Fli1 represses transcription of the human α2(I) collagen gene by recruitment of the HDAC1/p300 complex.

Fli1, a member of the Ets transcription factor family, is a key repressor of the human α2(I) collagen (COL1A2) gene. Although our previous studies have delineated that TGF-β induces displacement of Fli1 from the COL1A2 promoter through sequential post-translational modifications, the detailed mechanism by which Fli1 functions as a potent transcriptional repressor of the COL1A2 gene has not been fully investigated. To address this issue, we carried out a series of experiments especially focusing on protein-protein interaction and epigenetic transcriptional regulation. The combination of tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry identified HDAC1 as a Fli1 interacting protein. Under quiescent conditions, HDAC1 induced deacetylation of Fli1 resulting in an increase of Fli1 DNA binding ability and p300 enhanced this process by promoting the formation of a Fli1-HDAC1-p300 complex. TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of Fli1 at threonine 312 led to disassembly of this protein complex. In quiescent dermal fibroblasts Fli1, HDAC1, and p300 occupied the -404 to -237 region, including the Fli1 binding site, of the COL1A2 promoter. TGF-β induced Fli1 and HDAC1 dissociation from the COL1A2 promoter, while promoting Ets1 and p300 recruitment. Furthermore, acetylation levels of histone H3 around the Fli1 binding site in the COL1A2 promoter inversely correlated with the DNA occupancy of Fli1 and HDAC1, while positively correlating with that of Ets1 and p300. In the functional studies, HDAC1 overexpression magnified the inhibitory effect of Fli1 on the COL1A2 promoter. Moreover, pharmacological blockade of HDAC1 by entinostat enhanced collagen production in dermal fibroblasts. Collectively, these results indicate that under quiescent conditions Fli1 recruits HDAC1/p300 to the COL1A2 promoter and suppresses the expression of the COL1A2 gene by chromatin remodeling through histone deacetylation. TGF-β-dependent phosphorylation of Fli1 at threonine 312 is a critical step regulating the remodeling of the Fli1 transcription repressor complex, leading to transcriptional activation of the COL1A2 gene.