Oct-1 Counteracts Autoinhibition of Runx2 DNA Binding To Form a Novel Runx2/Oct-1 Complex on the Promoter of the Mammary Gland-Specific Gene β-casein

Abstract

The transcription factor Runx2 is essential for the expression of a number of bone-specific genes and is primarily considered a master regulator of bone development. Runx2 is also expressed in mammary epithelial cells, but its role in the mammary gland has not been established. Here we show that Runx2 forms a novel complex with the ubiquitous transcription factor Oct-1 to regulate the expression of the mammary gland-specific gene β-casein. The Runx2/Oct-1 complex forms on a Runx/octamer element which is highly conserved in casein promoters. Chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA interference, promoter mutagenesis, and transient expression analyses were used to demonstrate that the Runx2/Oct-1 complex contributes to the transcriptional regulation of the β-casein gene. Analysis of the complex revealed autoinhibitory domains for DNA binding in both the N-terminal and the C-terminal regions of Runx2. Oct-1 stimulates the recruitment of Runx2 to the β-casein promoter by interacting with the C-terminal region of Runx2, suggesting that Oct-1 stimulates Runx2 recruitment by relieving the autoinhibition of Runx2 DNA binding. These findings demonstrate that Runx2 collaborates with Oct-1 and contributes to the expression of a mammary gland-specific gene.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Gerard Karsenty, Rik Derynck, Scott Hiebert, Dong-Er Zhang, and Harinder Singh for providing plasmids. We also thank Jordi Bella for modeling the Runt and POU domain structures on the β-casein promoter and Stefan Roberts for comments on the manuscript.

This work was funded by a Wellcome Trust research career development fellowship (to P.S.) and a BBSRC studentship (to C.K.I.).