Search

ZO-2 is a MAGUK protein that in confluent epithelial sheets localizes at tight junctions (TJ) whereas in sparse cultures accumulates in clusters at the nucleus. Here, we have characterized several nuclear properties of ZO-2. We observe that ZO-2 is present in the nuclear matrix and co-immunoprecipitates with lamin B(1) and actin from the nuclei of sparse cultures. We show that ZO-2 presents several NLS at its amino region, that when deleted, diminish the nuclear import of the ZO-2 amino segment and impair the ability of the region to regulate the transcriptional activity of promoters controlled by AP-1. Several RS repeats are detected in the ZO-2 amino segment, however, their deletion does not preclude the display of a speckled nuclear pattern. ZO-2 displays two putative NES. However, only the second one appears to be functional, as when conjugated to ovalbumin (OV), it is able to translocate this protein from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in a leptomycin B-sensitive way.

ZO-2 is a membrane-associated guanylate kinase (MAGUK) protein present at the tight junction (TJ) of epithelial cells. While confluent monolayers have ZO-2 at their cellular borders, sparse cultures conspicuously show ZO-2 at the nuclei. To study the role of nuclear ZO-2, we tested by pull-down assays and gel shift analysis the interaction between ZO-2 GST fusion proteins and different transcription factors. We identified the existence of a specific interaction of ZO-2 with Fos, Jun and C/EBP (CCAAT/enhancer binding protein). To analyze if this association is present "in vivo", we performed immunoprecipitation and immunolocalization experiments, which revealed an interaction of ZO-2 with Jun, Fos and C/EBP not only at the nucleus but also at the TJ region. To test if the association of ZO-2 with AP-1 (activator protein-1) modulates gene transcription, we performed reporter gene assays employing chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) constructs with promoters under the control of AP-1 sites. We observed that the co-transfected ZO-2 down-regulates CAT expression in a dose-dependent manner. Since ZO-2 is a multidomain protein, we proceeded to determine which region of the molecule is responsible for the modulation of gene expression, and observed that both the amino and the carboxyl domains are capable of inhibiting gene transcription.

Most of the information on the structure and function of the tight junction (TJ) has been obtained in MDCK cells. Accordingly, we have sequenced ZO-1 in this cell type, because this protein is involved in the response of the TJ to changes in Ca 21 , phosphorylation, and the cytoskeleton. ZO-1 of MDCK cells comprises 6805 bp with a predicted open reading frame of 1769 amino acids. This sequence is 92 and 87% homologous to human and mouse ZO-1, respectively. Two nuclear sorting signals located at the PDZ1 and GK domains and 17 SH3 putative binding sites at the proline-rich domain were detected. We found two new splicing regions at the proline-rich region: b had not been reported in human and mouse counterparts, and g, which was previously sequenced in human and mouse ZO-1, is now identified as a splicing region. The expression of different b and g isoforms varies according to the tissue tested. With the information provided by the sequence, Southern blot, and PCR experiments we can predict a single genomic copy of MDCK-ZO-1 that is at least 13.16 kb long. MDCK-ZO-1 mRNA is 7.4 kb long. Its expression is regulated by calcium, while the expression of MDCK-ZO-1 protein is not. © 1999 Academic Press