryos with the PPARα antagonist GW6471. In both cases we observed a significant reduction in Clofibrate-mediated rescue. To identify the PPARα-interacting proteome in an erythroid progenitor context, human K562 erythroleukemia cells expressing doxycyclin-inducible Flag-PPARα were generated. In these cells, PPARα target genes such as ANGPTL4 and PDK4 are activated starting four hours after doxycyclin addition and this activation is significantly reduced in the presence of the PPARα antagonist GW6471. Large-scale Flag-immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometric analysis identified the heterodimerization partner of PPARα, RXR, co-activators (NCOA1, NCOA6) and co-repressors (NCOR2), furthermore 24 subunits of the mediator complex, six subunits of the cohesin (loading) complex, seven RNA polymerase (Pol) II subunits as well as the Cyclin T1 subunit of P-TEFb and both subunits (SUPT5H, SUPT4H1) of DSIF, two proteins with a positive role in transcription elongation. In co-immunoprecipitation experiments using K562 cells, doxycyclin-induced PPARα activation leads to an enhanced interaction of Pol II with both, the Cyclin T1 and CDK9 subunits of P-TEFb. Morpholino-mediated knockdown of the mediator complex subunit med1 prevents Clofibrate-mediated rescue of βe3 globin expression in moonshine embryos. Together these data suggest that PPARα functionally interacts with the mediator complex in hematopoietic progenitors, leading to increased recruitment of the transcription elongation factors to lineage-specific genes. Our studies provide a basic understanding of the processes that regulate transcription elongation in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells, and could lead to novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of blood diseases and leukemia. DisclosuresZon:FATE Therapeutics, Inc.: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Founder Other, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; Scholar Rock: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Founder, Founder Other, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties.

Tif1γ controls the TGF-β receptor on hematopoietic stem cells: implication in physiological aging

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) aging has been directly linked to the development of several hematological disorders including myeloproliferative diseases. We recently described that in elderly mice (20-month-old), physiological aging of the hematopoietic system is associated with a decreased expression of the Transcription Intermediary Factor 1γ (Tif1γ) gene in HSCs. In young mice (4-month-old), deleted for the Tif1γ gene in HSCs (Tif1γ -/- ), the hematopoiesis aging phenotype is intensified. We discovered that Tif1γ controls the TGF-b receptor 1 (Tgfbr1) and finely regulates the number of myeloid-restricted HSCs in bone marrow. Altogether, we established that young Tif1γ -/- mice develop a phenotype of premature hematopoietic aging, which may explain their tendency to myeloproliferative disease. We identified two populations of HSCs specifically discriminated by Tgfbr1 expression and afforded evidence of the capture of myeloid-restricted (Tgfbr1 hi ) and myeloid-lymphoid-balanced (Tgfbr1 lo ) HSC. In conclusion, our study proves that Tif1γ can regulate the balance between lymphoid and myeloid HSCs, through a modulation of the TGF-b signaling.

Reduced expression of transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma promotes metastasis and indicates poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Transcriptional intermediary factor 1 gamma (TIF1γ) may play either a potential tumor-suppressor or -promoter role in cancer. Here we report on a critical role of TIF1γ in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Reduced expression of TIF1γ was detected in HCC, especially in advanced HCC tissues, compared to adjacent noncancerous tissues. HCC patients with low TIF1γ expression had shorter overall survival times and higher recurrence rates than those with high TIF1γ expression. Reduced TIF1γ expression was an independent and significant risk factor for recurrence and survival after curative resection. In HCC cells, TIF1γ played a dual role: It promoted tumor growth in early-stage HCC, but not in advanced-stage HCC, whereas it inhibited invasion and metastasis in both early- and advanced-stage HCC. Mechanistically, we confirmed that TIF1γ inhibited transforming growth factor-β/ Drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic protein (TGF-β/Smad) signaling through monoubiquitination of Smad4 and suppressed the formation of Smad2/3/4 complex in HCC cells. TGF-β-inducing cytostasis and metastasis were both inhibited by TIF1γ in HCC. We further proved that TIF1γ suppressed cyotstasis-related TGF-β/Smad downstream c-myc down-regulation, as well as p21/cip1 and p15/ink4b up-regulation in early-stage HCC. Meanwhile, TGF-β inducible epithelial-mesenchymal transition and TGF-β/Smad downstream metastatic cascades, including phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten down-regulation, chemokine (CXC motif) receptor 4 and matrix metalloproteinase 1 induction, and epidermal growth factor receptor- and protein kinase B-signaling transactivation, were inhibited by TIF1γ. In addition, we found that the down-regulation of TIF1γ in HCC was caused by hypermethylation of CpG islands in the TIF1γ promoter, and demonstrated that the combination of TIF1γ and phosphorylated Smad2 was a more powerful predictor of poor prognosis. TIF1γ regulates tumor growth and metastasis through inhibition of TGF-β/Smad signaling and may serve as a novel prognostic biomarker in HCC.

Top-level dynamics and the regulated gene response of feed-forward loop transcriptional motifs.

Feed-forward loops are hierarchical three-node transcriptional subnetworks, wherein a top-level protein regulates the activity of a target gene via two paths: a direct-regulatory path, and an indirect route, whereby the top-level proteins act implicitly through an intermediate transcription factor. Using a transcriptional network of the model bacterium Escherichia coli, we confirmed that nearly all types of feed-forward loop were significantly overrepresented in the bacterial network. We then used mathematical modeling to study their dynamics by manipulating the rise times of the top-level protein concentration, termed the induction time, through alteration of the protein destruction rates. Rise times of the regulated proteins exhibited two qualitatively different regimes, depending on whether top-level inductions were "fast" or "slow." In the fast regime, rise times were nearly independent of rapid top-level inductions, indicative of biological robustness, and occurred when RNA production rate-limits the protein yield. Alternatively, the protein rise times were dependent upon slower top-level inductions, greater than approximately one bacterial cell cycle. An equation is given for this crossover, which depends upon three parameters of the direct-regulatory path: transcriptional cooperation at the DNA-binding site, a protein-DNA dissociation constant, and the relative magnitude of the top-level protien concentration.

High-Content Positional Biosensor Screening Assay for Compounds to Prevent or Disrupt Androgen Receptor and Transcriptional Intermediary Factor 2 Protein–Protein Interactions

The androgen receptor-transcriptional intermediary factor 2 (AR-TIF2) positional protein-protein interaction (PPI) biosensor assay described herein combines physiologically relevant cell-based assays with the specificity of binding assays by incorporating structural information of AR and TIF2 functional domains along with intracellular targeting sequences and fluorescent reporters. Expression of the AR-red fluorescent protein (RFP) "prey" and TIF2-green fluorescent protein (GFP) "bait" components of the biosensor was directed by recombinant adenovirus constructs that expressed the ligand binding and activation function 2 surface domains of AR fused to RFP with nuclear localization and nuclear export sequences, and three α-helical LXXLL motifs from TIF2 fused to GFP and an HIV Rev nucleolar targeting sequence. In unstimulated cells, AR-RFP was localized predominantly to the cytoplasm and TIF2-GFP was localized to nucleoli. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) treatment induced AR-RFP translocation into the nucleus where the PPIs between AR and TIF2 resulted in the colocalization of both biosensors within the nucleolus. We adapted the translocation enhanced image analysis module to quantify the colocalization of the AR-RFP and TIF2-GFP biosensors in images acquired on the ImageXpress platform. DHT induced a concentration-dependent AR-TIF2 colocalization and produced a characteristic condensed punctate AR-RFP PPI nucleolar distribution pattern. The heat-shock protein 90 inhibitor 17-N-allylamino-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) and antiandrogens flutamide and bicalutamide inhibited DHT-induced AR-TIF2 PPI formation with 50% inhibition concentrations (IC50s) of 88.5±12.5 nM, 7.6±2.4 μM, and 1.6±0.4 μM, respectively. Images of the AR-RFP distribution phenotype allowed us to distinguish between 17-AAG and flutamide, which prevented AR translocation, and bicalutamide, which blocked AR-TIF2 PPIs. We screened the Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds (LOPAC) set for compounds that inhibited AR-TIF2 PPI formation or disrupted preexisting complexes. Eleven modulators of steroid family nuclear receptors (NRs) and 6 non-NR ligands inhibited AR-TIF2 PPI formation, and 10 disrupted preexisting complexes. The hits appear to be either AR antagonists or nonspecific inhibitors of NR activation and trafficking. Given that the LOPAC set represents such a small and restricted biological and chemical diversity, it is anticipated that screening a much larger and more diverse compound library will be required to find AR-TIF2 PPI inhibitors/disruptors. The AR-TIF2 protein-protein interaction biosensor (PPIB) approach offers significant promise for identifying molecules with potential to modulate AR transcriptional activity in a cell-specific manner that is distinct from the existing antiandrogen drugs that target AR binding or production. Small molecules that disrupt AR signaling at the level of AR-TIF2 PPIs may also overcome the development of resistance and progression to castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Effects of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system on the expression of steroid receptor coregulators TIF-2, AIB-1 and ncor in adenomyosis

In the present study, the expressions of steroid receptor coregulators, transcriptional intermediary factor-2 (TIF-2), amplified in breast cancer-1 (AIB-1) and nuclear receptor corepressor (NCoR) in endometrial tissues from control group, untreated adenomyosis group and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS)-treated adenomyosis group are immunohistochemically evaluated.

Tif1γ regulates the TGF-β1 receptor and promotes physiological aging of hematopoietic stem cells.

The hematopoietic system declines with age. Myeloid-biased differentiation and increased incidence of myeloid malignancies feature aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but the mechanisms involved remain uncertain. Here, we report that 4-mo-old mice deleted for transcription intermediary factor 1γ (Tif1γ) in HSCs developed an accelerated aging phenotype. To reinforce this result, we also show that Tif1γ is down-regulated in HSCs during aging in 20-mo-old wild-type mice. We established that Tif1γ controls TGF-β1 receptor (Tgfbr1) turnover. Compared with young HSCs, Tif1γ(-/-) and old HSCs are more sensitive to TGF-β signaling. Importantly, we identified two populations of HSCs specifically discriminated by Tgfbr1 expression level and provided evidence of the capture of myeloid-biased (Tgfbr1(hi)) and myeloid-lymphoid-balanced (Tgfbr1(lo)) HSCs. In conclusion, our data provide a new paradigm for Tif1γ in regulating the balance between lymphoid- and myeloid-derived HSCs through TGF-β signaling, leading to HSC aging.

Identification of clinical features and autoantibodies associated with calcinosis in dermatomyositis.

Prior studies have estimated that up to 20% of adults with dermatomyositis (DM) have calcinosis, which can lead to significant morbidity. Identification of risk factors may provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis and ultimately therapy for this difficult clinical problem. Risk factors for calcinosis in adults with DM have not been extensively studied. To determine the prevalence of calcinosis and to identify associated clinical features in a cohort of extensively phenotyped adults with DM. A cross-sectional study of 126 patients diagnosed as having DM from January 1, 2006, through January 1, 2013, was performed. Patients were adults (≥18 years of age) attending the Stanford University Medical Center clinic. Calcinosis, defined as the presence of calcium deposition in the skin and subcutaneous tissues on physical examination. Fourteen patients (11.1%) had calcinosis, with the extremities most commonly involved. Patients with vs those without calcinosis had a longer disease duration (median, 6.9 years; range, 2.4-18.1; vs median, 3.9 years; range, 0.2-19.2 years; P = .003) and more fingertip ulcers (50.0% vs 9.3%, P < .001). An association between calcinosis and both interstitial lung disease and anti-MDA-5 autoantibodies was identified, but this association did not persist in multivariate models that adjusted for fingertip ulcers. Fingertip ulcers and disease duration were strongly associated with calcinosis in all multivariate models, independent of the underlying autoantibody present. Autoantibodies to NXP-2 were associated with calcinosis (odds ratio, 15.52; 95% CI, 2.01-119.90), whereas anti-transcriptional intermediary factor 1-γ antibodies were protective (odds ratio, 0.2; 95% CI, 0.01-0.99) in multivariate analyses that adjusted for fingertip ulcers and other covariates. Calcinosis was a relatively uncommon clinical feature in our cohort of adults with DM. Our data suggest that calcinosis is positively associated with longer disease duration, fingertip ulcers, and NXP-2 autoantibodies and negatively associated with transcriptional intermediary factor 1-γ antibodies. A common vascular mechanism may underlie the development of both calcinosis and fingertip ulcers in patients with DM.

Coactivator recruitment of AhR/ARNT1.

A common feature of nuclear receptors (NRs) is the transformation of external cell signals into specific transcriptions of the signal molecule. Signal molecules function as ligands for NRs and, after their uptake, activated NRs form homo- or heterodimers at promoter recognition sequences of the specific genes in the nucleus. Another common feature of NRs is their dependence on coactivators, which bridge the basic transcriptional machinery and other cofactors to the target genes, in order to initiate transcription and to unwind histone-bound DNA for exposing additional promoter recognition sites via their histone acetyltransferase (HAT) function. In this review, we focus on our recent findings related to the recruitment of steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC1/NCoA1) by the estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and by the arylhydrocarbon receptor/arylhydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 1 (AhR/ARNT1) complex. We also describe the extension of our previously published findings regarding the binding between ARNT1.1 exon16 and SRC1e exon 21, via in silico analyses of androgen receptor (AR) NH2-carboxyl-terminal interactions, the results of which were verified by in vitro experiments. Based on these data, we suggest a newly derived tentative binding site of nuclear coactivator 2/glucocorticoid receptor interacting protein-1/transcriptional intermediary factor 2 (NCOA-2/ GRIP-1/TIF-2) for ARNT1.1 exon 16. Furthermore, results obtained by immunoprecipitation have revealed a second leucine-rich binding site for hARNT1.1 exon 16 in SRC1e exon 21 (LSSTDLL). Finally, we discuss the role of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) as an endocrine disruptor for estrogen related transcription.

AB0215 Significance of Relationship between Anti-Tif1 Autoantibodies Profiles and Cancer-Associated Myositis

BackgroundIdiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) are a group of heterogeneous autoimmune diseases that mainly affect skeletal muscle. A number of studies have indicated the significant relationship between IIM and malignancy. Myositis-specific...

Overexpression of TRIM24 Is Associated with the Onset and Progress of Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The survival and colonization of tumor cells at new locations involve a variety of complex genetic, epigenetic, and microenvironmental factors. TRIM24 was originally named transcription intermediary factor 1-alpha (TIF1α), which was associated with cellular proliferation and was an oncogene in tumor development. Here we provide the first evidence of the expression profile and clinicopathological significance of TRIM24 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Immunohistochemistry was employed to determine the expression level of TRIM24 in HCC tissues and noncancerous liver tissues. Elevated TRIM24 level was found in 61.4% HCC samples (51/83) correlating with AFP (P = 0.036), poor differentiation (P = 0.004), intrahepatic metastasis (P = 0.004), recurrence (P = 0.000006), and shorter tumor-free survival time (P = 0.002). Small interfering RNA induced down-regulation of TRIM24 promoted apoptosis in HCC cell line HepG2. Moreover, western blotting analysis revealed that knockdown of TRIM24 increased the protein levels of p53, Bax, and Caspase-8, and decreased Bcl-2, Survivin, Cyclin D1, and CDK4. Depletion of TRIM24 decreased Snail, Slug, β-catenin, and Vimentin, and increased E-cadherin expression, which suggested the involvement of TRIM24 in EMT. These results indicated that TRIM24 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of human HCC.

Sustained activation of SMAD3/SMAD4 by FOXM1 promotes TGF-β–dependent cancer metastasis

A key feature of TGF-β signaling activation in cancer cells is the sustained activation of SMAD complexes in the nucleus; however, the drivers of SMAD activation are poorly defined. Here, using human and mouse breast cancer cell lines, we found that oncogene forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) interacts with SMAD3 to sustain activation of the SMAD3/SMAD4 complex in the nucleus. FOXM1 prevented the E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase transcriptional intermediary factor 1 γ (TIF1γ) from binding SMAD3 and monoubiquitinating SMAD4, which stabilized the SMAD3/SMAD4 complex. Loss of FOXM1 abolished TGF-β-induced SMAD3/SMAD4 formation. Moreover, the interaction of FOXM1 and SMAD3 promoted TGF-β/SMAD3-mediated transcriptional activity and target gene expression. We found that FOXM1/SMAD3 interaction was required for TGF-β-induced breast cancer invasion, which was the result of SMAD3/SMAD4-dependent upregulation of the transcription factor SLUG. Importantly, the function of FOXM1 in TGF-β-induced invasion was not dependent on FOXM1's transcriptional activity. Knockdown of SMAD3 diminished FOXM1-induced metastasis. Furthermore, FOXM1 levels correlated with activated TGF-β signaling and metastasis in human breast cancer specimens. Together, our data indicate that FOXM1 promotes breast cancer metastasis by increasing nuclear retention of SMAD3 and identify crosstalk between FOXM1 and TGF-β/SMAD3 pathways. This study highlights the critical interaction of FOXM1 and SMAD3 for controlling TGF-β signaling during metastasis.

Pathway bridge based multiobjective optimization approach for lurking pathway prediction.

Ovarian carcinoma immunoreactive antigen-like protein 2 (OCIAD2) is a protein with unknown function. Frequently methylated or downregulated, OCIAD2 has been observed in kinds of tumors, and TGFβ signaling has been proved to induce the expression of OCIAD2. However, current pathway analysis tools do not cover the genes without reported interactions like OCIAD2 and also miss some significant genes with relatively lower expression. To investigate potential biological milieu of OCIAD2, especially in cancer microenvironment, a nova approach pbMOO was created to find the potential pathways from TGFβ to OCIAD2 by searching on the pathway bridge, which consisted of cancer enriched looping patterns from the complicated entire protein interactions network. The pbMOO approach was further applied to study the modulator of ligand TGFβ1, receptor TGFβR1, intermediate transfer proteins, transcription factor, and signature OCIAD2. Verified by literature and public database, the pathway TGFβ1- TGFβR1- SMAD2/3- SMAD4/AR-OCIAD2 was detected, which concealed the androgen receptor (AR) which was the possible transcription factor of OCIAD2 in TGFβ signal, and it well explained the mechanism of TGFβ induced OCIAD2 expression in cancer microenvironment, therefore providing an important clue for the future functional analysis of OCIAD2 in tumor pathogenesis.

Structural and evolutionary analysis of the co-activator binding domain in vertebrate progesterone receptors

Biochemical studies show that binding of co-activators to the progesterone receptor [PR] is an important mechanism for regulating of PR-mediated gene transcription. Unfortunately, unlike other steroid receptors, the PR has not been crystalized with a co-activator. Fortunately, the PR has strong structural similarity to the mineralocorticoid receptor [MR] and glucocorticoid receptor [GR], which have been crystalized with co-activators. This similarity allowed us to construct 3D models of the PR with steroid co-activator 1-Box 4 [SRC1-4] and transcriptional intermediary factor 2-Box 3 [TIF2-3], which were extracted from the crystal structures of human MR and GR, respectively. Comparisons of 3D models of human PR with SRC1-4 and TIF2-3 and human MR with SRC1-4 and GR with TIF2-3 identified some unique interactions between the PR and SRC1-4 and TIF2-3. An evolutionary analysis of the sequence of the co-activator binding groove in human PR found strong conservation in terrestrial vertebrates. However, there are some differences between human PR and the PRs in lamprey, shark and fishes. These differences among the PRs and between the PR, MR and GR may have contributed to the evolution of specificity for progestins, mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids in vertebrates.

Most Patients With Cancer‐Associated Dermatomyositis Have Antibodies to Nuclear Matrix Protein NXP‐2 or Transcription Intermediary Factor 1γ

Since dermatomyositis (DM) is associated with an increased risk of malignancy, accurate identification of patients likely to harbor cancers is important. Using immunoprecipitations from radiolabeled cell lysates, several groups recently showed that anti-transcription intermediary factor 1γ (anti-TIF-1γ) antibodies are associated with malignancy in DM. We undertook this study to develop sensitive, specific assays to detect antibodies against TIF-1γ and nuclear matrix protein NXP-2 and to evaluate their association with malignancy in DM. To detect anti-TIF-1γ antibodies, immunoprecipitations were performed using lysates made from HeLa cells overexpressing TIF-1γ, with detection by immunoblotting. Anti-NXP-2 antibodies were assayed by immunoprecipitation using (35) S-methionine-labeled NXP-2 generated by in vitro transcription/translation. We analyzed patient sera from DM cohorts seen at the Stanford University Dermatology Clinic (n = 111) and the Johns Hopkins Myositis Center (n = 102). A total of 17% and 38% of patients had antibodies against NXP-2 and TIF-1γ, respectively. Reactivity against either NXP-2 or TIF-1γ identified 83% of patients with cancer-associated DM. In addition to older age and male sex, cancer was associated with antibodies to NXP-2 or TIF-1γ on multivariate analysis (odds ratio 3.78 [95% confidence interval 1.33-10.8]). Stratification by sex revealed that anti-NXP-2 was specifically associated with cancer in males (odds ratio 5.78 [95% confidence interval 1.35-24.7]). These studies demonstrate that anti-NXP-2 and anti-TIF-1γ antibodies are frequent DM specificities (found in 55% of patients) and are present in most patients with cancer-associated DM.

TRIM24 Overexpression Is Common in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Correlates with Aggressive Malignant Phenotypes

Tripartite motif-containing 24 (TRIM24), a member of the transcriptional intermediary factor 1 family, functions as a co-regulator that positively or negatively modulates the transcriptional activities of several nuclear receptors. The aim of this study was to investigate TRIM24 expression and its clinical significance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The expression levels of TRIM24 variants were examined in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) samples and cell lines by real-time PCR and WB. The expression levels of TRIM24 measured in 91 locally advanced HNSCC tumors were measured by immunohistochemistry and correlated with clinical and pathological parameters. The functional role of TRIM24 in HNSCC was further investigated by silencing its expression in HNSCC cell lines. TRIM24 variants were up-regulated in 56 HNSCC samples (P<.001) and 9 HNSCC cell lines (P<.05). TRIM24 protein was overexpressed in 6 of 8 HNSCC cell lines and in 2 of 3 HNSCC samples. Furthermore, 54.95% (50/91) of HNSCC samples exhibited remarkably elevated expression of TRIM24 by immunohistochemistry. Univariate analysis revealed that high TRIM24 expression was associated with worse overall survival (P = .020). In multivariate analysis, TRIM24 expression was identified as an independent predictor of overall survival (P = .030), after adjusting for other clinicopathological parameters. Upon TRIM24 silencing, the proliferation of HNSCC cells was notably inhibited due to the induction of apoptosis. These results suggest that aberrant TRIM24 expression may play an important role in the development of HNSCC and is a promising prognostic indicator for patients with locally advanced HNSCC.

Association of mutation and methylation in the promoter region of TIF1γ with non-small cell lung cancer

背景与目的TIF1γ（transcription intermediary factor 1 gamma）属于转录中介因子1家族的成员，可干扰TGF-β/Smad信号通路，抑制TGF-β介导的信号传导，且TIF1γ在多种肿瘤细胞的表达减弱或缺失表明TIF1γ在癌症的发生发展过程中起到抑癌的作用。本研究旨在探索TIF1γ在非小细胞肺癌（non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC）细胞与组织中的表达差异以确定TIF1γ与肺癌发生关系以及肺癌细胞中TIF1γ表达调控的潜在机制。方法选取13例NSCLC患者癌组织以及对应的癌旁组织样本，培养正常支气管上皮细胞HBE和NSCLC细胞株：A549和95C。运用Real-time PCR和Western blot检测细胞与组织中TIF1γ基因的表达，并用ImageJ灰度扫描软件计算TIF1γ的相对表达量。通过DNA测序的方法检测TIF1γ基因启动子区域突变情况，并采用Bisul?te-sequencing PCR（BSP）克隆测序方法检测TIF1γ基因启动子区域甲基化情况。结果相对于HBE，TIF1γ mRNA和蛋白在A549和95C中明显下调（P < 0.05），13对组织样本中，9个（69.2%）癌旁组织样本里TIF1γ mRNA的表达量高于癌组织样本（P < 0.05）。突变检测表明TIF1γ基因启动子区-287﹣-5在细胞株中没有突变发生。经BSP克隆测序方法分析发现在TIF1γ基因启动子-287﹣-5区域里存在5个可被甲基化的CpG位点（-214、-128、-124、-65和-55）。但这些CpG位点的甲基化频率在NSCLC细胞株中相比HBE没有明显差异。结论TIF1γ在NSCLC的发生中可能起抑癌的作用，TIF1γ基因启动子区域-287﹣-5在正常细胞和NSCLC细胞中都没有发生突变，但在-287﹣-5区域中存在5个可被甲基化的CpG位点。

The transcription intermediary factor 1β coactivates the androgen receptor.

The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-inducible transcription factor. Its transcription activation domain consists of the two transcription activation units called Tau-1 and Tau- 5. Tau-5 interacts with p160 coactivators like the transcription intermediary factor 2 (TIF2), which in their turn recruit histone modifiers and chromatin-remodelling complexes. The mechanism of action of Tau-1, however, remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that transcription intermediary factor 1β (TIF1β) can induce the activity of the AR up to five fold when tested in vitro. Although there is no evidence for direct interactions between TIF1β and AR, mutation studies show that the activity of TIF1β depends on the integrity of Tau-1 in AR on the one hand, and the so-called tripartite motif domain in TIF1β on the other. Surprisingly, the coactivation by TIF1β via Tau-1 seems additive rather than cooperative with the AR coactivation by TIF2. Some mutations naturally occurring in androgen-insensitivity syndrome patients that reside in Tau-1 seem to impair the TIF1β coactivation of the AR, indicating that TIF1β could also be relevant for the in vivo androgen response in humans. Moreover, since TIF1β is well expressed in prostate cancer cells, its functional interaction with androgen signalling could in the long run be a therapeutic target for this disease.

IGF1 Growth Hormone Response Element Undergoes Developmentally Regulated Demethylation Independent of STA5b

The insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF1)/growth hormone (GH) axis, a major factor in growth, development and metabolism, is significantly affected by intrauterine growth retardation. Some of these alterations may lead to permanent pathological programming of the IGF axis. Prenatally, IGF1 signaling is GH independent, while postnatally, it is partly or fully GH dependent. GH regulates IGF1 via binding of the intermediate transcription factor, STAT5b, to a GH response element (GHRE) in the hepatic IGF1 gene. During adolescence, the rodent hepatic GHRE converts from closed to open chromatin and remains open throughout life. However it is not known when epigenetic events first begin to occur that prepare the chromatin for opening. CpG methylation and demethylation is often associated with closed and open chromatin respectively. We therefore sought to follow changes in DNA methyaltion in the GHRE as a possible indicator of transition to open chromatin. The GHRE was subjected to Na‐bisulfite sequencing at various time points in mouse development in wild‐type and STA5b knockout mice. The GHRE was also fused to a CG‐free reporter to test the effect of methylation on enhancer activity. The GHRE undergoes 3 stages of gradual DNA demethylation declining from a high of 80% methylation in embryonic stem (ES) cells to &lt;30% by 5 weeks of life and remains hypomethyated for 2 yrs. Demethylation of the mouse GHRE is independent of STAT5b and is required for GHRE function in vitro.