RING1 is associated with the polycomb group protein complex and acts as a transcriptional repressor

Mol Cell Biol. 1997 Jul;17(7):4105-13. doi: 10.1128/MCB.17.7.4105.

Abstract

The Polycomb (Pc) protein is a component of a multimeric, chromatin-associated Polycomb group (PcG) protein complex, which is involved in stable repression of gene activity. The identities of components of the PcG protein complex are largely unknown. In a two-hybrid screen with a vertebrate Pc homolog as a target, we identify the human RING1 protein as interacting with Pc. RING1 is a protein that contains the RING finger motif, a specific zinc-binding domain, which is found in many regulatory proteins. So far, the function of the RING1 protein has remained enigmatic. Here, we show that RING1 coimmunoprecipitates with a human Pc homolog, the vertebrate PcG protein BMI1, and HPH1, a human homolog of the PcG protein Polyhomeotic (Ph). Also, RING1 colocalizes with these vertebrate PcG proteins in nuclear domains of SW480 human colorectal adenocarcinoma and Saos-2 human osteosarcoma cells. Finally, we show that RING1, like Pc, is able to repress gene activity when targeted to a reporter gene. Our findings indicate that RING1 is associated with the human PcG protein complex and that RING1, like PcG proteins, can act as a transcriptional repressor.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Cell Compartmentation
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / physiology*
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Techniques
  • Insect Proteins / metabolism*
  • Kinetochores / ultrastructure
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Nucleoproteins / metabolism
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 1
  • Precipitin Tests
  • Protein Binding
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins / physiology*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • BMI1 protein, human
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Insect Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Nucleoproteins
  • Pc protein, Drosophila
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Repressor Proteins
  • ph-d protein, Drosophila
  • Polycomb Repressive Complex 1
  • RING1 protein, human

Associated data

  • GENBANK/U94344