p300-dependent acetylation of activating transcription factor 5 enhances C/EBPbeta transactivation of C/EBPalpha during 3T3-L1 differentiation.

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Citation

Zhao Y, Zhang YD, Zhang YY, Qian SW, Zhang ZC, Li SF, Guo L, Liu Y, Wen B, Lei QY, Tang QQ, Li X

p300-dependent acetylation of activating transcription factor 5 enhances C/EBPbeta transactivation of C/EBPalpha during 3T3-L1 differentiation.

Mol Cell Biol. 2014 Feb;34(3):315-24. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00956-13. Epub 2013 Nov 11.

PubMed ID
24216764 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

Adipogenesis is a multistep process by which 3T3-L1 preadipocytes differentiate into mature adipocytes through mitotic clonal expansion (MCE) and terminal differentiation. The CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBPbeta) is an important transcription factor that takes part in both of these processes. C/EBPbeta not only transactivates C/EBPalpha and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), which cause 3T3-L1 preadipocytes to enter terminal adipocyte differentiation, but also is required to activate cell cycle genes necessary for MCE. The identification of potential cofactors of C/EBPbeta will help to explain how C/EBPbeta undertakes these specialized roles during the different stages of adipogenesis. In this study, we found that activating transcription factor 5 (ATF5) can bind to the promoter of C/EBPalpha via its direct interaction with C/EBPbeta (which is mediated via the p300-dependent acetylation of ATF5), leading to enhanced C/EBPbeta transactivation of C/EBPalpha. We also show that p300 is important for the interaction of ATF5 with C/EBPbeta as well as for the binding activity of this complex on the C/EBPalpha promoter. Consistent with these findings, overexpression of ATF5 and an acetylated ATF5 mimic both promoted 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation, whereas short interfering RNA-mediated ATF5 downregulation inhibited this process. Furthermore, we show that the elevated expression of ATF5 is correlated with an obese phenotype in both mice and humans. In summary, we have identified ATF5 as a new cofactor of C/EBPbeta and examined how C/EBPbeta and ATF5 (acetylated by a p300-dependent mechanism) regulate the transcription of C/EBPalpha.

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Polypeptides
NameUniProt ID
Cyclic AMP-dependent transcription factor ATF-5Q9Y2D1Details