14-3-3 protein masks the DNA binding interface of forkhead transcription factor FOXO4

The role of 14-3-3 proteins in the regulation of FOXO forkhead transcription factors is at least 2-fold. First, the 14-3-3 binding inhibits the interaction between the FOXO and the target DNA. Second, the 14-3-3 proteins prevent nuclear reimport of FOXO factors by masking their nuclear localization signal. The exact mechanisms of these processes are still unclear, mainly due to the lack of structural data. In this work, we used fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the mechanism of the 14-3-3 protein-dependent inhibition of FOXO4 DNA-binding properties. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements revealed that the 14-3-3 binding affects fluorescence properties of 5-(((acetylamino)ethyl)amino) naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid moiety attached at four sites within the forkhead domain of FOXO4 that represent important parts of the DNA binding interface. Observed changes in 5-(((acetylamino)ethyl)amino) naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid fluorescence strongly suggest physical contacts between the 14-3-3 protein and labeled parts of the FOXO4 DNA binding interface. The 14-3-3 protein binding, however, does not cause any dramatic conformational change of FOXO4 as documented by the results of tryptophan fluorescence experiments. To build a realistic model of the FOXO4.14-3-3 complex, we measured six distances between 14-3-3 and FOXO4 using Förster resonance energy transfer time-resolved fluorescence experiments. The model of the complex suggests that the forkhead domain of FOXO4 is docked within the central channel of the 14-3-3 protein dimer, consistent with our hypothesis that 14-3-3 masks the DNA binding interface of FOXO4.