Abstract
Activating signal cointegrator-2 (ASC-2), a novel coactivator, is amplified in several cancer cells and known to interact with mitogenic transcription factors, including serum response factor, activating protein-1, and nuclear factor-κB, suggesting the physiological role of ASC-2 in the promotion of cell proliferation. Here, we show that the expression pattern of ASC-2 was correlated with that of E2F-1 for protein increases at G1 and S phase. Furthermore, cells stably overexpressing ASC-2 had an increased cell proliferation profile. These results prompted us to examine the functional interaction of ASC-2 and E2F-1. Biochemical evidence of protein interaction indicated that the transactivation domain of E2F-1 interacted with the COOH-terminal region of ASC-2. The importance of the E2F-1-ASC-2 interaction was supported by the demonstration that the coexpression of ASC-2 and E2F-1 synergistically transactivated E2F-1-driven gene transcription and the acetylation of E2F-1 protein was necessary for ASC-2-mediated transcriptional coactivation. Interestingly, overexpression of ASC-2 increased the endogenous protein level of E2F-1 in cells, resulting from the prolonged protein stability of E2F-1. Taken together, these results suggest that the cancer-amplified transcriptional coactivator ASC-2 may promote cell proliferation through enhancement of E2F-1-dependent transactivation of the expression of genes associated with cell cycle progression that may be available to favor tumor growth in vivo.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 948-958 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Molecular Cancer Research |
Volume | 1 |
Issue number | 13 |
State | Published - Nov 2003 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine