Disease relevance of MORF4L1

• The C-terminal part of MRG15 forms a conserved MRG domain which is involved in interactions with the tumor suppressor protein retinoblastoma and a nucleoprotein PAM14 during transcriptional regulation [1].
• Overexpression from the cytomegalovirus promoter eventually resulted in cell death, possibly due to competition with hMRG15 in endogenous nucleoprotein complexes [2].

High impact information on MORF4L1

• MRG15, a closely related family member, is in a complex with the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein Rb and activates the B-myb promoter, which is tightly controlled by Rb/E2F through the E2F binding site [3].
• In this study, sucrose gradient analysis demonstrated that MRG15 was present in two distinct nuclear protein complexes, MAF1 (MRG15-associated factor 1) and MAF2 [4].
• Our previous results indicated that MRG15 (MORF-related gene on chromosome 15) could derepress the B-myb promoter by association with Rb [4].
• MRG15, a novel chromodomain protein, is present in two distinct multiprotein complexes involved in transcriptional activation [4].
• Collectively these results suggest that MRG15 regulates transcription through interactions with a cellular protein complex containing Rb and PAM14 [5].

Biological context of MORF4L1

• These results provide the molecular basis for the interaction between the MRG domain and PAM14, and reveal insights into the potential biological function of MRG15 in transcription regulation and chromatin remodeling [1].
• Structural and biochemical data together demonstrate that the PAM14 binding site is consisted of residues Ile160, Leu168, Val169, Trp172, Tyr235, Val268, and Arg269 of MRG15, which form a shallow hydrophobic pocket to interact with the N-terminal 50 residues of PAM14 through primarily hydrophobic interactions [1].
• MRG15 contains several predicted protein motifs, including a nuclear localization signal, a helix-loop-helix region, a leucine zipper, and a chromodomain [5].
• Interestingly, it has been reported that MRG 15 is a novel transcription factor involved in the regulation of cell growth and senescence [6].
• Human MRG15 is a transcription factor that plays a vital role in embryonic development, cell proliferation and cellular senescence [7].

Associations of MORF4L1 with chemical compounds

• After nucleotide sequencing and the analysis of homology with known genes, five clones were identified; ribosomal protein S27 (MSGen-9), MRG 15 (MSGen-15), androgen-binding protein (MSGen-18), cathepsin H (MSGen-28), and cytochrome c (MSGen-47) [6].

Other interactions of MORF4L1

• We have further demonstrated that these interactions require the helix-loop-helix and leucine zipper domains of MRG15 [5].

References