Hes1 is a mammalian basic helix-loop-helix transcriptional repressor that inhibits neuronal differentiation together with corepressors of the Groucho (Gro)/Transducin-like Enhancer of split (TLE) family. The interaction of Hes1 with Gro/TLE is mediated by a WRPW tetrapeptide present in all Hairy/Enhancer of split (Hes) family members. In contrast to Hes1, the related protein Hes6 promotes neuronal differentiation. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie the neurogenic activity of Hes6. It is shown here that Hes6 antagonizes Hes1 function by two mechanisms. Hes6 inhibits the interaction of Hes1 with its transcriptional corepressor Gro/TLE. Moreover, it promotes proteolytic degradation of Hes1. This effect is maximal when both Hes1 and Hes6 contain the WRPW motif and is reduced when Hes6 is mutated to eliminate a conserved site (Ser183) that can be phosphorylated by protein kinase CK2. Consistent with these findings, Hes6 inhibits Hes1-mediated transcriptional repression in cortical neural progenitor cells and promotes the differentiation of cortical neurons, a process that is normally inhibited by Hes1. Mutation of Ser183 impairs the neurogenic ability of Hes6. Taken together, these findings clarify the molecular events underlying the neurogenic function of Hes6 and suggest that this factor can antagonize Hes1 activity by multiple mechanisms.In the developing mammalian central nervous system (CNS), differentiated neuronal and glial cells derive from multipotent neural progenitor cells located in the proliferative zone of the neural tube. The commitment of these progenitor cells to the neuronal lineage is regulated by the antagonistic activities of a number of positively and negatively acting transcription factors containing the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) DNA-binding and dimerization motif (reviewed in references 2 and 18). Neurogenic bHLH factors include several evolutionarily conserved molecules related to the proneural proteins Atonal and Achaete-Scute of Drosophila (8, 13, 21). They function by forming heterodimers with the ubiquitous bHLH protein E47. These dimers bind to DNA sequences commonly referred to as E boxes (CANNTG) and transactivate the expression of genes that promote the acquisition of the neuronal fate (17, 32).Antineurogenic bHLH factors include members of the Hairy/Enhancer of split (Hes) family (1,26,32). In contrast to proneural proteins, Hes factors like Hes1 and Hes5 mediate transcriptional repression and bind preferentially to DNA sequences referred to as N boxes (CACNAG) (32). They are thought to inhibit neuronal differentiation by antagonizing the neurogenic activity of the proneural proteins via multiple mechanisms, including direct involvement in the negative regulation of proneural gene expression (4,20) and inhibition of the activity of E47-proneural protein heterodimers (1,3,32). Genetic perturbations that alter the normal balance of the activities of proneural and antineurogenic bHLH proteins have dramatic effects on CNS development in vivo, underscoring th...

Hairy/Enhancer of split 1 (Hes1) is a mammalian transcriptional repressor that plays crucial roles in the regulation of several developmental processes, including neuronal differentiation. The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that regulate the transcription repression activity of Hes1. It is shown here that Hes1 associates with the nuclear matrix, the ribonucleoprotein network of the nucleus that plays important roles in transcriptional regulation. Nuclear matrix binding is mediated by the same Hes1 C-terminal domain that is also required for transcriptional repression. This domain contains the WRPW motif that acts as a binding site for the transcriptional corepressor Groucho, which also localizes to the nuclear matrix. Both the nuclear matrix association and transcription repression activity of Hes1 are inhibited by deletion of the WRPW motif, indicating that Groucho acts as a transcriptional corepressor for Hes1. This corepressor role is not modulated by the Groucho-related gene product Grg5. In contrast, the Runt-related protein RUNX2, which localizes to the nuclear matrix and interacts with Groucho and Hes1, can inhibit both the Groucho⅐Hes1 interaction and the transcription repression ability of Hes1. Together, these observations suggest that transcriptional repression by Hes1 requires interactions with Groucho at the nuclear matrix and that RUNX proteins act as negative regulators of the repressive activity of Groucho⅐Hes1 complexes.

Neurogenesis requires factors that regulate the decision of dividing progenitors to leave the cell cycle and activate the neuronal differentiation program. It is shown here that the murine runt-related gene Runx1 is expressed in proliferating cells on the basal side of the olfactory epithelium. These include both Mash1ϩ olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) progenitors and NeuroDϩ ORN precursors. Disruption of Runx1 function in vivo does not cause a change in Mash1 expression but leads to a decrease in the number of NeuroDϩ neuronal precursors and an increase in differentiated ORNs. These effects result in premature and ectopic ORN differentiation. It is shown further that exogenous Runx1 expression in cultured olfactory neural progenitors causes an expansion of the mitotic cell population. In agreement with these findings, exogenous Runx1 expression also promotes cortical neural progenitor cell proliferation without inhibiting neuronal differentiation. These effects are phenocopied by a chimeric protein containing ETO, the eight twenty one transcriptional repressor, fused to the Runx1 DNA-binding domain, which suggests the involvement of transcription repression mechanisms. Consistent with this possibility, Runx1 represses transcription driven by the promoter of the cell cycle inhibitor p21Cip 1 in cortical progenitors. Together, these findings suggest a previously unrecognized role for Runx1 in coordinating the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of selected populations of neural progenitors.