Copine-I represses NF-kappaB transcription by endoproteolysis of p65

Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) is a dynamic transcription factor that regulates important biological processes involved in Cancer initiation and progression. Identifying regulators that control the half-life of NF-kappaB is important to understanding molecular processes that control the duration of transcriptional responses. In this study we identify copine-I, a calcium phospholipid-binding protein, as a novel repressor that physically interacts with p65 to inhibit NF-kappaB transcription. Knockdown of copine-I by siRNA increases tumor necrosis factor alpha-stimulated NF-kappaB transcription, while copine-I expression blocks endogenous transcription. Copine-I abolishes NF-kappaB transcription by inducing endoprotease processing of the N-terminus of p65, a process antagonized by IkappaB alpha. Copine-I stimulates endoproteolysis of p65 within a conserved region that is required for base-specific contact with DNA. p65 proteins lacking the N-terminus fail to bind to DNA and act as dominant-negative molecules that inhibit NF-kappaB transcription. Our work provides evidence that copine-I regulates the half-life of NF-kappaB transcriptional responses through a novel mechanism that involves endoproteolysis of the p65 protein.