Wnt regulation of gene expression requires binding of LEF/T-cell factor (LEF/TCF) transcription factors toWnt response elements (WREs) and recruitment of the activator ␤-catenin. There are significant differences in the abilities of LEF/TCF family members to regulate Wnt target genes. For example, alternatively spliced isoforms of TCF-1 and TCF-4 with a C-terminal "E" tail are uniquely potent in their activation of LEF1 and CDX1. Here we report that the mechanism responsible for this unique activity is an auxiliary 30-amino-acid DNA interaction motif referred to here as the "cysteine clamp" (or C-clamp). The C-clamp contains invariant cysteine, aromatic, and basic residues, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) studies with recombinant C-clamp protein showed that it binds double-stranded DNA but not single-stranded DNA or RNA (equilibrium dissociation constant ‫؍‬ 16 nM). CASTing (Cyclic Amplification and Selection of Targets) experiments were used to test whether this motif influences WRE recognition. Full-length LEF-1, TCF-1E, and TCF-1E with a mutated C-clamp all bind nearly identical WREs (TYYCTTTGATSTT), showing that the C-clamp does not alter WRE specificity. However, a GC element downstream of the WRE (RCCG) is enriched in wild-type TCF-1E binding sites but not in mutant TCF-1E binding sites. We conclude that the C-clamp is a sequencespecific DNA binding motif. C-clamp mutations destroy the ability of ␤-catenin to regulate the LEF1 promoter, and they severely impair the ability of TCF-1 to regulate growth in colon cancer cells. Thus, E-tail isoforms of TCFs utilize two DNA binding activities to access a subset of Wnt targets important for cell growth.

Transcription of the lymphoid enhancer factor-1 (LEF1) gene is aberrantly activated in sporadic colon cancer, whereas this gene is not expressed in the normal adult colon. We have shown previously that promoter 1 of the LEF1 gene is activated by T cell factor (TCF)-␤-catenin complexes in transient transfection assays, suggesting that LEF1 is a target of the Wnt pathway in colon cancer. To further explore the link between LEF1 expression and the Wnt pathway, we studied two response elements in the promoter. Surprisingly we found that the LEF1 promoter is selectively activated by specific isoforms of the LEF/TCF transcription factor family that contain an alternative C-terminal "E" tail. These isoforms, TCF-1E and TCF-4E, activate the promoter in a ␤-catenin-dependent manner. We show that a complete E-tail domain is necessary for full activity and delimits residues within two highly conserved peptide motifs within the tail that are required (KKCRARFG; WCXX-CRRKKKC). These peptide motifs are not only conserved among the TCF family members but are also found in two newly identified DNA-binding proteins named papillomavirus binding factor and GLUT4 enhancer factor. This study thus identifies a new and unique set of motifs used by the Wnt pathway for target gene regulation.

Constitutive activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway has been implicated as the primary cause of colon cancer. However, the major transducers of Wnt signaling in the intestine, TCF-1 and TCF-4, have opposing functions. Knock-out of TCF-4 suppresses growth and maintenance of crypt stem cells, while knock-out of TCF-1 leads to adenomas. These phenotypes suggest that TCF-4 is Wnt-promoting while TCF-1 acts like a tumor suppressor. Our study of TCF expression in human colon crypts reveals a mechanistic basis for this paradox. In normal colon cells, a dominant negative isoform of TCF-1 (dnTCF-1) is expressed that is equally distributed between nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. In colon cancer cells, TCF-1 is predominantly cytoplasmic. Localization is due to active nuclear export and is directed by an autocrine-acting Wnt ligand that requires CaMKII activity for secretion and a downstream step in the export pathway. TCF-4 remains nuclear; its unopposed activity is accompanied by downregulation of dnTCF-1 and increased expression of full-length isoforms. Thus, the dnTCF-1, TCF-4 balance is corrupted in cancer by two mechanisms, a Wnt/CaMKII kinase signal for nuclear export, and decreased dnTCF-1 expression. We propose that dnTCF-1 provides homeostatic regulation of Wnt signaling and growth in normal colon and alterations in nuclear export and promoter usage contribute to aberrant Wnt activity in colon cancer.

TCF‐1 and TCF‐4 are the major transducers of Wnt signaling in the intestine and the oncogenic drivers of colon cancer. However, knock‐out of the TCF1 gene leads to intestinal tumors while knockout of TCF‐4 suppresses growth and maintenance of crypt stem cells. These phenotypes suggest that TCF‐4 is Wnt‐promoting and TCF‐1 is a tumor suppressor. We show that a truncated dominant negative isoform of TCF‐1 (dnTCF‐1) predominates in the normal colon and is equally distributed between nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments in normal crypts. However, in primary human colon tumors, TCF‐1 is often cytoplasmic while TCF‐4 remains nuclear. This shift to the cytoplasm is regulated by a CaMKII/TAK1/NLK kinase cascade that triggers secretion of a Wnt ligand to selectively export TCF‐1 from the nucleus. In colon cancer, TCF‐1 expression is altered so that dnTCF‐1 is downregulated while to full‐length, Wnt‐promoting isoforms are upregulated. Our study shows that control of nuclear export is an important mechanism for regulating the balance of TCFs and that a Wnt/CaMKII kinase signal plays a key role in modulating Wnt activity in the human colon.Supported by NIH