Structural basis of CBP/p300 recruitment by the microphthalmia-associated transcription factor.

The microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is a master regulator of the melanocyte cell lineage. Aberrant MITF activity can lead to multiple malignancies including skin cancer, where it modulates the progression and invasiveness of melanoma. MITF-regulated gene expression requires recruitment of the transcriptional co-regulator CBP/p300, but details of this process are not fully defined. In this study, we investigate the structural and functional interaction between the MITF N-terminal transactivation domain (MITF) and CBP/p300. Using pulldown assays and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy we determined that MITF is intrinsically disordered and binds to the TAZ1 and TAZ2 domains of CBP/p300 with moderate affinity. The solution-state structure of the MITF:TAZ2 complex reveals that MITF interacts with a hydrophobic surface of TAZ2, while remaining somewhat dynamic. Peptide array and mutagenesis experiments determined that an acidic motif is integral to the MITF:TAZ2 interaction and is necessary for transcriptional activity of MITF. Peptides that bind to the same surface of TAZ2 as MITF, such as the adenoviral protein E1A, are capable of displacing MITF from TAZ2 and inhibiting transactivation. These findings provide insight into co-activator recruitment by MITF that are fundamental to our understanding of MITF targeted gene regulation and melanoma biology.