ABSTRACT
Notch activity is essential for early T-cell differentiation, but aberrant activity induces T-cell transformation. Thus, Notch target genes must be efficiently silenced in cells where Notch activity is no longer required. How these genes are repressed remains poorly understood. We report here that the Ikaros transcription factor plays a crucial role in repressing the transcriptional response to Notch signaling in T-cell development. Using the Notch target gene Hes-1 as a model, we show that Ikaros and RBP-Jkappa, the transcriptional mediator of Notch signaling, compete for binding to two elements in the Hes-1 promoter in immature thymocytes. This antagonistic interaction likely occurs at the CD4(-) CD8(-) CD3(-) double-negative 4 (DN4) stage, where Ikaros levels and binding to the Hes-1 promoter increase sharply and wild-type thymocytes lose their capacity to transcribe Hes-1 upon Notch stimulation. Nonresponsiveness to Notch signaling requires Ikaros, as Ikaros-deficient DN4 and CD4(+) CD8(+) double-positive (DP) cells remain competent to express Hes-1 after Notch activation. Further, Hes-1 promoter sequences from Ikaros-deficient DP cells show reduced trimethylated H3K27, a modification associated with silent chromatin. These results indicate that Ikaros functions as a transcriptional checkpoint to repress Notch target gene expression in T cells.
Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental , Ikaros Transcription Factor/metabolism , Receptors, Notch/metabolism , Signal Transduction/physiology , T-Lymphocytes/physiology , Transcription, Genetic , Animals , Base Sequence , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/genetics , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/metabolism , COS Cells , Cell Differentiation , Cells, Cultured , Chlorocebus aethiops , Homeodomain Proteins/genetics , Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism , Humans , Ikaros Transcription Factor/genetics , Immunoglobulin J Recombination Signal Sequence-Binding Protein/genetics , Immunoglobulin J Recombination Signal Sequence-Binding Protein/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Molecular Sequence Data , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Receptors, Notch/genetics , Sequence Alignment , T-Lymphocytes/cytology , Thymus Gland/cytologyABSTRACT
The Ikaros transcription factor is both a key regulator of lymphocyte differentiation and a tumor suppressor in T lymphocytes. Mice carrying a hypomorphic mutation (Ik(L/L)) in the Ikaros gene all develop thymic lymphomas. Ik(L/L) tumors always exhibit strong activation of the Notch pathway, which is required for tumor cell proliferation in vitro. Notch activation occurs early in tumorigenesis and may precede transformation, as ectopic expression of the Notch targets Hes-1 and Deltex-1 is detected in thymocytes from young Ik(L/L) mice with no overt signs of transformation. Notch activation is further amplified by secondary mutations that lead to C-terminal truncations of Notch 1. Strikingly, restoration of Ikaros activity in tumor cells leads to a rapid and specific downregulation of Notch target gene expression and proliferation arrest. Furthermore, Ikaros binds to the Notch-responsive element in the Hes-1 promoter and represses Notch-dependent transcription from this promoter. Thus, Ikaros-mediated repression of Notch target gene expression may play a critical role in defining the tumor suppressor function of this factor.
