PARsylated transcription factor EB (TFEB) regulates the expression of a subset of Wnt target genes by forming a complex with β-catenin-TCF/LEF1

Soyoung Kim, Gahyeon Song, Taebok Lee, Minseong Kim, Jeongrae Kim, Hyeryun Kwon, Jiyoung Kim, Wonyoung Jeong, Ukjin Lee, Chaebin Na, Sangwon Kang, Wantae Kim, Je Kyung Seong, Eek hoon Jho

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Wnt signaling is mainly transduced by β-catenin via regulation of the β-catenin destruction complex containing Axin, APC, and GSK3β. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a well-known master regulator of autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis processes. TFEB’s nuclear localization and transcriptional activity are also regulated by various upstream signals. In this study, we found that Wnt signaling induces the nuclear localization of TFEB and the expression of Wnt target genes is regulated by TFEB-β-catenin-TCF/LEF1 as well as β-catenin-TCF/LEF1 complexes. Our biochemical data revealed that TFEB is a part of the β-catenin destruction complex, and destabilization of the destruction complex by knockdown of either Axin or APC causes nuclear localization of TFEB. Interestingly, RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that about 27% of Wnt3a-induced genes were TFEB dependent. However, these “TFEB mediated Wnt target genes” were different from TFEB target genes involved in autophagy and lysosomal biogenesis processes. Mechanistically, we found that Tankyrase (TNKS) PARsylates TFEB with Wnt ON signaling, and the nuclear localized PARsylated TFEB forms a complex with β-catenin-TCF/LEF1 to induce the “TFEB mediated Wnt target genes”. Finally, we found that in various types of cancer, the levels of TFEB mediated Wnt target genes exhibit strong correlations with the level of Axin2, which represents the activity of Wnt signaling. Overall, our data suggest that Wnt signaling induces the expression of a subset of genes that are distinct from previously known genes regulated by the β-catenin-TCF/LEF1 complex or TFEB, by forming a transcription factor complex consisting of PARsylated TFEB and β-catenin-TCF/LEF1.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2555-2570
Number of pages16
JournalCell Death and Differentiation
Volume28
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2021

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'PARsylated transcription factor EB (TFEB) regulates the expression of a subset of Wnt target genes by forming a complex with β-catenin-TCF/LEF1'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this