Wnt-mediated repression via bipartite DNA recognition by TCF in the Drosophila hematopoietic system

PLoS Genet. 2014 Aug 21;10(8):e1004509. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004509. eCollection 2014 Aug.

Abstract

The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays many important roles in animal development, tissue homeostasis and human disease. Transcription factors of the TCF family mediate many Wnt transcriptional responses, promoting signal-dependent activation or repression of target gene expression. The mechanism of this specificity is poorly understood. Previously, we demonstrated that for activated targets in Drosophila, TCF/Pangolin (the fly TCF) recognizes regulatory DNA through two DNA binding domains, with the High Mobility Group (HMG) domain binding HMG sites and the adjacent C-clamp domain binding Helper sites. Here, we report that TCF/Pangolin utilizes a similar bipartite mechanism to recognize and regulate several Wnt-repressed targets, but through HMG and Helper sites whose sequences are distinct from those found in activated targets. The type of HMG and Helper sites is sufficient to direct activation or repression of Wnt regulated cis-regulatory modules, and protease digestion studies suggest that TCF/Pangolin adopts distinct conformations when bound to either HMG-Helper site pair. This repressive mechanism occurs in the fly lymph gland, the larval hematopoietic organ, where Wnt/β-catenin signaling controls prohemocytic differentiation. Our study provides a paradigm for direct repression of target gene expression by Wnt/β-catenin signaling and allosteric regulation of a transcription factor by DNA.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics*
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • HMG-Box Domains / genetics*
  • Hematopoietic System / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Lymph / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics*
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism
  • Transcriptional Activation / genetics
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway / genetics
  • beta Catenin / genetics

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • beta Catenin
  • pan protein, Drosophila

Grants and funding

This work is supported by National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov) grant 0950348 to KMC and American Heart Association (my.americanheart.org) grant 12PRE9520018 to CUZ. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.