Interaction of Calcineurin with a Domain of Thetranscription Factor NFAT1 That Controls Nuclear Import
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 93, pp. 8907-8912, August 1996 Biochemistry Interaction of calcineurin with a domain of the transcription factor NFAT1 that controls nuclear import (protein phosphatase/nuclear localization sequence/immunosuppression/T cell activation/signal transduction) CHUN Luo*t#, KAREN T.-Y. SHAW*t§, ANURADHA RAGHAVANT, JOSE ARAMBURU*, FRANcisco GARCIA COZAR*, BRiAN A. PERRINOII, PATRICK G. HOGAN1, AND ANJANA RAO*,** *Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Pathology, and IDepartment of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115; and IlThe Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR 97201 Communicated by Stephen C. Harrison, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, May 8, 1996 (received for review February 7, 1996) ABSTRACT The nuclear import of the nuclear factor of hallmarks of activation is dependent on calcineurin, since each activated T cells (NFAT)-family transcription factors is ini- is blocked by CsA or FK506 (30). Here we present evidence tiated by the protein phosphatase calcineurin. Here we iden- suggesting that the close control of NFAT1 activation by the tify a regulatory region of NFAT1, N terminal to the DNA- calcium/calcineurin pathway reflects a protein-protein inter- binding domain, that controls nuclear import of NFAT1. The action that targets calcineurin to NFAT1. regulatory region of NFAT1 binds directly to calcineurin, is a substrate for calcineurin in vitro, and shows regulated sub- cellular localization identical to that of full-length NFAT1. MATERIALS AND METHODS The corresponding region of NFATc likewise binds cal- cDNA Constructs. The cDNAs encoding murine NFAT1, cineurin, suggesting that the efficient activation ofNFAT1 and human NFAT1(1-415), murine NFAT1(399-927), and mu- NFATc by calcineurin reflects a specific targeting of the rine NFAT1(398-694) were subcloned into pEFTAG, a de- phosphatase to these proteins. The presence in other NFAT- rivative of the expression vector pEF-BOS (31) that has been family transcription factors of several sequence motifs from modified to encode an influenza hemagglutinin (HA) peptide the regulatory region of NFAT1, including its probable nu- at the N terminus of the expressed proteins. Details of the clear localization sequence, indicates that a conserved protein subcloning steps are available from the authors. Murine domain may control nuclear import of all NFAT proteins. NFAT1(398-694) is the DNA-binding domain that has been expressed in bacteria as the hexahistidine-tagged protein NFAT1 (nuclear factor of activated T cells 1) (previously NFATpXS(1-297) (11). termed NFATp) (1-3) is a member of the NFAT family of Bacterial expression plasmids for the glutathione S- transcription factors, proteins that play a key role in the transferase (GST) fusion proteins GST-NFAT1(1-415) and regulation of cytokine gene transcription during the immune GST-NFATc(1-418) were made by subcloning the corre- response (4-6). Other members of the NFAT family include sponding regions of human NFAT1 and NFATc cDNAs into NFATc (7), NFATx/NFAT4 (8-10), and NFAT3 (9). NFAT- pGEX2T. family proteins show strong sequence conservation in their Site-Directed Mutagenesis. Single-stranded plasmid DNA DNA-binding domains (8-12), and moderate sequence con- containing uracil (32) was prepared from a pLGP3 vector (33) servation in a second region located immediately N terminal with the murine NFAT1 cDNA insert. Site-directed mutagen- to the DNA-binding domain (54). esis (32) using the oligonucleotides 5'-TCACCCGGTGC- A central feature of the regulation of NFAT-family proteins CGCTGCAGCTCATTCGTGCGCA-3' and 5 '-GTCAT- is their pronounced sensitivity to the immunosuppressive drugs CAACGGAGCTGCAGCCACTAGTCAGCCACAGCA-3' cyclosporin A (CsA) and FK506 (13, 14). These drugs, which was carried out to replace the codons for KRR or KRKR, are potent inhibitors of cytokine gene transcription in acti- respectively, and plasmids carrying the mutant sequences were vated T cells, B cells, mast cells, and NK cells (15-18), act by identified by DNA sequencing. EcoNI-BglII and MluI-HindIII binding to intracellular immunophilins and inhibiting the fragments, carrying respectively the region encoding the KRR activity of the calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin to AAA substitution and the region encoding the KRKR to (19, 20). Inhibition of calcineurin with the immunosuppressive AAAT substitution, were used to replace the corresponding drugs prevents the appearance of NFAT DNA-binding activity fragments of pBluescript-mNFAT1-C (C.L., unpublished in the cell nucleus when T cells and other immune system cells work). TheAatII-SalI fragments of the resulting plasmids were are stimulated (1, 18, 21-26), and blocks NFAT-dependent subcloned into pEFTAG for expression in T cells. The se- reporter gene transcription (21, 23, 25). Conversely, overex- quence of the entire fragment subcloned from the pLGP3 pression of calcineurin or expression of constitutively active vector was verified by DNA sequencing by the dideoxy chain- calcineurin partially replaces the calcium requirement for termination method (34). NEAT-dependent transcriptional activation in T cells (17, 27-29). Immunocytochemical Localization of Recombinant Pro- Detailed analysis of one NFAT-family protein, NFAT1, has teins. Plasmids were introduced into Jurkat cells by electro- provided more insight into the molecular mechanisms by which poration, and into clone 7W2 cells by the DEAE-dextran calcineurin regulates NFAT activity. NFAT1 is present in the method. Two days later cells in medium at 37°C were treated cytoplasm of resting T cells and translocates into the nucleus in response to stimulation with ionomycin, antigen, or anti- Abbreviations: NFAT, nuclear factor of activated T cells; CsA, cyclo- CD3 (30, 55). Early events in the activation of NFAT1 are its sporin A; HA, hemagglutinin; GST, glutathione S-transferase; NLS, rapid dephosphorylation, an increase in its affinity for NFAT nuclear localization sequence. sites in DNA, and its nuclear import (30). Each of these three tC.L. and K.T.-Y.S. contributed equally to this work. IPresent address: Center for Blood Research and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge §Present address: Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Uni- payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in versity of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557. accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. **To whom reprint requests should be addressed. 8907 Downloaded by guest on September 25, 2021 8908 Biochemistry: Luo et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93 (1996) as indicated, then fixed and stained with the anti-HA tag N terminal to the DNA-binding domain, human NFAT1(1- antibody (12CA5; Boehringer Mannheim) and Cy-3-labeled 415); the region from the beginning of the DNA-binding donkey anti-mouse IgG (Jackson ImmunoResearch). Tran- domain to the C terminus, murine NFAT1(399-927) (here sient expression of the tagged protein was detectable in 1-5% denoted NFAT1AN); and the DNA-binding domain itself, of human Jurkat T cells and in 0.2-2% of murine clone 7W2 murine NFAT1(397-694) [here denoted NFAT1(DBD)]. cells. At least three independent experiments were analyzed Each recombinant protein was tagged at its N terminus with an for each recombinant protein. influenza HA peptide. In Vitro Dephosphorylation. Unstimulated Ar-5 T cells were HA-tagged recombinant NFAT1 shows correctly regulated lysed in RIPA buffer (30) supplemented with protease inhib- intracellular localization in human Jurkat T cells. The protein itors and phosphatase inhibitors, and NFAT1 was immuno- is restricted to the cytoplasm in unstimulated cells, it translo- precipitated. Immunoprecipitates were resuspended in cal- cates to the cell nucleus on stimulation with ionomycin, and its cineurin assay buffer (50 mM Hepes, pH 7.4/2 mM MnCl2/0.5 translocation is completely prevented by pretreatment with mM EDTA/15 mM 2-mercaptoethanol) with 0.1 mg/ml BSA, CsA (Fig. 1). In a minority of cells, nuclear translocation in 20 ,uM leupeptin, and 10 ,ug/ml aprotinin, and incubated at response to ionomycin is only partial, a finding that may reflect 30°C for 10 min with 100 nM calcineurin (35) and 500 nM the high levels of expression of the recombinant protein in purified calmodulin. SDS lysates were prepared as described individual cells. However, because recombinant protein is (30). The samples were examined by Western blotting with never seen in the nucleus of unstimulated cells or of cells anti-NFAT1 antiserum (anti-67.1) (30, 36). treated with CsA, the incomplete translocation in a few cells Expression constructs encoding HA-tagged NFAT1 or does not affect the interpretation of the experiments. NFAT1(1-415) were introduced into COS cells using DEAE- Recombinant NFAT1(1-415) is regulated in the same way dextran combined with adenovirus (37). After 48 h, cytosolic as the full-length protein, and its translocation is similarly extracts were prepared in lysis buffer [20 mM tris HCl, pH sensitive to CsA (Fig. 1). In contrast, the truncated proteins 7.4/30 mM NaCl/5 mM EDTA/10 mM iodoacetamide/2 mM NFAT1AN and NFAT1(DBD), which lack the N-terminal phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF)/10 ,ug/ml aprotinin/25 region of NFAT1, are not restricted to the cytoplasm in ,uM leupeptin/5% glycerol/0.05% Nonidet P-40]. Cytosolic unstimulated cells and show no redistribution in response