Self-association of the SET domains of human ALL-1 and of Drosophila TRITHORAX and ASH1 proteins.

The human ALL-1 gene is involved in acute leukemia through gene fusions, partial tandem duplications or a specific deletion. Several sequence motifs within the ALL-1 protein, such as the SET domain, PHD fingers and the region with homology to DNA methyl transferase are shared with other proteins involved in transcription regulation through chromatin alterations. However, the function of these motifs is still not clear. Studying ALL-1 presents an additional challenge because the gene is the human homologue of Drosophila trithorax. The latter is a member of the trithorax-Polycomb gene family which acts to determine the body pattern of Drosophila by maintaining expression or repression of the Antennapedia-bithorax homeotic gene complex. Here we apply yeast two hybrid methodology, in vivo immunoprecipitation and in vitro 'pull down' techniques to show self association of the SET motifs of ALL-1, TRITHORAX and ASH1 proteins (Drosophila ASH1 is encoded by a trithorax-group gene). Point mutations in evolutionary conserved residues of TRITHORAX SET, abolish the interaction. SET-SET interactions might act in integrating the activity of ALL-1 (TRX and ASH1) protein molecules, simultaneously positioned at different maintenance elements and directing expression of the same or different target genes.

Trithorax and ASH1 interact directly and associate with the trithorax group-responsive bxd region of the Ultrabithorax promoter.

Trithorax (TRX) and ASH1 belong to the trithorax group (trxG) of transcriptional activator proteins, which maintains homeotic gene expression during Drosophila development. TRX and ASH1 are localized on chromosomes and share several homologous domains with other chromatin-associated proteins, including a highly conserved SET domain and PHD fingers. Based on genetic interactions between trx and ash1 and our previous observation that association of the TRX protein with polytene chromosomes is ash1 dependent, we investigated the possibility of a physical linkage between the two proteins. We found that the endogenous TRX and ASH1 proteins coimmunoprecipitate from embryonic extracts and colocalize on salivary gland polytene chromosomes. Furthermore, we demonstrated that TRX and ASH1 bind in vivo to a relatively small (4 kb) bxd subregion of the homeotic gene Ultrabithorax (Ubx), which contains several trx response elements. Analysis of the effects of ash1 mutations on the activity of this regulatory region indicates that it also contains ash1 response element(s). This suggests that ASH1 and TRX act on Ubx in relatively close proximity to each other. Finally, TRX and ASH1 appear to interact directly through their conserved SET domains, based on binding assays in vitro and in yeast and on coimmunoprecipitation assays with embryo extracts. Collectively, these results suggest that TRX and ASH1 are components that interact either within trxG protein complexes or between complexes that act in close proximity on regulatory DNA to maintain Ubx transcription.