Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) interacts with transportin SR2, and active nuclear import is facilitated by a novel nuclear localization motif

PEDF (Pigment epithelium-derived factor) is a non-inhibitory member of the serpin gene family (serpinF1) that displays neurotrophic and anti-angiogenic properties. PEDF contains a secretion signal sequence, but although originally regarded as a secreted extracellular protein, endogenous PEDF is found in the cytoplasm and nucleus of several mammalian cell types. In this study we employed a yeast two-hybrid interaction trap screen to identify transportin-SR2, a member of the importin-β family of nuclear transport karyopherins, as a putative PEDF binding partner. The interaction was supported in vitro by GST-pulldown and co-immunoprecipitation. Following transfection of HEK293 cells with GFP-tagged PEDF the protein was predominantly localised to the nucleus, suggesting that active import of PEDF occurs. A motif (YxxYRVRS) shared by PEDF and the unrelated transportin-SR2 substrate, RNA binding motif protein 4b, was identified and we investigated its potential as a nuclear localization signal (NLS) sequence. Site-directed mutagenesis of this helix A motif in PEDF resulted in a GFP-tagged mutant protein being excluded from the nucleus, and mutation of two arginine residues (R67, R69) was sufficient to abolish nuclear import and PEDF interaction with transportin-SR2. These results suggest a novel NLS and mechanism for serpinF1 nuclear import, which may be critical for anti-angiogenic and neurotrophic function.