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Molecular and Cellular Biology, September 2000, p. 6233-6243, Vol. 20, No. 17
Department of Biological Sciences, University
of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
Received 29 February 2000/Returned for modification 5 April
2000/Accepted 5 June 2000
The simian virus 40 large T antigen (T antigen) inactivates tumor
suppressor proteins and therefore has been used in numerous studies to
probe the mechanisms that control cellular growth and to generate
immortalized cell lines. Binding of T antigen to the Rb family of
growth-regulatory proteins is necessary but not sufficient to cause
transformation. The molecular mechanism underlying T-antigen inactivation of Rb function is poorly understood. In this study we show
that T antigen associates with pRb and p130-E2F complexes in a stable
manner. T antigen dissociates from a p130-E2F-4-DP-1 complex,
coincident with the release of p130 from E2F-4-DP-1. The dissociation
of this complex requires Hsc70, ATP, and a functional T-antigen J
domain. We also report that the "released" E2F-DP-1 complex is
competent to bind DNA containing an E2F consensus binding site. We
propose that T antigen disrupts Rb-E2F family complexes through the
action of its J domain and Hsc70. These findings indicate how Hsc70
supports T-antigen action and help to explain the cis requirement for a J domain and Rb binding motif in T-antigen-induced transformation. Furthermore, this is the first demonstration linking Hsc70 ATP hydrolysis to the release of E2F bound by Rb family members.
The tumor suppressor proteins
retinoblastoma protein (pRb) and p53 have been the focus of intense
study due to their crucial role in the regulation of normal cellular
growth (reviewed in references 14 and
28). T antigen can inactivate both p53 and pRb and
has been used as a tool to disable these cellular signaling pathways
(3, 10, 17, 22).
The Rb family is composed of at least three proteins, pRb, p107, and
p130, which are critical for cell cycle regulation and are thought to
have overlapping functions in different stages of the cell cycle
(31). pRb, p107, and p130 proteins bind to the E2F family of
transcription factors. When an Rb family member binds to E2F,
E2F-mediated transactivation is inhibited, and expression of
E2F-responsive genes, such as cyclins A and E and dihydrofolate reductase, is decreased (1, 12, 24). When phosphorylated, pRb dissociates from E2F, inducing DNA synthesis and E2F-mediated gene
expression, leading to advancement of the cell cycle (9, 46).
T antigen binds to the pRb proteins through an LXCXE motif
(15) (see Fig. 1A for
T-antigen domain map). This sequence is conserved in many pRb binding
proteins, including cellular proteins such as BRG1 (13) and
those expressed by other small DNA tumor viruses, such as E1A
(adenovirus) and E7 (papillomavirus) (11, 15, 25). Mutation
of the LXCXE motif renders T antigen defective for transformation
(36, 42, 48). This suggests that T antigen's affinity for
Rb family members displaces Rb from binding E2F, thus inducing
transformation. However, the binding of pRb family members by T antigen
is not sufficient to induce transformation (42).
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Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
The Molecular Chaperone Activity of Simian Virus 40 Large T Antigen Is Required To Disrupt Rb-E2F Family Complexes
by an ATP-Dependent Mechanism
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ABSTRACT
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
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INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References

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FIG. 1.
Structure of SV40 large T antigen. (A) T antigen
comprises multiple domains, some of which are represented here as
shaded boxes. The first 82 amino acids of T antigen have been shown to
be a functional J domain that can bind to the DnaK homologue Hsc70. The
pRb family of tumor suppressors bind to a conserved sequence of amino
acids containing the motif LXCXE, which is found in many proteins that
bind pRb. The bipartite binding site of the tumor suppressor p53 is
represented by two separate boxes in the C terminus of T antigen.
Overlapping this p53 binding region is the ATPase domain of T antigen.
The positions and amino acid changes of each mutation used in this
study are also shown. (B) E2F-4 is bound to p130 in insect cell lysate
expressing p130, E2F-4, and DP-1. Increasing amounts of lysate (1, 2, 4, 8, and 15% input) are shown in lanes 1 to 5, respectively.
Sequential immunoprecipitations (IP) for p130 were conducted, and
steady-state levels of associated p130 and E2F-4 were determined using
an SDS-8% polyacrylamide gel followed by immunoblot analysis for p130
and E2F-4 (10% of the pelleted complexes for the first, second, and
third consecutive immunoprecipitation reactions are shown in lanes 6, 7, and 8, respectively). Immunoblot analysis for p130 and E2F-4 was
conducted on the remaining supernatant (supt.) from the third
immunoprecipitation (lane 9). Igg, band detected for the heavy chain of
the immunoglobulin G antibody used in the immunoprecipitation
reactions. (C) Wild-type and mutant T antigens (TAg) were purified from
baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells as described in Materials and Methods.
Hsc70 was purchased from Stress Gen Biotechnologies. Each lane contains
2 µg of protein. Samples were separated on an SDS-11%
polyacrylamide gel and visualized by Coomassie brilliant blue staining.
The migration of 90- and 70-kDa marker proteins is indicated.
Another region of T antigen required for transformation is the J domain (Fig. 1A) (for a review, see reference 2). J domains are a hallmark of a class of chaperones called J proteins or DnaJ chaperones that bear homology to Escherichia coli DnaJ. J proteins interact directly with DnaK-like proteins (such as Hsc70) and stimulate their ATPase activity. Stimulation of the ATPase activity of DnaK regulates its interaction with bound substrates (20). J proteins and DnaK-like chaperones are involved in numerous biological activities, including protein folding, protein transport across cellular membranes, protein degradation, and rearrangement of multiprotein complexes (4).
We have previously shown that T antigen requires a functional J domain and Rb binding motif in cis to transform REF52 and C3H10T1/2 cells (42). Both the J domain and pRb binding motif are also required for T-antigen-mediated inhibition of apoptosis (40). Furthermore, both the J domain and pRb binding motif are required for T antigen to alleviate pRb-mediated inhibition of E2F transactivation (19, 39, 47). Finally, cells expressing a mutant of T antigen defective for J domain or pRb binding functions contain a p130/E2F DNA-binding complex that is absent in cells expressing wild-type T antigen (47). Thus, it is likely that the J domain activity cooperates with the LXCXE motif of T antigen to disable Rb function, although the mechanism for how this occurs remains undetermined. This study seeks to better understand the mechanism by which T antigen inactivates the function of the Rb family of proteins. Specifically we show that T antigen requires its J domain function to cooperate with Hsc70 to release "free" E2F from association with Rb family members. The implications of these findings are discussed.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Cell lines and molecular methods. Sf9 and High Five insect cells and their handling have been described previously (6).
Plasmids carrying the complete viral genomes of simian virus 40 (SV40) T-antigen mutants 5110 (pSV-5110) and 3213 (pSV-3213) have been described elsewhere (32, 42). Mutant 5110 harbors a single-amino-acid substitution in the conserved HPD loop of the J domain (D44N), and 3213 contains a double-amino-acid substitution in the Rb binding motif (E107K and E108K). Wild-type baculovirus (Autographica californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus [AcNPV]), a recombinant baculovirus that expresses the wild-type T antigen (AcNPV941T), and a baculovirus transfer plasmid containing the wild-type T-antigen gene (pVL941T) were kindly provided by Robert Lanford (Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research) and have been described previously (27). Baculovirus transfer plasmid pVL941-3213 was generated from pSV-3213 as described for pVL941T. Baculovirus transfer plasmid pVL1393-5110 was generated by cloning the StuI-BamHI fragment of pSV-5110 into the SmaI and BglII sites of pVL1393. Baculoviruses were constructed as previously described (7). A baculovirus producing human pRb was provided by Robert Weinberg (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and baculoviruses expressing human E2F-4 and a truncated version of human p130 (42) were provided by Peter Whyte (Institute for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, McMaster University). Baculoviruses expressing human DP-1 and E2F-1 were provided by Helen Pinwica-Worms (Washington University).Protein purification and lysate preparation.
Wild-type and
mutant T antigens were purified essentially as described (6)
except that the gel filtration step was eliminated. In brief, Sf9 cells
were infected with recombinant baculovirus for 43 h. The cells
were harvested, washed with phosphate-buffered saline-EDTA, and lysed
in a buffer containing Nonidet P-40 (NP-40; Sigma). The cleared
cellular lysate was filtered and passaged over a PAb419 immunoaffinity
column. The column was washed two times at pH 8.0, once at pH 9.0, and
eluted at pH 11.0. Fractions containing T antigen were pooled and
dialyzed against a buffer containing 50% glycerol. Proteins were
stored at
20°C. Purified bovine brain Hsc70 and the recombinant
ATPase fragment of Hsc70, Hsc701-386, were purchased from
StressGen Biotechnologies.
2-371)], E2F (either E2F-1 or
E2F-4), and DP-1. Cells were incubated at 27°C for 43 h. Cells
were resuspended with 10 times the packed cell volume in buffer B (400 mM KCl, 50 mM HEPES [pH 7.9], 0.5 mM EDTA, 10% glycerol, 0.1%
NP-40) with 1 µg of pepstatin per ml and an EDTA-free protease
inhibitor cocktail tablet, as recommended by the manufacturer
(Boehringer Mannheim). The cells were lysed for 25 min on ice and
centrifuged at 16,000 × g in microcentrifuge for 30 min at 4°C. The pellets were discarded, and the protein concentration
in the supernatant was determined with the Bradford assay with bovine
serum albumin as the standard (Bio-Rad). Expression of pRb, p130,
E2F-1, E2F-4, and DP-1 was confirmed via immunoblot analysis as
described below.
Immunochemical methods. Antibodies against pRb (IF8), p130 (C20), E2F-1 (C20), E2F-1 (KH95), E2F-4 (C20), and DP-1 (K20) were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnologies. Anti-pRb-14001A was purchased from PharMingen International. Anti-Hsc70 (AB1) was purchased from StressGen Biotechnologies. The T-antigen-specific antibodies PAb416, which recognizes an epitope between amino acids 83 and 121, and PAb419, which recognizes an epitope between amino acids 1 and 82, have been described previously (18). Anti-T-antigen antibody 901 recognizes an epitope in the last C-terminal 15 amino acids of T antigen and was kindly provided by Judith Tevethia (The Pennsylvania State University Medical School, Hershey, Pa.).
A total of 10 µg of insect cell lysates expressing pRb-E2F family complexes were mixed in the presence or absence of 1 µg of T antigen or T-antigen mutants and in the presence or absence of an ATP regeneration system (50 µM GDP mannose, 40 µM creatine phosphate, 0.2 mg of creatine phosphokinase per ml) in a volume of 30 µl of 50 mM KCl-20 mM HEPES [pH 7.4]-8.5% glycerol-1 mM EDTA-1 mM MgCl2. The reactions were then immunoprecipitated for T antigen, pRb, p130, E2F-4, or E2F-1 by incubation with 1 to 2 µg of appropriate antibody for 25 min at 22°C and then adding 50 µl of a 50% slurry of protein A-Sepharose CL-4B beads (Pharmacia) in buffer I (40 mM KCl, 20 mM HEPES [pH 7.8], 6 mM MgCl2, 0.1% NP-40) and incubating for 30 min at 4°C. The complexes were captured via a 20-s spin in a microcentrifuge at 16,000 × g and washed three times with 1 ml of buffer M (150 mM NaCl, 50 mM HEPES [pH 7.4], 10% glycerol, 0.1% Tween 20). The final pellets were resuspended in 2× sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) sample buffer containing the reductants dithiothreitol and
-mercaptoethanol and resolved by electrophoresis
on an 8% gel. Gels were transferred to an Immobilon polyvinylidene
difluoride membrane (Millipore) and immunoblotted using antibodies
directed against appropriate proteins via the ECL+ protocol (Amersham). Where mentioned, autoradiography signal intensity was quantified using
NIH image 2.1. Alternatively, some of the
anti-T-antigen-immunoprecipitated pellets were assayed for the
chaperone-induced release of bound complexes. This was accomplished by
washing the pellets with buffer I (1 ml) three times and resuspending
the pellets in 30 µl of buffer I in the presence or absence of Hsc70
(1 µg) and the presence or absence of the ATP regeneration system,
followed by gel shift analysis (see below) of the E2F complexes
released into the supernatant. Mock-infected insect lysate (9 µg/µl) was added back to some of the reactions.
Gel shift assay. A total of 10 µg of insect cell lysate expressing p130, E2F-4, and DP-1 was incubated with 1 ng of 32P-, 5'-end-labeled (United States Biochemical T4 protocol) DNA probe that contains a consensus E2F binding site (5'-ATTTAAGTTTCGCGCCCTTTCTCAA-3'). Mutant competitor oligonucleotide had the following sequence with a 2-bp substitution (underlined): (5'-ATTTAAGTTTCGATCCCTTTCTCAA-3'). Reactions (20 µl) were incubated for 10 min on ice followed by 20 min at room temperature in 50 mM KCl-20 mM HEPES [pH 7.4]-8.5% glycerol-1 mM EDTA-1 mM MgCl2. Reactions were loaded onto a 0.25× Tris-borate-EDTA-4.5% acrylamide gel and run at 200 V for 3 h at 4°C. Antibodies were added at least 10 min after other reagents. Gels were dried and exposed to autoradiographic film (Biomax MR; Kodak) for 2 to 12 h or to the phosphorimager (Fuji) for quantification.
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RESULTS |
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In order to generate reactants to test the hypothesis that T antigen disrupts pRb-E2F family complexes, we expressed p130, E2F-4, and DP-1 in insect cells. From these cells, lysates were made and protein expression was confirmed as described in Materials and Methods. These lysates were sequentially immunoprecipitated with anti-p130 antibody and then probed for both p130 and E2F-4. Figure 1B (lanes 6 to 8) shows that greater than 90% of both p130 and E2F coprecipitated in the first immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, after two more consecutive immunoprecipitations, no E2F-4 or p130 was detectable in the supernatant (Fig. 1B, lane 9). Thus, we conclude that all of the E2F-4 present in this lysate is bound to p130. Similar immunodepletion experiments indicated that approximately 50% of the p130 present is complexed with E2F-4 (data not shown). Purified wild-type T antigen, mutants of T antigen, and Hsc70 were obtained as described in Materials and Methods. A Coomassie brilliant blue-stained gel of the purified proteins is shown in Fig. 1C.
T antigen associates with p130-E2F-4 complexes.
We asked if
the association of T antigen with the p130 in a p130-E2F-4 complex
dissociates p130 from E2F-4. Increasing amounts of purified T antigen
were added to the lysate expressing the p130-E2F-4 complex, and T
antigen was subsequently immunoprecipitated. Along with increasing
amounts of T antigen, increasing amounts of p130 and E2F-4 also
coprecipitated (Fig. 2A, top two panels, lanes 1 to 4). Immunoprecipitation of p130 from these T-antigen-treated lysates gave similar results; as greater amounts of T antigen were
added, an increase in the amount of T antigen that coprecipitated with
p130 was observed (Fig. 2A, bottom two panels, lanes 1 to 4). Adding
increasing amounts of T antigen did not decrease the amount of E2F-4
associated with p130 (Fig. 2A, bottom panel, lanes 1 versus 4). Thus, T
antigen binds to the p130-E2F-4 complex without dissociating p130 from
E2F-4 (see diagram at bottom of Fig. 2A). Next, we tested the
transformation-defective T-antigen pRb binding and J domain mutants
(3213 and D44N, respectively) for the ability to associate
with the p130-E2F-4 complex. The 3213 mutant contains an
altered pRb binding motif and is defective for transformation and viral
DNA replication (36). Immunoprecipitation of increasing amounts of 3213 fails to coprecipitate significant amounts
of p130 and E2F-4 compared to immunoprecipitation of wild-type T antigen (Fig. 2A, top panel, lanes 5 to 8). The residual amount of p130
binding by 3213 is consistent with our previous results that
showed that this mutant greatly reduces but does not eliminate T-antigen association with p130 (42).
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ATP and Hsc70 induce T antigen to dissociate from p130-E2F-4.
Given the evidence that the J domain of T antigen may act in
conjunction with the Rb binding motif to alter Rb-E2F family complexes
(see the introduction), we next tested the hypothesis that addition of
a cochaperone DnaK affects the stability of the T-antigen-p130-E2F-4
complex. DnaK molecular chaperones interact with J proteins and are
thought to change the conformation of bound protein substrates in an
ATP-dependent manner (20). We chose to include the DnaK
homologue Hsc70 in the reactions, since several studies have reported
that T antigen interacts with Hsc70 and can stimulate its ATPase
activity (5, 37, 42). We found that the addition of Hsc70
resulted in a modest decrease in the amount of p130 and E2F-4 which
coprecipitated with T antigen. This decrease is further enhanced by the
addition of an ATP regeneration system (Fig.
3A, lanes 3 and 4), although addition of
an ATP regeneration system alone had little effect on the amount of
p130 and E2F-4 that coprecipitated with T antigen (Fig. 3A, lane 2). We
conclude that Hsc70 mediates release of p130-E2F-4 from T antigen and
that this release is ATP dependent (diagram, bottom of Fig.
3A).
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T antigen requires Hsc70 and ATP to release p130 from E2F-4.
Next we sought to determine if E2F-4 remains associated with p130 after
release from T antigen. The ability of T antigen to dissociate p130
from E2F-4 was examined by immunoprecipitating E2F-4 and examining for
the release of p130 via immunoblot analysis. Upon incubation with T
antigen, Hsc70, and an ATP regeneration system, the amount of p130 as
well as the amount of T antigen associated with E2F-4 decreased by
approximately 90% (Fig. 4A, lane 3).
Incubation with Hsc70 and the ATP regeneration system without T antigen
had no effect on the levels of p130 associated with E2F-4 (Fig. 4C,
lane 3). In control reactions, a slight decrease in the amount of p130
associated with E2F-4 is observed if T antigen is incubated with either
Hsc70 or an ATP regeneration system alone (Fig. 4B, lanes 3 and 4). The
addition of T antigen without Hsc70 and ATP did not decrease the amount
of p130 associated with E2F-4; in fact, a consistent increase in p130
was observed (Fig. 4A, lane 2). Similar results were obtained when p130
was immunoprecipitated from T antigen treated extracts and the amount
of associated E2F-4 was examined (Fig. 4A, right). A fragment of Hsc70
comprising the ATPase binding domain, Hsc701-386, that
fails to bind T antigen (unpublished data) was unable to stimulate the
T-antigen-induced release of p130 from E2F-4 (Fig. 4C, lane 5). We
conclude that T antigen mediates the disruption of E2F from p130 in a
reaction that requires Hsc70 and ATP.
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S
(Fig. 4C, lane 7) were included in the release reaction instead of the
ATP regeneration system. Neither could cooperate with Hsc70 and T
antigen to induce the disruption of p130 from E2F-4. We conclude that
hydrolysis of ATP is required for the Hsc70- and T-antigen-induced
disruption of E2F-4 from p130.
T antigen requires a functional J domain and Rb binding motif to release p130-E2F-4 complexes. Since the J domain is required to disengage T antigen from the p130-E2F-4 complex (Fig. 3B), we tested whether a functional J domain is required for the T-antigen-induced release of p130 from E2F-4. Either purified wild-type T antigen or the J domain mutant D44N was incubated with Hsc70, the ATP regeneration system, and the lysate expressing p130-E2F-4-DP-1 followed by immunoprecipitation with antibody against E2F-4. As shown before, incubation with T antigen, Hsc70, and ATP resulted in a decrease in the p130 that coprecipitated with E2F-4 (Fig. 4B, lane 5). However, with D44N, no change in the amount of p130 that coprecipitated with E2F-4 was observed (Fig. 4B, lane 7). Also, D44N was found in the E2F-4 immunoprecipitates even though wild-type T antigen is released in the presence of Hsc70 and ATP (Fig. 4B, lanes 5 and 7). We conclude that T antigen requires a functional J domain to mediate disruption of p130 from E2F-4 (see diagram at right of Fig. 4B).
We next determined if the Rb binding mutant of T antigen (3213) was capable of dissociating p130 from E2F-4. 3213, Hsc70, and ATP were added to the p130-E2F-4 lysate and immunoprecipitated with antibody against E2F-4. No decrease in the amount of p130 coprecipitating with E2F-4 was observed (Fig. 4B, lane 6). Thus, disruption of the p130-E2F-4 complex requires a functional LXCXE motif. Even though E2F-4 is released from p130 following treatment with T antigen, Hsc70, and ATP, it still remains associated with its heterodimeric partner DP-1 (Fig. 4B). Therefore, treatment with T antigen and Hsc70 does not disrupt all protein complexes but rather is specific for the release of p130 from E2F-4-DP-1. Finally, T antigen induces the degradation of p130 in vivo (43), and we have observed a reduction in the steady-state levels of p130 and E2F-4 upon SV40 infection (unpublished results). These data raise the possibility that the dissociation of p130 from E2F-4 could be due to their degradation. To test this, mock immunoprecipitation assays were performed, and the steady-state levels of p130 and E2F-4 were determined via immunoblot analysis. No change in the level of either E2F-4 or p130 was detected upon treatment with T antigen, Hsc70, and an ATP regeneration system (Fig. 4D, lanes 1 and 2). Therefore, with our in vitro results, degradation cannot account for the disassociation of p130 from E2F-4.Free E2F-4 and p130-E2F-4 released from T antigen are capable of
binding DNA.
Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis shows that
the p130-E2F-4-DP-1 complex from lysates containing p130, E2F-4, and
DP-1 binds to DNA containing an E2F consensus site. Incubation of
lysate that contains only E2F-4 and DP-1 showed a free E2F complex that migrates as a single band (Fig. 5A, lane
2). A slower-migrating complex is observed when lysates from cells
expressing p130-E2F-4-DP-1 are incubated in the gel shift reaction
(Fig. 5A, lane 3). Incubation with mock-infected Sf9 cell lysate showed
no complex, indicating that endogenous insect E2F DNA binding activity
is below the level of detection of this assay (Fig. 5A, lane 1).
Incubation of the lysate containing the p130-E2F-4-DP-1 complex with
antibody to p130 supershifted the entire complex, indicating that all
of the active E2F is complexed to p130 (Fig. 5A, lane 4). The
p130-E2F-4-DP-1-DNA complex is specific, since including a 500-fold
molar excess of specific competitor oligonucleotide abolished formation
of the complex; however, incubation with a 500-fold molar excess of
mutant competitor oligonucleotide had no effect (Fig. 5A, lanes 5 and 6). Thus, the p130-E2F-4-DP-1 complex present in the lysate
specifically binds to DNA containing an E2F consensus binding site.
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T antigen requires Hsc70 and ATP to disrupt pRb from E2F. We next tested if T antigen could dissociate E2F from an Rb family member other than p130. Insect cell lysates overexpressing pRb were mixed with lysates overexpressing E2F-4 and DP-1 to allow a complex to form. Subsequent immunoprecipitation and gel shift analysis confirmed that pRb bound to E2F-4 (data not shown). These mixed lysates were then incubated with T antigen and immunoprecipitated with anti-T-antigen antibody. We then treated these pellets as in the p130 release assay described above. Treatment with lysate, an ATP regeneration system, and Hsc70 releases free E2F-4, as assayed by gel shift analysis (Fig. 5D, lane 4). Surprisingly, unlike the previous experiments with p130, very little (less than 5%) of the released E2F complexes is bound to pRB. As one might expect from the p130-E2F-4 results, mutants of T antigen in the J domain and Rb binding motif are defective for this activity (Fig. 5D, lanes 5 and 6; 60 and 85% defective, respectively). Therefore, T antigen induces the disruption of multiple pRb family members from E2F in an Hsc70-, ATP-, and J domain-dependent manner.
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DISCUSSION |
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SV40 T antigen is a multifunctional, multidomain protein that can induce neoplastic transformation and is required for viral DNA replication, gene transactivation, and virion assembly. Previous studies demonstrated that the J domain of T antigen is essential for both viral replication and transformation (32, 42). In some circumstances, transformation by T antigen requires that the J domain act in cis with the pRb binding motif (42). Furthermore, T antigen requires a functional J domain to alleviate pRb-mediated repression of E2F transactivation (19, 39, 43). This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that T antigen's effect on pRb family complexes requires the action of both its J domain and Rb binding motif to inhibit pRb function and drive the cells to divide. These data have led to a model in which T antigen chaperones the rearrangement of multiprotein complexes to elicit its growth-promoting effects on the cell (39, 42). However, this model has not been proven, and the mechanism by which the J domain modulates the activity of pRb family complexes remains undetermined. In this work we show that T antigen binds to pRb family members and dissociates E2F by a mechanism that requires ATP hydrolysis and the DnaJ molecular chaperone function of T antigen.
T antigen does not disrupt Rb-E2F complexes by affinity
displacement.
One model to explain how T antigen frees E2F from
its association with Rb is that T antigen and E2F compete for the same
binding site on Rb but that T antigen has a higher affinity for this
site than E2F (8). Thus, the addition of T antigen to the
Rb-E2F complex induces the displacement of free E2F by affinity
displacement (Fig. 6A). This is
consistent with observations that T-antigen binding to pRb is required
to inactivate Rb's growth-suppressive functions. However, recent
evidence indicates that in addition to the Rb binding motif, a
functional J domain is required for T antigen to block Rb function
(32, 39, 47). Consequently, a chaperone-based model was
proposed in which the J domain recruits Hsc70 into association with the
Rb-E2F complex and E2F is released due to the action of Hsc70 on the
complex (42).
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Disruption of Rb-E2F complexes requires the molecular chaperone activity of T antigen. Previous work has shown that T antigen binds Hsc70 through its J domain and that a functional J domain is required for T antigen inactivation of Rb function (5, 39, 42, 47). We proposed a model in which disruption of the Rb-E2F complex requires energy that is derived from Hsc70-mediated ATP hydrolysis. In this model, T antigen serves as a scaffold that brings the Rb-E2F complex in contact with the Hsc70 chaperone machine.
In this study we found that T antigen could mediate the disruption of Rb-E2F complexes in a reaction that requires exogenous Hsc70 and ATP. Mutants of T antigen that cannot bind to Rb or that contain a nonfunctional J domain fail to disrupt Rb-E2F complexes. As expected, a mutant T antigen that is defective for Rb binding failed to either associate with p130-E2F complexes or mediate the release of E2F from p130 in the presence of ATP and Hsc70. A T-antigen mutant containing a defective J domain associated with p130-E2F complexes as well as wild-type T antigen, but was defective for the Hsc70- and ATP-dependent dissociation of the p130-E2F complexes. An Hsc70 mutant that fails to bind to T antigen does not disrupt p130 from E2F-4. The nucleotide dependence of this reaction is specific to ATP, since ADP and ATP
S
fail to induce the disruption of p130 from E2F-4. Both T antigen and
Hsc70 have robust ATPase activities. However, ATPase-defective
T-antigen mutants are still capable of disrupting p130-E2F-4 in the
presence of Hsc70 and ATP (data not shown). Therefore, we conclude that the reaction requires Hsc70-mediated ATP hydrolysis.
The above results are consistent with a chaperone-based model (Fig. 6B)
in which T antigen binds to p130-E2F complexes through its LXCXE motif.
In this model, the J domain of T antigen recruits Hsc70 to the Rb-E2F
complex, stimulating the ATPase activity of Hsc70. This in turn
releases the p130-E2F-4 complex from T antigen, inducing the
dissociation of p130 from E2F. Presumably, T antigen and Hsc70 are then
free to recycle and act on additional p130-E2F complexes. In the
context of the cell, this action of T antigen could remove a cellular
growth transcription-inhibitory p130-E2F-4-DP-1 complex and/or induce
a growth-promoting complex composed of free E2F-4-DP-1.
Once the p130-E2F-4 complex is disrupted by T antigen, some
modification to p130 or E2F-4 may be required to prevent their reassociation. In the context of the cell, this modification may target
p130 or E2F-4 for degradation, since the J domain of T antigen is
required to decrease the half-life of p130 (43) and SV40
infection decreases the steady-state levels of p130 and E2F-4 (unpublished results). It is also possible that the action of T antigen
causes changes in the association of Hsc70 with p130 and that this
renders the p130 complex incapable of reassociating with E2F-4. It has
been shown that pRb can bind to Hsc70 in tissue cell culture and in
vitro (23). We have shown that p130 can form a stable
complex with Hsc70 in vitro (unpublished observation), but the in vivo
relevance of this interaction or whether this can modify the function
of p130 remains to be determined. We have shown that a semipurified
p130-E2F complex released from a T-antigen-immunoprecipitation pellet
can bind to DNA, but only approximately 10% is unbound to p130. If,
however, we add back lysate to the immunoprecipitated T-antigen-p130-E2F-4 complex, we obtain a sixfold increase in the
amount of free E2F-4 observed. Additions of buffer alone, buffer and
BSA, or heat-treated lysate all fail to induce this effect. This
evidence corresponds well with our immunoprecipitation Western blot
data (Fig. 3), in which we are able to detect up to 90% of the
p130-E24F complex being disrupted. For these experiments, Hsc70 and ATP
are added directly to the insect lysate expressing the p130-E2F-4
complex, and then immunoprecipitation is conducted. Thus, any factors
present in the lysate that increase the efficiency of the
chaperone-mediated reaction are present. If, however, we first
immunoprecipitate the T-antigen-p130-E2F-4 complex and then treat
with Hsc70 and ATP, it is difficult to detect any release of the p130
from E2F-4 by Western blot analysis (data not shown). Since the factor
is heat sensitive, we conclude that it is most likely proteinaceous.
This factor increases the efficiency of the T-antigen-mediated
chaperone-dependent release of p130-E2F-4 from T antigen as well as
the release of p130 from E2F-4. Future experimentation is required to
identify the components of this factor.
T antigen directs the rearrangement of multiprotein complexes. Recently it has been reported that the J domain of T antigen is required for synergistic transactivation and binding with the transcription factor complex Tst-1-Oct6-SCIP (41). Others have shown that expression of a J domain-containing fragment of T antigen is sufficient to downregulate the Her-2 promoter, which is hyperactivated in certain breast cancers (26). Mutations in the J domain of T antigen render SV40 defective for viral DNA replication and virion assembly as well as transformation (32, 42). Perhaps recruiting different multiprotein complexes into association with the Hsc70 chaperone machine is a common theme linking T antigen's diverse functions (2).
Chaperone-mediated rearrangement of multiprotein complexes could be a common viral strategy, as phage lambda uses host E. coli DnaJ and DnaK to rearrange the replication machinery proteins essential for phage replication (45). Since T antigen disrupts Rb-E2F family complexes via a molecular chaperone mechanism, we wonder if adenovirus E1A or papillomavirus E7, which also contain an LXCXE Rb binding motif, utilize a chaperone mechanism to disrupt Rb-E2F complexes. The papillomavirus protein E1 utilizes the cellular chaperones Hsc70 and DnaJ to stimulate viral genome replication (29). The papillomavirus E7 protein interacts with a mitochondrial J protein involved in apoptosis regulation (38, 44). Since E1A and E7 contain no homology to J proteins, it is unlikely that they directly stimulate the ATPase activity of Hsc70 to disrupt Rb-E2F complexes. However, it is possible that E1A or E7 indirectly uses cellular chaperones to assist in disrupting Rb-E2F complexes. It has been shown that a peptide of the conserved region 1 (CR1) of E1A may compete with E2F for the same binding site on Rb (15a, 22a). Our experiments do not rule out a role for the T antigen CR1 motif in the disruption of Rb-E2F complexes. However, we observe a stable association of T antigen with Rb-E2F complexes, indicating that E2F and T antigen can exist in the same complex in the presence of CR1. Thus, the presence of an intact amino terminus (including the CR1 motif and J domain) is not sufficient to disrupt Rb from E2F unless exogenous Hsc70 and ATP are included in the reaction. Furthermore, the J domain mutant D44N, which contains a wild-type CR1, is defective for disrupting Rb from E2F even in the presence of Hsc70 and ATP. Therefore, the disruption of Rb-E2F complexes that we observe is truly a chaperone-dependent phenomenon that cannot be accounted for simply by competition for Rb binding between E2F and the CR1 motif of T antigen. Our results suggest several new functions of Hsc70. For the first time we demonstrate that Hsc70 assists in the release of p130 from E2F-4 as well as the release of p130 from T antigen (Fig. 3 and 4). The tumor suppressor proteins p53 and pRb both associate with the molecular chaperone Hsc70 (16, 23, 30), although the function of these interactions is unclear. One possibility is that the normal cellular role of these tumor suppressors is modified by Hsc70, similar to the way T antigen induces Hsc70 to affect Rb. Similarly, chaperones may be involved in regulating the function of the p53 tumor suppressor. T antigen binds and inactivates p53, and it is possible that the J domain plays a role in this process (34, 35). The work presented in this paper suggests that the cellular chaperone machinery is essential for the virus-induced disruption of pRb-E2F family complexes and that this accounts for the J domain requirement for T-antigen-induced transformation. Future experiments will test if a similar mechanism is utilized in nonvirally induced cell cycle progression.| |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
|---|
This work was supported by NIH grant CA40586.
We thank J. Brodsky, K. Sachsenmeier, R. Hendrix, A. McClellan, A. Slinskey, and L. Engler for their critical reading of the manuscript. We thank T. Harper for assistance with the figures.
| |
FOOTNOTES |
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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. Phone: (412) 624-4691. Fax: (412) 624-4759. E-mail: pipas+{at}pitt.edu.
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