Association of the TLX-2 homeodomain and 14-3-3η signaling proteins

Homeodomain proteins play important roles in various developmental processes, and their functions are modulated by polypeptide cofactors. Here we report that both in vitro and in vivo, 14-3-3η is associated with the TLX-2 homeodomain transcription factor that is required for mouse embryogenesis. Expression of 14-3-3η shifts the predominant localization of TLX-2 in COS cells from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Tlx-2 and 14-3-3η are expressed in the developing peripheral nervous system with spatially and temporally overlapping patterns, and they are also coexpressed in PC12 cells. Increased expression of either gene by transfection considerably inhibited nerve growth factor-induced neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells, and cotransfection of both genes led to a synergistic effect of suppression. These findings define 14-3-3η as a functional modulator of the TLX-2 homeodomain transcription factor and suggest that the in vivo function of TLX-2 in neural differentiation is likely regulated by signaling mediated by 14-3-3η.