Silencing subdomains of v-ErbA interact cooperatively with corepressors: involvement of helices 5/6

K Busch, B Martin, A Baniahmad… - Molecular …, 2000 - academic.oup.com
K Busch, B Martin, A Baniahmad, JA Martial, R Renkawitz, M Muller
Molecular Endocrinology, 2000academic.oup.com
Members of the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) family act on vertebrate development and
homeostasis by activating or repressing transcription of specific target genes in a ligand-
dependent way. Repression by TR in the absence of ligand is mediated by an active
silencing mechanism. The oncogene v-ErbA is a variant form of TR unable to bind hormone
and thus acts as a constitutive repressor. Functional studies and mutation analysis revealed
that the TR/v-ErbA silencing domain is composed of three silencing subdomains (SSD1–3) …
Abstract
Members of the thyroid hormone receptor (TR) family act on vertebrate development and homeostasis by activating or repressing transcription of specific target genes in a ligand-dependent way. Repression by TR in the absence of ligand is mediated by an active silencing mechanism. The oncogene v-ErbA is a variant form of TR unable to bind hormone and thus acts as a constitutive repressor. Functional studies and mutation analysis revealed that the TR/v-ErbA silencing domain is composed of three silencing subdomains (SSD1–3) which, although nonfunctional individually, synergize such that silencing activity is restored when they are combined in a heteromeric complex. Here we demonstrate, using protein interaction assays in vitro and in vivo, that the inactive v-ErbA point mutant L489R within helix 5/6 in SSD2 fails to interact with the two corepressors N-CoR (nuclear receptor corepressor) or SMRT (silencing mediator of retinoic acid and thyroid hormone receptor). Furthermore, mutants in SSD1 and SSD3 exhibit a reduced corepressor recruitment corresponding to their weak residual silencing activity. In mammalian two-hybrid assays, only the combination of all three silencing subdomains, SSD1–3, leads to a cooperative binding to the corepressors N-CoR or SMRT comparable to that of the full-length v-ErbA repression domain. In conclusion, full silencing activity requires corepressor interaction with all three silencing subdomains, SSD1–3. Among these, SSD2 is a new target for N-CoR and SMRT and is essential for corepressor binding and function.
Oxford University Press