scholarly journals Template Switching Mediates Contractions of a Repetitive Coding Region in S. cerevisiae

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor Stewart ◽  
Alexandra E. Exner ◽  
Paras Patnaik ◽  
Stephen M. Fuchs

ABSTRACTThe C-terminal domain (CTD) is an essential domain of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, Rpb1p, and is composed of 26 tandem repeats of a seven-amino acid sequence, YSPTSPS. Despite being an essential domain within an essential gene, we have previously demonstrated that the CTD coding region is genetically unstable. Furthermore, yeast with a truncated or mutated CTD sequence are capable of promoting spontaneous genetic expansion or contraction of this coding region to improve fitness. We investigated the mechanism by which the CTD contracts using a tet-off reporter system for RPB1 to monitor genetic instability within the CTD coding region. We report that contractions require the post-replication repair factor Rad5p but, unlike expansions, not the homologous recombination factors Rad51p and Rad52p. Sequence analysis of contraction events reveals that deleted regions are flanked by microhomologies. We also find that G-quadruplex forming sequences predicted by the QGRS Mapper are enriched on the noncoding strand of the CTD compared to the body of RPB1. Formation of G-quadruplexes in the CTD coding region could block the replication fork, necessitating post-replication repair by template switching. We propose that contractions of the CTD result when microhomologies misalign during Rad5p-dependent template switching via fork reversal.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2543-2551
Author(s):  
Taylor Stewart ◽  
Alexandra E. Exner ◽  
Paras Patnaik ◽  
Stephen M. Fuchs

The C-terminal domain (CTD) is an essential domain of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, Rpb1p, and is composed of 26 tandem repeats of a seven-amino acid sequence, YSPTSPS. Despite being an essential domain within an essential gene, we have previously demonstrated that the CTD coding region is genetically unstable. Furthermore, yeast with a truncated or mutated CTD sequence are capable of promoting spontaneous genetic expansion or contraction of this coding region to improve fitness. We investigated the mechanism by which the CTD contracts using a tet-off reporter system for RPB1 to monitor genetic instability within the CTD coding region. We report that contractions require the post-replication repair factor Rad5p but, unlike expansions, not the homologous recombination factors Rad51p and Rad52p. Sequence analysis of contraction events reveals that deleted regions are flanked by microhomologies. We also find that G-quadruplex forming sequences predicted by the QGRS Mapper are enriched on the noncoding strand of the CTD compared to the body of RPB1. Formation of G-quadruplexes in the CTD coding region could block the replication fork, necessitating post-replication repair. We propose that contractions of the CTD result when microhomologies misalign during Rad5p-dependent template switching via fork reversal.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiange Lang

Abstract Mucins are large glycoproteins that cover and protect epithelial surface of the body. Gel-forming mucin domains of mucin genes are rich in proline, threonine, and serine that are heavily glycosylate. These domains show great complexity with tandem repeats (TRs), thus make it difficult to study the sequences. With the coming of single molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technologies, we manage to present sequence structure of mucin domains via SMRT long reads for gel-forming mucins MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC5B and MUC6. Our study shows that for different individuals, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could be found in mucin domains of MUC2, MUC5AC, MUC5B and MUC6, while different number of tandem repeats could be found in mucin domains of MUC2 and MUC6. Furthermore, we get the sequence of MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC5B mucin domain in a Chinese individual at accuracy of possibly maximum 99.98%, 99.93%, and 99.76%, respectively. We report a new method to obtain DNA sequence of gel-forming mucin domains. This method will provided new insights on getting the sequence for Tandem Repeat parts which locate in coding region. With the sequences we obtained with this method, we can give more information for people to study the sequences of gel-forming mucin domains.


Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 753-762
Author(s):  
Günther E Roth ◽  
Sigrid Wattler ◽  
Hartmut Bornschein ◽  
Michael Lehmann ◽  
Günter Korge

Abstract The Drosophila melanogaster gene Sgs-1 belongs to the secretion protein genes, which are coordinately expressed in salivary glands of third instar larvae. Earlier analysis had implied that Sgs-1 is located at the 25B2-3 puff. We cloned Sgs-1 from a YAC covering 25B2-3. Despite using a variety of vectors and Escherichia coli strains, subcloning from the YAC led to deletions within the Sgs-1 coding region. Analysis of clonable and unclonable sequences revealed that Sgs-1 mainly consists of 48-bp tandem repeats encoding a threonine-rich protein. The Sgs-1 inserts from single λ clones are heterogeneous in length, indicating that repeats are eliminated. By analyzing the expression of Sgs-1/lacZ fusions in transgenic flies, cis-regulatory elements of Sgs-1 were mapped to lie within 1 kb upstream of the transcriptional start site. Band shift assays revealed binding sites for the transcription factor fork head (FKH) and the factor secretion enhancer binding protein 3 (SEBP3) at positions that are functionally relevant. FKH and SEBP3 have been shown previously to be involved in the regulation of Sgs-3 and Sgs-4. Comparison of the levels of steady state RNA and of the transcription rates for Sgs-1 and Sgs-1/lacZ reporter genes indicates that Sgs-1 RNA is 100-fold more stable than Sgs-1/lacZ RNA. This has implications for the model of how Sgs transcripts accumulate in late third instar larvae.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Emma Lesage ◽  
Jorge Perez-Fernandez ◽  
Sophie Queille ◽  
Christophe Dez ◽  
Olivier Gadal ◽  
...  

Pervasive transcription is widespread in eukaryotes, generating large families of non-coding RNAs. Such pervasive transcription is a key player in the regulatory pathways controlling chromatin state and gene expression. Here, we describe long non-coding RNAs generated from the ribosomal RNA gene promoter called UPStream-initiating transcripts (UPS). In yeast, rDNA genes are organized in tandem repeats in at least two different chromatin states, either transcribed and largely depleted of nucleosomes (open) or assembled in regular arrays of nucleosomes (closed). The production of UPS transcripts by RNA Polymerase II from endogenous rDNA genes was initially documented in mutants defective for rRNA production by RNA polymerase I. We show here that UPS are produced in wild-type cells from closed rDNA genes but are hidden within the enormous production of rRNA. UPS levels are increased when rDNA chromatin states are modified at high temperatures or entering/leaving quiescence. We discuss their role in the regulation of rDNA chromatin states and rRNA production.


Endocrinology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (8) ◽  
pp. 3692-3700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Ping Gu ◽  
Sen Lin ◽  
Ming Xu ◽  
Hai-Yi Yu ◽  
Xiao-Jun Du ◽  
...  

Myocardial fibrosis is a key pathological change in a variety of heart diseases contributing to the development of heart failure, arrhythmias, and sudden death. Recent studies have shown that relaxin prevents and reverses cardiac fibrosis. Endogenous expression of relaxin was elevated in the setting of heart disease; the extent of such up-regulation, however, is insufficient to exert compensatory actions, and the mechanism regulating relaxin expression is poorly defined. In the rat relaxin-1 (RLN1, Chr1) gene promoter region we found presence of repeated guanine (G)-rich sequences, which allowed formation and stabilization of G-quadruplexes with the addition of a G-quadruplex interactive ligand berberine. The G-rich sequences and the G-quadruplexes were localized adjacent to the binding motif of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)3, which negatively regulates relaxin expression. Thus, we hypothesized that the formation and stabilization of G-quadruplexes by berberine could influence relaxin expression. We found that berberine-induced formation of G-quadruplexes did increase relaxin gene expression measured at mRNA and protein levels. Formation of G-quadruplexes significantly reduced STAT3 binding to the promoter of relaxin gene. This was associated with consequent increase in the binding of RNA polymerase II and STAT5a to relaxin gene promoter. In cardiac fibroblasts and rats treated with angiotensin II, berberine was found to suppress fibroblast activation, collagen synthesis, and extent of cardiac fibrosis through up-regulating relaxin. The antifibrotic action of berberine in vitro and in vivo was similar to that by exogenous relaxin. Our findings document a novel therapeutic strategy for fibrosis through up-regulating expression of endogenous relaxin.


Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Alford ◽  
Brenna Tucker ◽  
Veronika Kozlovskaya ◽  
Jun Chen ◽  
Nirzari Gupta ◽  
...  

Nucleic acid therapeutics have the potential to be the most effective disease treatment strategy due to their intrinsic precision and selectivity for coding highly specific biological processes. However, freely administered nucleic acids of any type are quickly destroyed or rendered inert by a host of defense mechanisms in the body. In this work, we address the challenge of using nucleic acids as drugs by preparing stimuli responsive poly(methacrylic acid)/poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PMAA/PVPON)n multilayer hydrogel capsules loaded with ~7 kDa G-quadruplex DNA. The capsules are shown to release their DNA cargo on demand in response to both enzymatic and ultrasound (US)-triggered degradation. The unique structure adopted by the G-quadruplex is essential to its biological function and we show that the controlled release from the microcapsules preserves the basket conformation of the oligonucleotide used in our studies. We also show that the (PMAA/PVPON) multilayer hydrogel capsules can encapsulate and release ~450 kDa double stranded DNA. The encapsulation and release approaches for both oligonucleotides in multilayer hydrogel microcapsules developed here can be applied to create methodologies for new therapeutic strategies involving the controlled delivery of sensitive biomolecules. Our study provides a promising methodology for the design of effective carriers for DNA vaccines and medicines for a wide range of immunotherapies, cancer therapy and/or tissue regeneration therapies in the future.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 4561-4571 ◽  
Author(s):  
W D Wang ◽  
J D Gralla

To investigate the synergism or cooperative interaction between transcription elements, we have designed and constructed a series of synthetic polymerase II promoters with different combinations of elements. These include three different CCAAT boxes, which correspond to the binding sites for CP1, CP2, and NFI, a GC box, a CACCC box, and an ATF/CREB-binding site. The synthetic promoters containing these elements in proximal positions were linked to a test gene (CAT). Tandem repeats of AP1- and AP2-binding sites, the simian virus 40 enhancer, and DNA-binding sites for GAL-estrogen receptor were cloned downstream of the test gene. The strength of these promoters was then tested in transient-expression assays in HeLa TK- cells. In the context of the adenovirus major late promoter TATA box, the promoters containing only certain combinations of elements are active in this assay. Some elements appear to cooperate nearly universally, but others exhibit strong selectivity. These results indicate strongly selective synergistic interactions between elements and suggest that levels of promoter strength may be determined by the extent of compatibility between factors bound to proximal and enhancer sites.


Genetics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-434
Author(s):  
A M Bullerjahn ◽  
D L Riddle

Abstract A fine-structure genetic map has been constructed for ama-1 IV, an essential gene in Caenorhabditis elegans encoding the amanitin-binding subunit of RNA polymerase II. Sixteen EMS-induced recessive-lethal mutations have been positioned in the gene by determining their intragenic recombination frequencies with m118, a mutation that confers dominant resistance to alpha-amanitin. The 16 mutants, all isolated in the ama-1(m118) background, include 13 that are early larval lethals, and three that are mid-larval lethals, at 25 degrees. Six of the mutants exhibit temperature-dependence in the severity of their phenotype. Intragenic recombination between the lethal site and the parental resistance mutation was detected by means of resistance to amanitin. Recombinants were detected at frequencies as low as 2 X 10(-6). The segregation of the closely linked flanking markers, unc-17 and unc-5, revealed whether the lethal mutation was to the left or the right of m118. By adding the distances between the extreme left and right mutations, the ama-1 gene is estimated to be 0.011 map unit long, with m118 positioned 0.004 map unit from the left-most lethal mutation. To order the lethal mutations with respect to each other, viable heteroallelic strains were constructed using the free duplication, mDp1[unc-17(e113) dpy-13(+) ama-1(+)]. The heteroallelic strains were sensitive to amanitin, and recombination events between the lethal mutations were specifically selected by means of the dominant amanitin resistance encoded on the recombinant chromosome. The segregation of outside markers revealed the left-right order of the lethal mutations. The position of mutations within the gene is nonrandom. Functional domains of the ama-1 gene indicated by the various lethal phenotypes are discussed.


Genes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Taggart ◽  
Yirong Wang ◽  
Erin Weisenhorn ◽  
Colin W. MacDiarmid ◽  
Jason Russell ◽  
...  

Zinc homeostasis is essential for all organisms. The Zap1 transcriptional activator regulates these processes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. During zinc deficiency, Zap1 increases expression of zinc transporters and proteins involved in adapting to the stress of zinc deficiency. Transcriptional activation by Zap1 can also repress expression of some genes, e.g., RTC4. In zinc-replete cells, RTC4 mRNA is produced with a short transcript leader that is efficiently translated. During deficiency, Zap1-dependent expression of an RNA with a longer transcript leader represses the RTC4 promoter. This long leader transcript (LLT) is not translated due to the presence of small open reading frames upstream of the RTC4 coding region. In this study, we show that the RTC4 LLT RNA also plays a second function, i.e., repression of the adjacent GIS2 gene. In generating the LLT transcript, RNA polymerase II transcribes RTC4 through the GIS2 promoter. Production of the LLT RNA correlates with the decreased expression of GIS2 mRNA and mutations that prevent synthesis of the LLT RNA or terminate it before the GIS2 promoter renders GIS2 mRNA expression and Gis2 protein accumulation constitutive. Thus, we have discovered an unusual regulatory mechanism that uses a bicistronic RNA to control two genes simultaneously.


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