SNIP1 (Smad nuclear interacting protein 1) is a widely expressed transcriptional suppressor of the TGF-β signal-transduction pathway which plays a key role in human spliceosome function. Here, we describe extensive genetic studies and clinical findings of a comp
lex inherited neurodevelopmental disorder in 35 individuals associated with a SNIP1 NM_024700.4:c.1097A>G, p.(Glu366Gly) variant, present at high frequency in the Amish community. The cardinal clinical features of the condition include hypotonia, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, and a characteristic craniofacial appearance. Our gene transcript studies in affected individuals define altered gene expression profiles of a number of molecules with well-defined neurodevelopmental and neuropathological roles, potentially explaining clinical outcomes. Together these data confirm this SNIP1 gene variant as a cause of an autosomal recessive complex neurodevelopmental disorder and provide important insight into the molecular roles of SNIP1, which likely explain the cardinal clinical outcomes in affected individuals, defining potential therapeutic avenues for future research.
Kim RH, etal., Genes Dev 2000 Jul 1;14(13):1605-16.
Members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily play critical roles in controlling cell growth and differentiation. Effects of TGF-beta family ligands are mediated by Smad proteins. To understand the mechanism of Smad function, we sought to identify novel interactors of Smads by use of a
yeast two-hybrid system. A 396-amino acid nuclear protein termed SNIP1 was cloned and shown to harbor a nuclear localization signal (NLS) and a Forkhead-associated (FHA) domain. The carboxyl terminus of SNIP1 interacts with Smad1 and Smad2 in yeast two-hybrid as well as in mammalian overexpression systems. However, the amino terminus of SNIP1 harbors binding sites for both Smad4 and the coactivator CBP/p300. Interaction between endogenous levels of SNIP1 and Smad4 or CBP/p300 is detected in NMuMg cells as well as in vitro. Overexpression of full-length SNIP1 or its amino terminus is sufficient to inhibit multiple gene responses to TGF-beta and CBP/p300, as well as the formation of a Smad4/p300 complex. Studies in Xenopus laevis further suggest that SNIP1 plays a role in regulating dorsomedial mesoderm formation by the TGF-beta family member nodal. Thus, SNIP1 is a nuclear inhibitor of CBP/p300 and its level of expression in specific cell types has important physiological consequences by setting a threshold for TGF-beta-induced transcriptional activation involving CBP/p300.
Kim RH, etal., J Biol Chem 2001 Dec 7;276(49):46297-304. Epub 2001 Sep 20.
SNIP1 is a 396-amino acid nuclear protein shown to be an inhibitor of the TGF-beta signal transduction pathway and to be important in suppressing transcriptional activation dependent on the co-activators CBP and p300. In this report we show that SNIP1
t-weight:700;'>SNIP1 potently inhibits the activity of NF-kappa B, which binds the C/H1 domain of CBP/p300, but does not interfere with the activity of transcription factors such as p53, which bind to other domains of p300, or factors such as VP16, which are independent of these co-activators. Inhibition of NF-kappa B activity is a function of the N-terminal domain of SNIP1 and involves competition of SNIP1 and the NF-kappa B subunit, RelA/p65, for binding to p300, similar to the mechanism of inhibition of Smad signaling by SNIP1. Immunohistochemical staining shows that expression of SNIP1 is strictly regulated in development and that it colocalizes, in certain tissues, with nuclear staining for RelA/p65 and for p300, suggesting that they may regulate NF-kappa B activity in vivo in a spatially and temporally controlled manner. These data led us to suggest that SNIP1 may be an inhibitor of multiple transcriptional pathways that require the C/H1 domain of CBP/p300.