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A number of recessive autosomal genes cause male infertility. Male mice homozygous for the blind-sterile ( bs / bs ) and quaking-sterile ( qk / qk ) gene mutations are sterile, because they either do not produce any spermatozoa or produce only a few abnormal spermatozoa. Mice lacking the cyclic AMP responsive-element modulator gene are sterile due to failure of spermiogenesis. All these mice, however, are able to produce fertile offspring when their spermatozoa or round spermatids are injected into oocytes of normal females. This implies that genetic and epigenetic elements necessary for syngamy and embryonic development are established in round spermatids and spermatozoa of these animals, even though their spermatogenic cells are destined to die ( bs / bs and qk / qk ) or are programmed to undergo apoptosis (cyclic AMP responsive-element modulator-null) without becoming functional spermatozoa.

International audience; Reserpine treatment leads to a trans-synaptic increase of the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene transcription rate, mRNA and protein levels in catecholaminergic tissues including the adrenal medulla (AM) and the superior cervical ganglia (SCG). The TPA-responsive element plays an important role in the trans-synaptically-induced transcription of the TH gene in the AM, whereas it does not appear to be involved in the SCG (Trocmé et al. [1997] J. Neurosci. Res. 48:489-498). In this study, we show that another regulatory sequence of the TH proximal promoter, the cAMP-responsive element (CRE), binds different factors in the AM and in the SCG. To elucidate the dynamics of promoter regulation a complete time course analysis was conducted. Reserpine treatment enhances, between 1 hr and 8 hr after the injection, the expression and the binding of the repressor ICER in the AM, whereas in the SCG it enhances the binding of CREM factors. These results suggest that the mechanisms mediating trans-synaptic induction of the TH gene are different in the AM and SCG. The interplay between positive and negative transcription factors and their kinetics of action are responsive of the long-term regulation of the TH gene.

Transcription factor AP-1 is constituted by the various products of the fos and jun proto-oncogene family members, which associate as dimers to bind with variable efficiency to 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA)-responsive promoter elements (TREs). We have recently shown that DNA binding of AP-1 is regulated by an inhibitory protein, IP-1, whose activity is modulated by phosphorylation. Here it is shown that although AP-1 has a very high affinity for its recognition sequence, its binding to the TRE can be quickly inhibited by the addition of IP-1. IP-1 is more active on AP-1 complexes formed during a shorter period of time. IP-1 activity is blocked by stimulation of the protein kinase C (PKC) signal transduction pathway, achieved by treating HeLa cells with phorbol esters or with a diacylglycerol analog. We observed an increase in AP-1-DNA binding after treatment of the cells with either the calcium ionophore A-23187 or dibutyryl cAMP; this could be ascribed to inhibition of IP-1 activity. A decreased IP-1 activity also correlates with the increase in AP-1-DNA binding after stimulating cells with serum. This suggests that IP-1 is an important target of the various signal transduction pathways. No effect on AP-1 and IP-1 was detected in cells transformed by Ki-ras or v-raf; nor could an effect of inhibition of protein synthesis be observed. We also analysed IP-1 regulation upon differentiation of P19 embryonal carcinoma cells by retinoic acid. We conclude that IP-1 regulation has a pivotal role in the final modulation of Fos-Jun by signal transduction pathways.

Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells differentiate to sympathetic neuron-like cells upon treatment with nerve growth factor (NGF). The ras and src transforming proteins also induce PC12 neuronal differentiation and are likely to involve the protein kinase C signal transduction pathway. Using a number of ras mutants, we have established that the domains of oncogenic ras protein responsible for PC12 differentiation overlap those required for cellular transformation. All of the ras mutants that induced neuronal differentiation also activated c-fos transcription through the dyad symmetry element (DSE). Transforming ras protein activated an intracellular signal pathway, which led to the induction of 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate-responsive elements; activation was enhanced by coexpression of the proto-oncogene jun (encoding AP-1) and was further augmented by fos. Nuclear extracts from ras-infected PC12 cells showed an increased AP-1 DNA-binding activity. Transcriptional activation by ras was independent of the cyclic AMP-dependent pathway of signal transduction. We propose a possible involvement of fos and jun in ras-induced differentiation.

Transcription factor AP-1 is constituted by the products of the various fos and jun genes. AP-1 activity is modulated by second messengers and appears to involve post-translational modifications of Fos and Jun. It has been shown that phosphorylation mediated by glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is involved in negative regulation of c-Jun DNA-binding function in vitro. Here we show that two forms of GSK-3 function to decrease the DNA-binding activity as well as the transcriptional activation elicited by c-Jun in vivo. Similarly, the other members of the jun family, JunB, JunD and v-Jun, are negatively regulated by GSK-3 in vivo, although to a slightly lesser extent than c-Jun. We have also tested the proteins encoded by the Drosophila shaggy gene (sgg) in our assays. The sgg proteins share homology with the mammalian GSK-3 and appear to be important for the normal segregation of bristle precursor cells in the imaginal epithelium in Drosophila. Here we show that the products of the sgg gene can also function as negative regulators of Jun/AP-1.

The c-fos protooncogene is suspected to play a major role during the activation of cells from different lineages. In particular, c-fos transcription is induced upon entry into a proliferation cycle in a wide variety of cell types. In this study, we have transfected an IL-2-dependent murine T cell line with chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) reporter constructs, harboring various regions of the human c-fos promoter. We show that IL-2 induces activation of fos CAT reporter constructs in these cells. Furthermore, the induction by IL-2 is mediated through a dyad symmetry element, the serum response element, which is also responsible for fos CAT reporter constructs activation by PMA, a pharmacologic activator of the protein kinase C (PKC). To assess any involvement of PKC in signal transduction for fos CAT reporter activation by IL-2, CTL-L2 cells were PKC-depleted by treatment with high doses of PMA. Such a treatment abolished the transcriptional response of fos CAT reporter constructs to PMA. In contrast, IL-2 was still able to activate fos CAT transcription, albeit with a lower efficiency. These results suggest that PMA-sensitive PKC might be part of intracellular transduction pathways leading to c-fos transcriptional activation by IL-2, and that at least one alternate pathway participates in the complete response. However, these distinct signal transduction pathways have the same DNA target on c-fos promoter, the serum response element.

Pulsatile hormone synthesis and secretion are characteristic features of various oscillatory biological systems. Circadian rhythms are critical in the regulation of most physiological functions, and much interest has been centred on the understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing them. Adaptation to a changing environment is an essential feature of physiological regulation. The day-night rhythm is translated into hormonal oscillations governing the metabolism of all living organisms. In mammals the pineal gland is responsible for the circadian synthesis of the hormone melatonin in response to signals originating from the endogenous clock located in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The molecular mechanisms involved in rhythmic synthesis of melatonin involve the CREM gene, which encodes transcription factors responsive to activation of the cAMP signalling pathway. The CREM product, ICER, is rhythmically expressed and participates in a transcriptional autoregulatory loop which also controls the amplitude of oscillations of serotonin N-acetyl transferase, the rate-limiting enzyme of melatonin synthesis. Thus, a transcription factor modulates the oscillatory levels of a hormone.

Transcription factor AP-1 is inducible by phorbol esters and thus could be considered to be one final target of the protein kinase C signal transduction pathway. AP-1 consists of the products of the fos and jun oncogenes, which associate as dimers to bind TPA-responsive promoter elements (TRE) efficiently. We show that AP-1 activity is modulated by an inhibitory protein (IP-1), present both in the nucleus and cytoplasm of several cell types. IP-1 specifically blocks DNA binding of AP-1 from nuclear extracts and of in vitro synthesized Fos/Jun proteins. It is a labile protein of 30-40 kd, which exerts its activity only in the nonphosphorylated form. Block of IP-1 function is obtained by PKA-mediated phosphorylation, possibly suggesting a cross talk mechanism at transcriptional level. Competition experiments with synthetic peptides suggest that IP-1 could interact with Fos and/or Jun leucine zippers. We speculate that IP-1 might act as a transcriptional antioncogene.

The hepatic expression of the alpha-2u-globulin gene family is controlled by a variety of hormones including steroids, growth hormone and insulin. The mechanisms by which these hormones affect alpha 2u-globulin expression are only partially understood. Recently we isolated and characterized clone RAP 01, an alpha 2u-globulin gene expressed in the liver. In preliminary experiments we noted that partial hepatectomy, a procedure which results in a sharp rise in the level of the oncoproteins c-Fos and c-Jun, also causes a transient induction of the messenger RNA corresponding to clone RAP 01. Using the DNAseI footprinting technique we were able to show that this clone contains a TPA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate)-responsive element (TRE) in its first intron. This element (denoted as element X) is identical to the consensus AP-1 binding site (TGACTCAG) and is protected by rat liver nuclear extracts as well as by purified c-Jun. Gel retardation experiments show that an oligonucleotide containing the TRE consensus sequence competes for binding of liver nuclear proteins to element X and that antibodies directed against the M2 peptide of the mouse Fos protein or the PEP-2 peptide of Jun prevent the formation of specific complexes with the same element. Moreover, element X functions as a TRE in transfected BWTG3 hepatoma cells treated with TPA. Co-transfection with fos and jun expression vectors mimics the effects of TPA suggesting that AP-1 is in fact the mediator of the observed response. It is concluded that the first intron of RAP 01 contains a functional Fos-Jun element.

Autophagy and energy metabolism are known to follow a circadian pattern. However, it is unclear whether autophagy and the circadian clock are coordinated by common control mechanisms. Here, we show that the oscillation of autophagy genes is dependent on the nutrient-sensitive activation of TFEB and TFE3, key regulators of autophagy, lysosomal biogenesis, and cell homeostasis. TFEB and TFE3 display a circadian activation over the 24-h cycle and are responsible for the rhythmic induction of genes involved in autophagy during the light phase. Genetic ablation of TFEB and TFE3 in mice results in deregulated autophagy over the diurnal cycle and altered gene expression causing abnormal circadian wheel-running behavior. In addition, TFEB and TFE3 directly regulate the expression of Rev-erbα (Nr1d1), a transcriptional repressor component of the core clock machinery also involved in the regulation of whole-body metabolism and autophagy. Comparative analysis of the cistromes of TFEB/TFE3 and REV-ERBα showed an extensive overlap of their binding sites, particularly in genes involved in autophagy and metabolic functions. These data reveal a direct link between nutrient and clock-dependent regulation of gene expression shedding a new light on the crosstalk between autophagy, metabolism, and circadian cycles.