Project description:Gene experssion was evaluated in the lungs of mice in which beta-catenin was stabilized or knocked out in the SCGB1A1 lineage. Gene expression was assayed on post-natal day 21
Project description:To elucidate the comprehensive changes regulated by β-catenin/TCF-dependent signaling in liver cancer cells, we explored a global gene expression of HepG2 cells after knockdown of β-catenin.
Project description:In nucleated cells, β-catenin, the key downstream effector of this pathway, is a dual function protein, regulating the coordination of gene transcription and cell–cell adhesion. The specific role of β-catenin in the anucleate platelet however remains elusive. Here, we performed a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of β-catenin immunoprecipitates from human platelets identifying 9 co-immunoprecipitating proteins. GO biological pathway analysis revealed a significant enrichment of specific functional terms including 'cell adhesion', 'cell junction organization' and ‘adherens junction organization'. Our bioinformatics data suggests that human platelet β-catenin may be involved in facilitating cell adhesion and cell junctions. We found three proteins co-immunoprecipitating with β-catenin under both resting and activated conditions, four proteins under resting condition only and two proteins under activated condition only.
Project description:During canonical Wnt signalling the activity of nuclear beta-catenin is largely mediated by the TCF/LEF family of transcription factors. To challenge this view we used the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing approach to generate HEK 293T cell clones simultaneously carrying loss-of-function alleles of all four TCF/LEF genes. Exploiting unbiased whole transcriptome sequencing studies, we found that a subset of beta-catenin transcriptional targets did not require TCF/LEF factors for their regulation. Consistent with this finding, we observed in a genome-wide analysis that beta-catenin occupied specific genomic regions in the absence of TCF/LEF. Finally, we revealed the existence of a transcriptional activity of beta-catenin that specifically appears when TCF/LEF factors are absent, and refer to this as beta-catenin-GHOST response. Collectively, this study uncovers a previously neglected modus operandi of beta-catenin that bypasses the TCF/LEF transcription factors.
Project description:During canonical Wnt signalling the activity of nuclear beta-catenin is largely mediated by the TCF/LEF family of transcription factors. To challenge this view we used the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing approach to generate HEK 293T cell clones simultaneously carrying loss-of-function alleles of all four TCF/LEF genes. Exploiting unbiased whole transcriptome sequencing studies, we found that a subset of beta-catenin transcriptional targets did not require TCF/LEF factors for their regulation. Consistent with this finding, we observed in a genome-wide analysis that beta-catenin occupied specific genomic regions in the absence of TCF/LEF. Finally, we revealed the existence of a transcriptional activity of beta-catenin that specifically appears when TCF/LEF factors are absent, and refer to this as beta-catenin-GHOST response. Collectively, this study uncovers a previously neglected modus operandi of beta-catenin that bypasses the TCF/LEF transcription factors.
Project description:Notch activation is instrumental in the development of most T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cases, yet Notch mutations alone are not sufficient to recapitulate the full human disease in animal models. Using multiple in vivo and in vitro T-ALL models we here demonstrate that β-Catenin is essential for Notch-driven T-cell leukemic initiation. Transcriptome analyses of leukemic initiating cells revealed a switch in β-Catenin activity that was Notch-context dependent. Moreover, ChIP-seq coupled with RNA-Seq in human Notch-active T-ALL showed that leukemic β-Catenin was independent of canonical LEF/TCF partners, and instead depended on direct association with Notch or ZBTB33/Kaiso for gene activation. The functional relevance of this mechanism is exemplified by the MYC 3´enhancer that requires β-Catenin and Notch1 recruitment to induce MYC expression. Finally, we demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of β-Catenin with PKF115-584 prevented and partially reverted leukemogenesis induced by active Notch1. These microarray data show the transcriptional activities of N1IC and β-Catenin in wild-type or leukemic initiating cell (LIC) contexts in E14.5 FL LSK cells.
Project description:The regulation of gonadotropin synthesis by GnRH (Gonadotropin-releasing hormone) plays an essential role in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction. The known signaling mechanisms involved in gonadotropin synthesis have been expanding. For example, involvement of β-catenin in LHβ induction by GnRH has been discovered. We examined the role of β-catenin in FSHβ gene expression in LβT2 gonadotrope cells. GnRH caused a sustained increase in nuclear β-catenin levels, which was significantly reduced by JNK inhibition. siRNA-mediated knockdown of β-catenin mRNA demonstrated that induction of FSHβ mRNA by GnRH depended on β-catenin and that regulation of FSHβ by β-catenin occurred independently of the JNK-c-jun pathway. β-catenin depletion had no impact on FSHβ mRNA stability. In LβT2 cells transfected with FSHβ promoter luciferase fusion constructs, GnRH responsiveness was conferred by the proximal promoter (-944/-1), and was markedly decreased by β-catenin knockdown. However, none of the TCF/LEF binding sites in that region were required for promoter activation by GnRH. Chromatin immunoprecipitation further corroborated the absence of direct interaction between β-catenin and the 1.8 kb FSHβ promoter. To elucidate the mechanism for the β-catenin effect, we analyzed ~1 billion reads of next generation RNA sequencing β-catenin knockdown assays and selected the nuclear cofactor Brms1L as one candidate for further study. Subsequent experiments confirmed that Brms1L mRNA expression was decreased by β-catenin knockdown as well as by JNK inhibition. Furthermore, knockdown of Brms1L significantly attenuated GnRH-induced FSHβ expression. Thus, our findings indicate that the expression of Brms1L depends on β-catenin activity and contributes to FSHβ induction by GnRH.
Project description:Canonical Wnt/β-catenin signalling is an essential regulator of various cellular functions throughout development and adulthood. Aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signalling also contributes to various pathologies including cancer, necessitating an understanding of cell context dependent mechanisms regulating this pathway. Since protein-protein interactions underpin β-catenin function and localization, we sought to identify novel β-catenin interacting partners by affinity purification coupled with tandem mass spectrometry in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), where β-catenin is involved in both physiological and pathological control of cell proliferation. Here, we report novel components of the VSMC β-catenin interactome.
Project description:Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is essential for stem cell regulation and cancer formation by activation of target genes transcription. For transcriptional activation, the histone around promoters needs to be modified to remove transcriptional repressors; however, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we report that Wnt signal erases TCF4-associated H3K9me2/me3 by recruitment of KDM4C through β-catenin to activate gene transcription. In the absence of Wnt3a, PKR phosphorylates KDM4C which induces its ubiquitination and degradation. Wnt3a stabilizes KDM4C through inhibition of GSK3-dependent PKR kinase activity. Stabilized KDM4C accumulates in nucleus. Through interaction with β-catenin, KDM4C binds to and demethylates TCF4-associate Histone H3K9 which leads to HP1 removal and transcription activation. KDM4C-dependent H3K9 demethylation is essential for Wnt-induced gene expression and tumorigenesis. Importantly, KDM4C levels directly correlate with Wnt signaling activation in human glioblastomas. These findings demonstrate a pivotal epigenetic regulation mechanism for Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation in tumorigenesis.