Groucho/transducin-like Enhancer of split (Gro/TLE) family proteins are corepressors found as part of multiple transcriptional complexes that play significant roles during many developmental processes, including neurogenesis. This thesis sought to characterize the molecular mechanisms underlying the biological activity of Gro/TLE1. More specifically, the aim was to clarify the contribution of different transcriptional cofactors, as well as phosphorylation events induced by cofactor binding, to Gro/TLE1 ability to inhibit neuronal differentiation from proliferating neural progenitor cells. / By characterizing specific point mutations within the C-terminal domain of Gro/TLE1, we were able to selectively impair binding of Gro/TLE1 to different classes of DNA-binding proteins and then assess the effect of those mutations on Gro/TLE1 anti-neurogenic function. These studies showed that the inhibition of cerebral cortex (cortical) neuron differentiation by Gro/TLE1 requires interaction with transcription factors that use short tetrapeptide sequences, WRP(W/Y), to recruit Gro/TLE1. In contrast, interactions with proteins that either interact with the C-terminal domain of Gro/TLE1 using a different type of binding sequence, termed engrailed homology 1 (Eh1) motif, or bind to the N-terminal part of the protein, are not required for Gro/TLE1 anti-neurogenic function. / Using a similar strategy based on mutation analysis, we characterized point mutations that block the hyperphosphorylation of Gro/TLE1 induced by transcription cofactor binding ("cofactor-activated phosphorylation") without impairing cofactor binding and transcriptional corepression ability. These mutations map at phosphorylatable serine residues, Ser-286, Ser-289, and Ser298. Mutation of those residues to alanine blocks/reduces both cofactor-activated phosphorylation and anti-neurogenic activity of Gro/TLE1, demonstrating that cofactor-activated phosphorylation is required for that function. Tandem mass spectroscopy analysis showed further that Ser-286 is phosphorylated. Taken together, these findings characterize the role of cofactor-activated phosphorylation and identify residues important for this mechanism. / Our studies also showed that homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) mediates phosphorylation of Gro/TLE1 when the latter is complexed with transcriptional partners of the WRP(W/Y) motif family. However, HIPK2 is not involved in Gro/TLE1 cofactor-activated phosphorylation. Rather, HIPK2--mediated phosphorylation is antagonistic to the latter and decreases the ability of Gro/TLE1 to interact and repress transcription with WRP(W/Y) motif proteins. / Taken together, these results improve significantly our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the anti-neurogenic function of Gro/TLE1. This information provides new insight into the regulation of mammalian neuronal development and, possibly, other developmental processes controlled by Gro/TLE proteins.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed Feb. 13, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-93).