scholarly journals Positive and negative regulatory elements mediating transcription from the Drosophila melanogaster actin 5C distal promoter.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 6172-6180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y T Chung ◽  
E B Keller

The major cytoskeletal actin gene of Drosophila melanogaster, the actin 5C gene, has two promoters, the distal one of which controls synthesis of actin in a tissue- and developmental stage-specific manner. This very strong promoter has widely been used for expression of heterologous genes in cultured cells. To locate functional regulatory elements in this distal promoter, mutants of the promoter were fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and assayed for transient expression activity in cultured Drosophila embryonic Schneider line 2 cells. The results showed that the upstream end of the promoter extends to 522 bp from the transcription start site. In addition, there are two remote activating regions about 2 kb upstream. Between -522 and -379 are two regions that exert a strong negative effect. Downstream from these negative regions are at least six positive regions and a TATA element. The strongest positive determinant of the promoter was identified at -320 as AAAATGTG by footprinting and by a replacement experiment. When the relevant region was replaced by a synthetic sequence containing this element in a random context, the transient expression activity was restored. The sequence TGTATG located at -355 was also identified as a positive element by a similar replacement approach. Apparently the very high activity of this promoter is the result of the combined activities of multiple factors.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 6172-6180
Author(s):  
Y T Chung ◽  
E B Keller

The major cytoskeletal actin gene of Drosophila melanogaster, the actin 5C gene, has two promoters, the distal one of which controls synthesis of actin in a tissue- and developmental stage-specific manner. This very strong promoter has widely been used for expression of heterologous genes in cultured cells. To locate functional regulatory elements in this distal promoter, mutants of the promoter were fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and assayed for transient expression activity in cultured Drosophila embryonic Schneider line 2 cells. The results showed that the upstream end of the promoter extends to 522 bp from the transcription start site. In addition, there are two remote activating regions about 2 kb upstream. Between -522 and -379 are two regions that exert a strong negative effect. Downstream from these negative regions are at least six positive regions and a TATA element. The strongest positive determinant of the promoter was identified at -320 as AAAATGTG by footprinting and by a replacement experiment. When the relevant region was replaced by a synthetic sequence containing this element in a random context, the transient expression activity was restored. The sequence TGTATG located at -355 was also identified as a positive element by a similar replacement approach. Apparently the very high activity of this promoter is the result of the combined activities of multiple factors.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-216
Author(s):  
Y T Chung ◽  
E B Keller

The major cytoskeletal actin gene of Drosophila melanogaster, the actin 5C gene, has two promoters, the proximal one of which controls constitutive synthesis of actin in all growing tissues. To locate regulatory elements required for constitutive activity of the proximal promoter, mutants of this promoter were fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and assayed for transient expression activity in cultured Drosophila embryonic Schneider line 2 cells. An essential regulatory element has been located 313 base pairs upstream from the cap site. Deletion of this element lowered expression to one-third of the wild-type level. The element has the sequence AAGTTGTAGTTG, as shown by protein-binding footprinting with the reagent methidiumpropyl-EDTA-Fe(II). This element is probably not a general one, since it was not detected in a search of the published 5'-flanking sequences of 27 Drosophila genes. In addition to this regulatory element, there are five GAGA elements in the actin 5C proximal promoter, some or all of which are essential for the promoter activity as shown by an in vivo competition assay. Although this promoter has no classical TATA element, there is an essential promoter region about 35 base pairs upstream from the cap site that could be a TATA surrogate. The promoter also shows sequences homologous to the alcohol dehydrogenase factor 1-binding site and to the core of the vertebrate serum response element, but mutations of these sites did not affect promoter activity in transient expression assays.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 206-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y T Chung ◽  
E B Keller

The major cytoskeletal actin gene of Drosophila melanogaster, the actin 5C gene, has two promoters, the proximal one of which controls constitutive synthesis of actin in all growing tissues. To locate regulatory elements required for constitutive activity of the proximal promoter, mutants of this promoter were fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and assayed for transient expression activity in cultured Drosophila embryonic Schneider line 2 cells. An essential regulatory element has been located 313 base pairs upstream from the cap site. Deletion of this element lowered expression to one-third of the wild-type level. The element has the sequence AAGTTGTAGTTG, as shown by protein-binding footprinting with the reagent methidiumpropyl-EDTA-Fe(II). This element is probably not a general one, since it was not detected in a search of the published 5'-flanking sequences of 27 Drosophila genes. In addition to this regulatory element, there are five GAGA elements in the actin 5C proximal promoter, some or all of which are essential for the promoter activity as shown by an in vivo competition assay. Although this promoter has no classical TATA element, there is an essential promoter region about 35 base pairs upstream from the cap site that could be a TATA surrogate. The promoter also shows sequences homologous to the alcohol dehydrogenase factor 1-binding site and to the core of the vertebrate serum response element, but mutations of these sites did not affect promoter activity in transient expression assays.


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.


Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 161 (2) ◽  
pp. 733-746
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W Southworth ◽  
James A Kennison

Abstract The Sex combs reduced (Scr) gene specifies the identities of the labial and first thoracic segments in Drosophila melanogaster. In imaginal cells, some Scr mutations allow cis-regulatory elements on one chromosome to stimulate expression of the promoter on the homolog, a phenomenon that was named transvection by Ed Lewis in 1954. Transvection at the Scr gene is blocked by rearrangements that disrupt pairing, but is zeste independent. Silencing of the Scr gene in the second and third thoracic segments, which requires the Polycomb group proteins, is disrupted by most chromosomal aberrations within the Scr gene. Some chromosomal aberrations completely derepress Scr even in the presence of normal levels of all Polycomb group proteins. On the basis of the pattern of chromosomal aberrations that disrupt Scr gene silencing, we propose a model in which two cis-regulatory elements interact to stabilize silencing of any promoter or cis-regulatory element physically between them. This model also explains the anomalous behavior of the Scx allele of the flanking homeotic gene, Antennapedia. This allele, which is associated with an insertion near the Antennapedia P1 promoter, inactivates the Antennapedia P1 and P2 promoters in cis and derepresses the Scr promoters both in cis and on the homologous chromosome.


1993 ◽  
Vol 296 (3) ◽  
pp. 663-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
M F Wilkemeyer ◽  
E R Andrews ◽  
F D Ledley

Methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM) is a nuclear-encoded mitochondrial matrix enzyme. We have reported characterization of murine MCM and cloning of a murine MCM cDNA and now describe the murine Mut locus, its promoter and evidence for tissue-specific variation in MCM mRNA, enzyme and holo-enzyme levels. The Mut locus spans 30 kb and contains 13 exons constituting a unique transcription unit. A B1 repeat element was found in the 3′ untranslated region (exon 13). The transcription initiation site was identified and upstream sequences were shown to direct expression of a reporter gene in cultured cells. The promoter contains sequence motifs characteristic of: (1) TATA-less housekeeping promoters; (2) enhancer elements purportedly involved in co-ordinating expression of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins; and (3) regulatory elements including CCAAT boxes, cyclic AMP-response elements and potential AP-2-binding sites. Northern blots demonstrate a greater than 10-fold variation in steady-state mRNA levels, which correlate with tissue levels of enzyme activity. However, the ratio of holoenzyme to total enzyme varies among different tissues, and there is no correlation between steady-state mRNA levels and holoenzyme activity. These results suggest that, although there may be regulation of MCM activity at the level of mRNA, the significance of genetic regulation is unclear owning to the presence of epigenetic regulation of holoenzyme formation.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 3798-3806
Author(s):  
L E Babiss ◽  
J M Friedman ◽  
J E Darnell

In the accompanying paper (Friedman et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:3791-3797, 1986), hepatoma-specific expression of the rat albumin promoter within the adenovirus genome was demonstrated. However, the rate of transcription was very low compared with that of the endogenous chromosomal albumin gene. Here we show that in hepatoma cells the adenovirus E1A enhancer, especially in the presence of E1A protein, greatly stimulates transcription from the albumin promoter but not the mouse beta-globin promoter. This enhancer-dependent stimulation did not occur in myeloma cells in which a virus containing a immunoglobulin promoter and enhancer did function. These experiments suggest a limited distribution in cultured differentiated cells of cell-specific transcription factors. However, either the regulation of such cell-specific factors breaks down in other cultured cells, or strictly cell-specific factors are not at play in controlling cell-specific transcription, because HeLa cells could transcribe the albumin promoter from the same start site about 10% as well as hepatomas could and 293 cells could transcribe both albumin and globin promoters.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 4548-4557
Author(s):  
J Hirsh ◽  
B A Morgan ◽  
S B Scholnick

We delimited sequences necessary for in vivo expression of the Drosophila melanogaster dopa decarboxylase gene Ddc. The expression of in vitro-altered genes was assayed following germ line integration via P-element vectors. Sequences between -209 and -24 were necessary for normally regulated expression, although genes lacking these sequences could be expressed at 10 to 50% of wild-type levels at specific developmental times. These genes showed components of normal developmental expression, which suggests that they retain some regulatory elements. All Ddc genes lacking the normal immediate 5'-flanking sequences were grossly deficient in larval central nervous system expression. Thus, this upstream region must contain at least one element necessary for this expression. A mutated Ddc gene without a normal TATA boxlike sequence used the normal RNA start points, indicating that this sequences is not required for start point specificity.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (12) ◽  
pp. 4634-4640
Author(s):  
R Hanecak ◽  
S Mittal ◽  
B R Davis ◽  
H Fan

Deletional analysis within the long terminal repeat (LTR) of Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) was performed. By molecular cloning, deletions were made in the vicinity of the XbaI site at -150 base pairs (bp) in the U3 region, between the tandemly repeated enhancers and the TATA box. The effects of the deletions on LTR function were measured in two ways. First, deleted LTRs were fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and used in transient expression assays. Second, infectious M-MuLVs were generated by transfection of M-MuLV proviruses containing the deleted LTRs, and the relative infectivity of the mutant viruses was assessed by XC-syncytial assay. Most of the deleted LTRs examined showed relatively high promoter activity in the transient chloramphenicol acetyltransferase assays, with values ranging from 20 to 50% of the wild-type M-MuLV LTR. Thus, the sequences between the enhancers and the TATA box were not absolutely required for transient expression. However, infectivity of viruses carrying the same deleted LTRs showed more pronounced effects. Deletion of sequences from -195 to -174 bp reduced infectivity 20- to 100-fold. Deletion of sequences within the region from -174 to -122 bp did not affect infectivity, indicating that this region is dispensable. On the other hand, deletion of sequences from -150 to -40 bp reduced infectivity from 5 to 6 logs, although the magnitude of the reduction partly may have reflected threshold envelope protein requirements for positive XC assays. The reduced infectivity did not appear to result from a failure of proviral DNA synthesis or integration by the mutant. Thus, the infectivity measurements identified three functional domains in the region between the enhancers and the TATA box.


1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 4118-4121
Author(s):  
D A Talmage ◽  
M Blumenfeld

Phosphorylation of histone H1 is developmentally regulated in Drosophila spp. It cannot be detected in preblastoderm embryos or polytene salivary gland cells, but in cellular blastoderm, postblastoderm embryo, and amitotic adult head nuclei, it occurs with a frequency of roughly 4 x 10(5) molecules per nucleus. We used pulse-labeling to study the relationship between H1 synthesis and modification in cultured cells. These results reveal that the H1-associated phosphate is stable and suggest that Drosophila H1 is synthesized, translocated to the nucleus, associated with chromatin, and then phosphorylated. Partial tryptic digestion of Drosophila H1 revealed that the phosphorylation site is located within the globular, central domain of the protein. Thus, the developmentally regulated phosphorylation of Drosophila H1 presents two contrasts with previously studied H1 phosphorylation. It is not correlated with DNA replication, and it is located in the central domain of the protein.


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