Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 10, 2026

In Vitro SUMOylation Assay to Study SUMO E3 Ligase Activity
09:45

In Vitro SUMOylation Assay to Study SUMO E3 Ligase Activity

Published on: January 29, 2018

Modulation of CP2 family transcriptional activity by CRTR-1 and sumoylation

Sarah To1, Stephen J Rodda, Peter D Rathjen

  • 1School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Plos One
|July 28, 2010
PubMed

Insights

CRTR-1, a transcription factor, is generally an activator, not a repressor, and its activity is regulated by sumoylation. This finding suggests CRTR-1 has important roles in embryonic stem cells and development.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • CRTR-1 is a member of the CP2 transcription factor family with specific spatio-temporal expression patterns.
  • Previous studies indicated CRTR-1 functions as a transcriptional repressor.
  • CRTR-1 is crucial for salivary gland and kidney development and is involved in maintaining embryonic stem cell pluripotency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the transcriptional activity of CRTR-1 in embryonic stem (ES) cells and other cell types.
  • To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of CRTR-1 activity, including its interaction with other family members.
  • To identify post-translational modifications regulating CRTR-1 function.

Main Methods:

  • Gene targeting studies to assess CRTR-1 function in vivo.
  • In vitro assays to determine CRTR-1's transcriptional activity in various cell lines.
  • Analysis of CRTR-1 interactions with CP2, NF2d9, and altNF2d9.
  • Site-directed mutagenesis and biochemical assays to study sumoylation at K30.

Main Results:

  • CRTR-1 primarily functions as a transcriptional activator, contrary to previous reports.
  • CRTR-1 modulates the activity of CP2 family members in a cell-specific manner.
  • Sumoylation at residue K30 is a key regulatory mechanism for CRTR-1 activity.

Conclusions:

  • CRTR-1's role as a transcriptional activator and its regulation by sumoylation are critical for its function.
  • Functional redundancy with other CP2 family members may obscure CRTR-1's specific roles in tissues like the early embryo and ES cells.
  • Further research into CRTR-1 is warranted to fully understand its developmental and pluripotency functions.

More Related Videos

In Vitro Analysis of PDZ-dependent CFTR Macromolecular Signaling Complexes10:05

In Vitro Analysis of PDZ-dependent CFTR Macromolecular Signaling Complexes

Published on: August 13, 2012

Functional Reconstitution and Channel Activity Measurements of Purified Wildtype and Mutant CFTR Protein09:59

Functional Reconstitution and Channel Activity Measurements of Purified Wildtype and Mutant CFTR Protein

Published on: March 9, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
Master Transcription Regulators02:23

Master Transcription Regulators

Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a  complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...
Co-activators and Co-repressors02:04

Co-activators and Co-repressors

Gene transcription is regulated by the synergistic action of several proteins that form a complex at a gene regulatory site. This is observed in eukaryotes, where the regulation of gene expression is a complex process. Regulatory proteins in eukaryotes can broadly be classified into two types – regulators that bind directly to specific DNA sequences and co-regulators that associate with regulatory proteins but cannot directly bind to the DNA. These co-regulators are further divided into...
Combinatorial Gene Control02:33

Combinatorial Gene Control

Combinatorial gene control is the synergistic action of several transcriptional factors to regulate the expression of a single gene. The absence of one or more of these factors may lead to a significant difference in the level of gene expression or repression.
The expression of more than 30,000 genes is controlled by approximately 2000-3000 transcription factors. This is possible because a single transcription factor can recognize more than one regulatory sequence. The specificity in gene...
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing02:41

Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing

In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins02:36

RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...