scholarly journals Synthetic Promoter Designs Enabled by a Comprehensive Analysis of Plant Core Promoters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Jores ◽  
Jackson Tonnies ◽  
Travis Wrightsman ◽  
Edward S. Buckler ◽  
Josh Cuperus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Models ◽  
Core Promoter ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
35S Promoter ◽  
Promoter Strength ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
Native Promoter ◽  
Highly Active

Targeted engineering of plant gene expression holds great promise for ensuring food security and for producing biopharmaceuticals in plants. However, this engineering requires thorough knowledge of cis-regulatory elements in order to precisely control either endogenous or introduced genes. To generate this knowledge, we used a massively parallel reporter assay to measure the activity of nearly complete sets of promoters from Arabidopsis, maize and sorghum. We demonstrate that core promoter elements - notably the TATA-box - as well as promoter GC content and promoter-proximal transcription factor binding sites influence promoter strength. By performing the experiments in two assay systems, leaves of the dicot tobacco and protoplasts of the monocot maize, we detected species-specific differences in the contributions of GC content and transcription factors to promoter strength. Using these observations, we built computational models to predict promoter strength in both assay systems, allowing us to design highly active promoters comparable in activity to the viral 35S promoter. Our results establish a promising experimental approach to optimize native promoter elements and generate synthetic ones with desirable features.

scholarly journals Mutational Analysis of the ompA Promoter from Flavobacterium johnsoniae

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (14) ◽  
pp. 5108-5118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shicheng Chen ◽  
Michael Bagdasarian ◽  
Michael G. Kaufman ◽  
Adam K. Bates ◽  
Edward D. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Promoter Activity ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Core Promoter ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Pronounced Effect ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
Spacer Length ◽  
Promoter Sequences ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Flavobacterium Johnsoniae

ABSTRACT Sequences that mediate the initiation of transcription in Flavobacterium species are not well known. The majority of identified Flavobacterium promoter elements show homology to those of other members of the phylum Bacteroidetes, but not of proteobacteria, and they function poorly in Escherichia coli. In order to analyze the Flavobacterium promoter structure systematically, we investigated the −33 consensus element, −7 consensus element, and spacer length of the Flavobacterium ompA promoter by measuring the effects of site-directed mutations on promoter activity. The nonconserved sequences in the spacer region and in regions close to the consensus motifs were randomized in order to determine their importance for promoter activity. Most of the base substitutions in these regions caused large decreases in promoter activity. The optimal −33/−7 motifs (TTTG/TANNTTTG) were identical to Bacteroides fragilis σABfr consensus −33/−7 promoter elements but lacked similarity to the E. coli σ70 promoter elements. The length of the spacer separating the −33 and −7 motifs of the ompA promoter also had a pronounced effect on promoter activity, with 19 bp being optimal. In addition to the consensus promoter elements and spacer length, the GC content of the core promoter sequences had a pronounced effect on Flavobacterium promoter activity. This information was used to conduct a scan of the Flavobacterium johnsoniae and B. fragilis genomes for putative promoters, resulting in 188 hits in B. fragilis and 109 hits in F. johnsoniae.

scholarly journals Transcription start site analysis reveals widespread divergent transcription in D. melanogaster and core promoter-encoded enhancer activities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Rennie ◽  
Maria Dalby ◽  
Marta Lloret-Llinares ◽  
Stylianos Bakoulis ◽  
Christian Dalager Vaagensø ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Initiation ◽  
Core Promoter ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Chromatin Interaction ◽  
Promoter Strength ◽  
Gene Promoters ◽  
Core Promoters ◽  
Promoter Architecture ◽  
Regulatory Functions

ABSTRACTMammalian gene promoters and enhancers share many properties. They are composed of a unified promoter architecture of divergent transcripton initiation and gene promoters may exhibit enhancer function. However, it is currently unclear how expression strength of a regulatory element relates to its enhancer strength and if the unifying architecture is conserved across Metazoa. Here we investigate the transcription initiation landscape and its associated RNA decay in D. melanogaster. Surprisingly, we find that the majority of active gene-distal enhancers and a considerable fraction of gene promoters are divergently transcribed. We observe quantitative relationships between enhancer potential, expression level and core promoter strength, providing an explanation for indirectly related histone modifications that are reflecting expression levels. Lowly abundant unstable RNAs initiated from weak core promoters are key characteristics of gene-distal developmental enhancers, while the housekeeping enhancer strengths of gene promoters reflect their expression strengths. The different layers of regulation mediated by gene-distal enhancers and gene promoters are also reflected in chromatin interaction data. Our results suggest a unified promoter architecture of many D. melanogaster regulatory elements, that is universal across Metazoa, whose regulatory functions seem to be related to their core promoter elements.

scholarly journals Core Promoter Elements and TAFs Contribute to the Diversity of Transcriptional Activation in Vertebrates

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (20) ◽  
pp. 7350-7362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Chen ◽  
James L. Manley
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Core Promoter ◽  
Simian Virus 40 ◽  
Simian Virus ◽  
Promoter Strength ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
The Core ◽  
Activation Mechanisms ◽  
Rnap Ii

ABSTRACT Gene-specific transcriptional activation is a multistep process that requires numerous protein factors and DNA elements, including enhancers and the core promoter. To investigate the roles of core promoter elements in transcriptional activation in vertebrates, we examined expression and factor occupancy on representative promoters in chicken DT40 cells containing a conditional TATA binding protein (TBP)-associated factor 9 allele (TAF9). Characterized core elements, including TATA box-flanking regions and the downstream promoter element, were found to play significant roles in determining promoter strength, response to activators, and factor occupancy and recruitment. The requirement for TAF9 was found to be highly promoter specific, and TAF9 dependence and promoter occupancy were not always correlated. We also describe contrasting examples of factor recruitment and activation mechanisms at different promoters, highlighted by the nearly opposite mechanisms utilized by the simian virus 40 enhancer and p53. With the core promoters analyzed, the former functions by facilitating RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) recruitment to a preassembled TBP/TFIIB-containing scaffold and p53 strongly recruits TBP and TFIIB while RNAP II levels remain modest. Taken together, our results illustrate both the important roles of core promoter elements and the remarkable diversity that characterizes transcriptional activation mechanisms in vertebrates.

scholarly journals Chicken beta B1-crystallin gene expression: presence of conserved functional polyomavirus enhancer-like and octamer binding-like promoter elements found in non-lens genes.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1488-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
H J Roth ◽  
G C Das ◽  
J Piatigorsky
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Hela Cell ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Nuclear Extract ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Dnase I ◽  
Flanking Sequence ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting

Expression of the chicken beta B1-crystallin gene was examined. Northern (RNA) blot and primer extension analyses showed that while abundant in the lens, the beta B1 mRNA is absent from the liver, brain, heart, skeletal muscle, and fibroblasts of the chicken embryo, suggesting lens specificity. Promoter fragments ranging from 434 to 126 bp of 5'-flanking sequence (plus 30 bp of exon 1) of the beta B1 gene fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene functioned much more efficiently in transfected embryonic chicken lens epithelial cells than in transfected primary muscle fibroblasts or HeLa cells. Transient expression of recombinant plasmids in cultured lens cells, DNase I footprinting, in vitro transcription in a HeLa cell extract, and gel mobility shift assays were used to identify putative functional promoter elements of the beta B1-crystallin gene. Sequence analysis revealed a number of potential regulatory elements between positions -126 and -53 of the beta B1 promoter, including two Sp1 sites, two octamer binding sequence-like sites (OL-1 and OL-2), and two polyomavirus enhancer-like sites (PL-1 and PL-2). Deletion and site-specific mutation experiments established the functional importance of PL-1 (-116 to -102), PL-2 (-90 to -76), and OL-2 (-75 to -68). DNase I footprinting using a lens or a HeLa cell nuclear extract and gel mobility shifts using a lens nuclear extract indicated the presence of putative lens transcription factors binding to these DNA sequences. Competition experiments provided evidence that PL-1 and PL-2 recognize the same or very similar factors, while OL-2 recognizes a different factor. Our data suggest that the same or closely related transcription factors found in many tissues are used for expression of the chicken beta B1-crystallin gene in the lens.

scholarly journals The decapentaplegic core promoter region plays an integral role in the spatial control of transcription.

1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 3960-3968 ◽  
Author(s):  
D H Schwyter ◽  
J D Huang ◽  
T Dubnicoff ◽  
A J Courey
Keyword(s):  
Expression Pattern ◽  
Phase Ii ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Core Promoter ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Drosophila Embryo ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Core Promoter Region ◽  
Flanking Region

The Drosophila melanogaster decapentaplegic (dpp) gene encodes a transforming growth factor beta-related cell signaling molecule that plays a critical role in dorsal/ventral pattern formation. The dpp expression pattern in the Drosophila embryo is dynamic, consisting of three phases. Phase I, in which dpp is expressed in a broad dorsal domain, depends on elements in the dpp second intron that interact with the Dorsal transcription factor to repress transcription ventrally. In contrast, phases II and III, in which dpp is expressed first in broad longitudinal stripes (phase II) and subsequently in narrow longitudinal stripes (phase III), depend on multiple independent elements in the dpp 5'-flanking region. Several aspects of the normal dpp expression pattern appear to depend on the unique properties of the dpp core promoter. For example, this core promoter (extending from -22 to +6) is able to direct a phase II expression pattern in the absence of additional upstream or downstream regulatory elements. In addition, a ventral-specific enhancer in the dpp 5'-flanking region that binds the Dorsal factor activates the heterologous hsp70 core promoter but not the dpp core promoter. Thus, the dpp core promoter region may contribute to spatially regulated transcription both by interacting directly with spatially restricted activators and by modifying the activity of proteins bound to enhancer elements.

Characterization of oocyte-expressed GDF9 gene in buffalo and mapping of its TSS and putative regulatory elements

Zygote ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Roy ◽  
S. Rajput ◽  
S. Raghav ◽  
P. Kumar ◽  
A. Verma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Core Promoter ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Minimal Promoter ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Oocyte Competence ◽  
Tata Element ◽  
Putative Transcription Factor ◽  
E Boxes

SummaryIn spite of emerging evidence about the vital role of GDF9 in determination of oocyte competence, there is insufficient information about its regulation of oocyte-specific expression, particularly in livestock animals. Because of the distinct prominence of buffalo as a dairy animal, the present study was undertaken to isolate and characterize GDF9 cDNA using orthologous primers based on the bovine GDF9 sequence. GDF9 transcripts were found to be expressed in oocytes irrespective of their follicular origin, and shared a single transcription start site (TSS) at –57 base pairs (bp) upstream of ATG. Assignment of the TSS is consistent with the presence of a TATA element at –23 of the TSS mapped in this study. Localization of a buffalo-specific minimal promoter within 320 bp upstream of ATG was consolidated by identification of an E-box element at –113bp. Presence of putative transcription factor binding sites and other cis regulatory elements were analyzed at ~5 kb upstream of TSS. Various germ cell-specific cis-acting regulatory elements (BNCF, BRNF, NR2F, SORY, Foxh1, OCT1, LHXF etc.) have been identified in the 5′ flanking region of the buffalo GDF9 gene, including NOBOX DNA binding elements and consensuses E-boxes (CANNTG). Presence of two conserved E-boxes found on buffalo sequence at –520 and –718 positions deserves attention in view of its sequence deviation from other species. Two NOBOX binding elements (NBE) were detected at the –3471 and –203 positions. The fall of the NBE within the putative minimal promoter territory of buffalo GDF9 and its unique non-core binding sequence could have a possible role in the control of the core promoter activity.

scholarly journals Characterization of the promoter elements required for hepatic and intestinal transcription of the human apoB gene: definition of the DNA-binding site of a tissue-specific transcriptional factor.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2653-2659 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Kardassis ◽  
M Hadzopoulou-Cladaras ◽  
D P Ramji ◽  
R Cortese ◽  
V I Zannis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Apob Gene ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
Nuclear Extracts ◽  
Dna Binding Site ◽  
Gene Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assays

The promoter elements important for intestinal and hepatic transcription of the human apoB gene have been localized downstream of nucleotide -150. Footprinting analysis using hepatic nuclear extracts identified four protected regions, -124 to -100, -97 to -93, -86 to -33, and +33 to +52. Gel electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that multiple factors interact with the apoB sequence -86 to -33, while the region -88 to -61 binds a single nuclear factor. Methylation interference analysis and nucleotide substitution mutagenesis identified the binding site of the factor between residues -78 and -68. Binding competition experiments indicate that this factor recognizes the regulatory elements of other liver-specific genes.

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