The CCAAT Binding Factor CBF, also known as NFY, is a ubiquitous transcription factor which binds to the proximal promoters of the two type I collagen genes and to cognate sites in many other eucaryotic promoters, including promoters that are regulated during the cell cycle. CBF is composed of three different subunits CBF-A, CBF-B and CBF-C; all three are needed for DNA binding. CBF-A and CBF-C contain a histone-fold motif and whereby these two subunits stably interact with each other; this heterodimer interacts with the third subunit CBF-B to form the CBF heterotrimer, which binds with high affinity to CCAAT motifs in promoters. CBF-B and CBF-C contain transcriptional activation domains which act additively. This application is based on the hypothesis that CBF is a critical transcription factor for a number of genes including genes that are controlled during the cell cycle and the products of which are themselves involved in the cell cycle. In a first part, this application proposes genetic approaches to examine the function of CBF in vivo in cartilages and cartilage primordia of intact mice and embryos. This will be achieved (a) by creating transgenic mice in which a dominant-negative CBF mutant is expressed in these tissues under the control of chondrocyte-specific Col2alpha1 regulatory elements and (b) by generating mice in which the endogenous CBF-B gene is conditionally inactivated in cartilages. We speculate that in mutant mice the growth of these tissues will be affected. Our experiments will create a series of endogenous and transgenic mutant CBF-B alleles in mouse embryos. By using methods that measure levels of many RNAs simultaneously in specific tissues of wild type and mutant mice and/or embryos, the identify and extent of genes controlled by CBF will be examined. The second part of this application proposes biochemical approaches to analyze the function of CBF in vitro using a reconstituted chromatin template that resembles the natural cellular substrate for transcription. It is based on the hypothesis that CBF plays a key role in producing changes in chromatin structure in genes that are controlled by this transcription factor. In the mouse Col1alpha2 promoter, which will be used as a model system, changes in chromatin structure occur around the CBF binding site in cells which express this gene. These experiments will examine whether in the reconstituted chromatin system CBF, eventually in cooperation with other proteins, produces changes in chromatin structure that are essential for promoter activation.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA049515-14
Application #
6497642
Study Section
Pathobiochemistry Study Section (PBC)
Program Officer
Ault, Grace S
Project Start
1989-04-01
Project End
2004-01-31
Budget Start
2002-02-15
Budget End
2003-01-31
Support Year
14
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$299,552
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department
Genetics
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
001910777
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Coustry, F; Hu, Q; de Crombrugghe, B et al. (2001) CBF/NF-Y functions both in nucleosomal disruption and transcription activation of the chromatin-assembled topoisomerase IIalpha promoter. Transcription activation by CBF/NF-Y in chromatin is dependent on the promoter structure. J Biol Chem 276:40621-30
Coustry, F; Sinha, S; Maity, S N et al. (1998) The two activation domains of the CCAAT-binding factor CBF interact with the dTAFII110 component of the Drosophila TFIID complex. Biochem J 331 ( Pt 1):291-7
Bi, W; Wu, L; Coustry, F et al. (1997) DNA binding specificity of the CCAAT-binding factor CBF/NF-Y. J Biol Chem 272:26562-72
Kim, I S; Sinha, S; de Crombrugghe, B et al. (1996) Determination of functional domains in the C subunit of the CCAAT-binding factor (CBF) necessary for formation of a CBF-DNA complex: CBF-B interacts simultaneously with both the CBF-A and CBF-C subunits to form a heterotrimeric CBF molecule. Mol Cell Biol 16:4003-13
Coustry, F; Maity, S N; Sinha, S et al. (1996) The transcriptional activity of the CCAAT-binding factor CBF is mediated by two distinct activation domains, one in the CBF-B subunit and the other in the CBF-C subunit. J Biol Chem 271:14485-91
Sinha, S; Kim, I S; Sohn, K Y et al. (1996) Three classes of mutations in the A subunit of the CCAAT-binding factor CBF delineate functional domains involved in the three-step assembly of the CBF-DNA complex. Mol Cell Biol 16:328-37
Sinha, S; Maity, S N; Seldin, M F et al. (1996) Chromosomal assignment and tissue expression of CBF-C/NFY-C, the third subunit of the mammalian CCAAT-binding factor. Genomics 37:260-3
Sinha, S; Maity, S N; Lu, J et al. (1995) Recombinant rat CBF-C, the third subunit of CBF/NFY, allows formation of a protein-DNA complex with CBF-A and CBF-B and with yeast HAP2 and HAP3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 92:1624-8
Coustry, F; Maity, S N; de Crombrugghe, B (1995) Studies on transcription activation by the multimeric CCAAT-binding factor CBF. J Biol Chem 270:468-75
Sohn, K Y; Maity, S N; de Crombrugghe, B (1994) Studies on the structure of the mouse CBF-A gene and properties of a truncated CBF-A isoform generated from an alternatively spliced RNA. Gene 139:147-53

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