H. Poukka et al., Coregulator small nuclear RING finger protein (SNURF) enhances Sp1-and steroid receptor-mediated transcription by different mechanisms, J BIOL CHEM, 275(1), 2000, pp. 571-579
The small nuclear RING finger protein SNURF is not only a coactivator in st
eroid receptor-dependent transcription but also activates transcription fro
m steroid-independent promoters. In this work, we show that SNURF, via the
RING finger domain, enhances protein binding to Sp1 elements/GC boxes and i
nteracts and cooperates with Sp1 in transcriptional activation. The activat
ion of androgen receptor (AR) function requires regions other than the RING
finger of SNURF, and SNURF does not influence binding of AR to cognate DNA
elements. The zinc finger region (ZFR) together with the hinge region of A
R are sufficient for contacting SNURF. The nuclear localization signal in t
he boundary between ZFR and the hinge region participates in the associatio
n of AR with SNURF, and a receptor mutant lacking the C-terminal part of th
e bipartite nuclear localization signal shows attenuated response to coexpr
essed SNURF. Some AR ZFR point mutations observed in patients with partial
androgen insensitivity syndrome or male breast cancer impair the interactio
n of AR with SNURF and also render AR refractory to the transcription-activ
ating effect of SNURF. Collectively, SNURF modulates the transcriptional ac
tivities of androgen receptor and Sp1 via different domains, and it may act
as a functional link between steroid- and Sp1-regulated transcription.