Faculty Bibliography

For sperm to fertilize eggs, they must bind to and penetrate the zona pellucida (ZP) that surrounds the plasma membrane of all mammalian eggs. The ZP first appears during oocyte growth and increases in thickness as oocytes increase in diameter. The ZP is an extracellular matrix composed of long, crosslinked filaments. In mice, three glycoproteins, called mZP1-3, are synthesised and secreted by growing oocytes and assembled into a thick (-6.5 microm) extracellular coat over a 2-3 week period. Recently, we identified several regions of nascent ZP glycoproteins that affect their secretion and incorporation into the ZP (assembly) by growing oocytes. Among these are the ZP domain, the consensus furin cleavage site (CFCS) and the C-terminal propeptide (CTP) with its transmembrane domain (TMD), external hydrophobic patch (EHP), charged patch (CP), conserved cysteine (Cys) residue, and short cytoplasmic tail (CT). Particularly important is the ZP domain, a approximately 260 amino acid region with 8 conserved Cys residues that is common to a variety of extracellular proteins of diverse functions found in a wide range of multicellular eukaryotes. Our results show that the ZP domain functions as a polymerisation module and that its N-terminal half, including 4 conserved Cys residues, is largely responsible for this role. Additionally, two conserved hydrophobic sequences, one within the ZP domain (internal hydrophobic patch; IHP) and another within the CTP (EHP), apparently regulate polymerisation of nascent ZP glycoproteins. Collectively, our findings suggest a general mechanism for assembly of all ZP domain proteins based on coupling between proteolytic processing and polymerisation.

When an essential amino acid is limited, a signaling cascade is triggered that leads to increased translation of the 'master regulator', activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and resulting in the induction of specific target genes. Binding of ATF4 to the amino acid response element (AARE) is an essential step in the transcriptional activation of CHOP (a CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-related gene) by amino acid deprivation. We set out to identify proteins that interact with ATF4 and that play a role in the transcriptional activation of CHOP. Using a tandem affinity purification (TAP) tag approach, we identified p300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF) as a novel interaction partner of ATF4 in leucine-starved cells. We show that the N-terminal region of ATF4 is required for a direct interaction with PCAF and demonstrate that PCAF is involved in the full transcriptional response of CHOP by amino acid starvation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that PCAF is engaged on the CHOP AARE in response to amino acid starvation and that ATF4 is essential for its recruitment. We also show that PCAF stimulates ATF4-driven transcription via its histone acetyltransferase domain. Thus PCAF acts as a coactivator of ATF4 and is involved in the enhancement of CHOP transcription following amino acid starvation.

The transcriptional activation of CHOP (a CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein-related gene) by amino acid deprivation involves the activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) and the activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) binding the amino acid response element (AARE) within the promoter. Using a chromatin immunoprecipitation approach, we report that in vivo binding of phospho-ATF2 and ATF4 to CHOP AARE are associated with acetylation of histones H4 and H2B in response to amino acid starvation. A time course analysis reveals that ATF2 phosphorylation precedes histone acetylation, ATF4 binding and the increase in CHOP mRNA. We also show that ATF4 binding and histone acetylation are two independent events that are required for the CHOP induction upon amino acid starvation. Using ATF2-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we demonstrate that ATF2 is essential in the acetylation of histone H4 and H2B in vivo. The role of ATF2 on histone H4 acetylation is dependent on its binding to the AARE and can be extended to other amino acid regulated genes. Thus, ATF2 is involved in promoting the modification of the chromatin structure to enhance the transcription of a number of amino acid-regulated genes.

The most noticeable morphological feature of the cerebellum is its folded appearance, whereby fissures separate its anterior-posterior extent into lobules. Each lobule is molecularly coded along the medial-lateral axis by parasagittal stripes of gene expression in one cell type, the Purkinje cells (PCs). Additionally, within each lobule distinct combinations of afferents terminate and supply the cerebellum with synchronized sensory and motor information. Strikingly, afferent terminal fields are organized into parasagittal domains, and this pattern bears a close relationship to PC molecular coding. Thus, cerebellum three-dimensional complexity obeys a basic coordinate system that can be broken down into morphology and molecular coding. In this review, we summarize the sequential stages of cerebellum development that produce its laminar structure, foliation, and molecular organization. We also introduce genes that regulate morphology and molecular coding, and discuss the establishment of topographical circuits within the context of the two coordinate systems. Finally, we discuss how abnormal cerebellar organization may result in neurological disorders like autism