Core Binding Factor beta Subunit

Abstract: Moloney murine leukemia virus causes thymic leukemias when injected into newborn mice. A major determinant of the thymic disease specificity of Moloney virus genetically maps to the conserved viral core motif in the Moloney virus enhancer. Point mutations introduced into the core site significantly shifted the disease specificity of the Moloney virus from thymic leukemia to erythroid leukemia (N.A. Speck, B. Renjifo, E. Golemis, T.N. Fredrickson, J.W. Hartley, and N. Hopkins, Genes Dev. 4:233-242, 1990). We previously reported the purification of core-binding factors (CBF) from calf thymus nuclei (S. Wang and N.A. Speck, Mol. Cell. Biol. 12:89-102, 1992). CBF binds to core sites in murine leukemia virus and T-cell receptor enhancers. Affinity-purified CBF contains multiple polypeptides. In this study, we sequenced five tryptic peptides from two of the bovine CBF proteins and isolated three cDNA clones from a mouse thymus cDNA library encoding three of the tryptic peptides from the bovine proteins. The cDNA clones, which we call CBF beta p22.0, CBF beta p21.5, and CBF beta p17.6, encode three highly related but distinct proteins with deduced molecular sizes of 22.0, 21.5, and 17.6 kDa that appear to be translated from multiply spliced mRNAs transcribed from the same gene. CBF beta p22.0, CBF beta p21.5, and CBF beta p17.6 do not by themselves bind the core site. However, CBF beta p22.0 and CBF beta p21.5 form a complex with DNA-binding CBF alpha subunits and as a result decrease the rate of dissociation of the CBF protein-DNA complex. Association of the CBF beta subunits does not extend the phosphate contacts in the binding site. We propose that CBF beta is a non-DNA-binding subunit of CBF and does not contact DNA directly.

Abstract: The RUNX family genes are the mammalian homologs of the Drosophila genes runt and lozenge , and members of this family function as master regulators of definitive hematopoiesis and osteogenesis. The RUNX genes encode the α subunit of the transcription factor PEBP2/CBF. The β subunit consists of the non‐RUNX protein PEBP2β. We found that RUNX1/AML1, which is essential for hematopoiesis, is continuously subjected to proteolytic degradation mediated by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. When PEBP2β is present, however, the ubiquitylation of RUNX1 is abrogated and this causes a dramatic inhibition of RUNX1 proteolysis. Heterodimerization between PEBP2β and RUNX1 thus appears to be an essential step in the generation of transcriptionally competent RUNX1. Consistent with this notion, RUNX1 was barely detected in PEBP2β−/− mouse. CBF(PEBP2)β– SMMHC, the chimeric protein associated with inv(16) acute myeloid leukemia, was found to protect RUNX1 from proteolytic degradation more efficiently than PEBP2β. These results reveal a hitherto unknown and major role of PEBP2β, namely that it regulates RUNX1 by controlling its turnover. This has allowed us to gain new insights into the mechanism of leukemogenesis by CBFβ–SMMHC.

Abstract: The myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase genes are expressed specifically in immature myeloid cells. The integrity of a polyomavirus enhancer core sequence, 5'-AACCACA-3', is critical to the activity of the murine MPO proximal enhancer. This element binds two species, myeloid nuclear factors 1 alpha and 1 beta (MyNF1 alpha and -beta), present in 32D cl3 myeloid cell nuclear extracts. The levels of the MyNF1s increase during early 32D cl3 cell granulocytic differentiation. Both MyNF1 alpha and -beta supershift with an antiserum raised by using a peptide derived from the N terminus of polyomavirus enhancer-binding protein 2/core-binding factor (PEBP2/CBF) alpha subunit. The specific peptide inhibits these supershifts. In vitro-translated PEBP2/CBF DNA-binding domain binds the murine MPO PEBP2/CBF site. An alternate PEBP2/CBF consensus site, 5'-GACCGCA-3', but not a simian virus 40 enhancer core sequence, 5'-TTCCACA-3', binds the MyNF1s in vitro and activates a minimal murine MPO-thymidine kinase promoter in vivo. The murine neutrophil elastase gene 100-bp 5'-flanking sequences contain several functional elements, including potential binding sites for PU.1, C/EBP, c-Myb, and PEBP2/CBF. The functional element 5'-GGCCACA-3' located at positions -66 to 72 differs from the PEBP2/CBF consensus (5'-PuACCPuCA-3') only by an A-to-G transition at position 2. This DNA element binds MyNF1 alpha and -beta weakly. The N terminis of two PEBP2/CBF alpha subunit family members, PEBP2 alpha A and PEBP2 alpha B (murine AML1), are nearly identical, and 32D c13 cl3 cells contain both corresponding mRNAs. Since t(8;21), t(3;21), and inv(16), associated with myeloid leukemias, disrupt subunits of PEBP2/CBF, we speculate that the resulting oncoproteins, AML1-ETO, AML1-EAP, AML1-Evi1, and CBF beta-MYH11, inhibit early myeloid differentiation.

Abstract: Transcription factors of the AML (core binding factor-α/polyoma enhancer binding protein 2) class are key transactivators of tissue-specific genes of the hematopoietic and bone lineages. Alternative splicing of the AML-1 gene results in two major AML variants, AML-1 and AML-1B. We show here that the transcriptionally active AML-1B binds to the nuclear matrix, and the inactive AML-1 does not. The association of AML-1B with the nuclear matrix is independent of DNA binding and requires a nuclear matrix targeting signal (NMTS), a 31 amino acid segment near the C terminus that is distinct from nuclear localization signals. A similar NMTS is present in AML-2 and the bone-related AML-3 transcription factors. Fusion of the AML-1B NMTS to the heterologous GAL4-(1–147) protein directs GAL4 to the nuclear matrix. Thus, the NMTS is necessary and sufficient to target the transcriptionally active AML-1B to the nuclear matrix. The loss of the C-terminal domain of AML-1B is a frequent consequence of the leukemia-related t(8;21) and t(3;21) translocations. Our results suggest this loss may be functionally linked to the modified interrelationships between nuclear structure and gene expression characteristic of cancer cells.