Regulation of transcription factor USF2 in cancer by phosphorylation

In multicellular organisms, the processes of growth, development and function are a result of gene expression. For expression, genes must be turned on and/or off in a coordinated manner in response to diverse stimuli. The coordination of the expression of a group of genes falling into the same functional category is commonly performed by transcription factor(s). These are proteins that bind specific DNA sequences in promoter or enhancer/silencer regions and regulate the transcription into mRNA.

This process of gene regulation is essential for life. In this study, we investigated mechanisms by which the function of the transcription factor USF2 can be regulated in noncancerous and cancer cells as well as the effect of USF2 loss-of-function on the cell fate.

This study provides key results explaining how USF2 can be regulated by phosphorylation and expand our knowledge on how GSK3 and CDK5 affect cell function via USF2 transactivity, DNA binding and protein stability as well as the growth of noncancerous cells by compromising mitochondria.