scholarly journals A yeast ARS-binding protein activates transcription synergistically in combination with other weak activating factors.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 887-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
A R Buchman ◽  
R D Kornberg

ABFI (ARS-binding protein I) is a yeast protein that binds specific DNA sequences associated with several autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs). ABFI also binds sequences located in promoter regions of some yeast genes, including DED1, an essential gene of unknown function that is transcribed constitutively at a high level. ABFI was purified by specific binding to the DED1 upstream activating sequence (UAS) and was found to recognize related sequences at several other promoters, at an ARS (ARS1), and at a transcriptional silencer (HMR E). All ABFI-binding sites, regardless of origin, provided weak UAS function in vivo when examined in test plasmids. UAS function was abolished by point mutations that reduced ABFI binding in vitro. Analysis of the DED1 promoter showed that two ABFI-binding sites combine synergistically with an adjacent T-rich sequence to form a strong constitutive activator. The DED1 T-rich element acted synergistically with all other ABFI-binding sites and with binding sites for other multifunctional yeast activators. An examination of the properties of sequences surrounding ARS1 left open the possibility that ABFI enhances the initiation of DNA replication at ARS1 by transcriptional activation.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 887-897
Author(s):  
A R Buchman ◽  
R D Kornberg

ABFI (ARS-binding protein I) is a yeast protein that binds specific DNA sequences associated with several autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs). ABFI also binds sequences located in promoter regions of some yeast genes, including DED1, an essential gene of unknown function that is transcribed constitutively at a high level. ABFI was purified by specific binding to the DED1 upstream activating sequence (UAS) and was found to recognize related sequences at several other promoters, at an ARS (ARS1), and at a transcriptional silencer (HMR E). All ABFI-binding sites, regardless of origin, provided weak UAS function in vivo when examined in test plasmids. UAS function was abolished by point mutations that reduced ABFI binding in vitro. Analysis of the DED1 promoter showed that two ABFI-binding sites combine synergistically with an adjacent T-rich sequence to form a strong constitutive activator. The DED1 T-rich element acted synergistically with all other ABFI-binding sites and with binding sites for other multifunctional yeast activators. An examination of the properties of sequences surrounding ARS1 left open the possibility that ABFI enhances the initiation of DNA replication at ARS1 by transcriptional activation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1616-1625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Chen ◽  
R. H. Goodman ◽  
Sarah M. Smolik

ABSTRACT CREB-binding protein (CBP) serves as a transcriptional coactivator in multiple signal transduction pathways. The Drosophilahomologue of CBP, dCBP, interacts with the transcription factors Cubitus interruptus (CI), MAD, and Dorsal (DL) and functions as a coactivator in several signaling pathways during Drosophiladevelopment, including the hedgehog (hh),decapentaplegic (dpp), and Tollpathways. Although dCBP is required for the expression of thehh target genes, wingless (wg) andpatched (ptc) in vivo, and potentiatesci-mediated transcriptional activation in vitro, it is not known that ci absolutely requires dCBP for its activity. We used a yeast genetic screen to identify several ci point mutations that disrupt CI-dCBP interactions. These mutant proteins are unable to transactivate a reporter gene regulated by cibinding sites and have a lower dCBP-stimulated activity than wild-type CI. When expressed exogenously in embryos, the CI point mutants cannot activate endogenous wg expression. Furthermore, a CI mutant protein that lacks the entire dCBP interaction domain functions as a negative competitor for wild-type CI activity, and the expression of dCBP antisense RNAs can suppress CI transactivation in Kc cells. Taken together, our data suggest that dCBP function is necessary forci-mediated transactivation of wg duringDrosophila embryogenesis.


Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (6) ◽  
pp. 1779-1788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham P. Stafford ◽  
Tomoo Ogi ◽  
Colin Hughes

The gene hierarchy directing biogenesis of peritrichous flagella on the surface of Escherichia coli and other enterobacteria is controlled by the heterotetrameric master transcriptional regulator FlhD2C2. To assess the extent to which FlhD2C2 directly activates promoters of a wider regulon, a computational screen of the E. coli genome was used to search for gene-proximal DNA sequences similar to the 42–44 bp inverted repeat FlhD2C2 binding consensus. This identified the binding sequences upstream of all eight flagella class II operons, and also putative novel FlhD2C2 binding sites in the promoter regions of 39 non-flagellar genes. Nine representative non-flagellar promoter regions were all bound in vitro by active reconstituted FlhD2C2 over the K D range 38–356 nM, and of the nine corresponding chromosomal promoter–lacZ fusions, those of the four genes b1904, b2446, wzz fepE and gltI showed up to 50-fold dependence on FlhD2C2 in vivo. In comparison, four representative flagella class II promoters bound FlhD2C2 in the K D range 12–43 nM and were upregulated in vivo 30- to 990-fold. The FlhD2C2-binding sites of the four regulated non-flagellar genes overlap by 1 or 2 bp the predicted −35 motif of the FlhD2C2-activated σ 70 promoters, as is the case with FlhD2C2-dependent class II flagellar promoters. The data indicate a wider FlhD2C2 regulon, in which non-flagellar genes are bound and activated directly, albeit less strongly, by the same mechanism as that regulating the flagella gene hierarchy.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6866-6875 ◽  
Author(s):  
D C Hagen ◽  
L Bruhn ◽  
C A Westby ◽  
G F Sprague

Transcription activation of alpha-specific genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated by two proteins, MCM1 and alpha 1, which bind to DNA sequences, called P'Q elements, found upstream of alpha-specific genes. Neither MCM1 nor alpha 1 alone binds efficiently to P'Q elements. Together, however, they bind cooperatively in a manner that requires both the P' sequence, which is a weak binding site for MCM1, and the Q sequence, which has been postulated to be the binding site for alpha 1. We analyzed a collection of point mutations in the P'Q element of the STE3 gene to determine the importance of individual base pairs for alpha-specific gene transcription. Within the 10-bp conserved Q sequence, mutations at only three positions strongly affected transcription activation in vivo. These same mutations did not affect the weak binding to P'Q displayed by MCM1 alone. In vitro DNA binding assays showed a direct correlation between the ability of the mutant sequences to form ternary P'Q-MCM1-alpha 1 complexes and the degree to which transcription was activated in vivo. Thus, the ability of alpha 1 and MCM1 to bind cooperatively to P'Q elements is critical for activation of alpha-specific genes. In all natural alpha-specific genes the Q sequence is adjacent to the degenerate side of P'. To test the significance of this geometry, we created several novel juxtapositions of P, P', and Q sequences. When the Q sequence was opposite the degenerate side, the composite QP' element was inactive as a promoter element in vivo and unable to form stable ternary QP'-MCM1-alpha 1 complexes in vitro. We also found that addition of a Q sequence to a strong MCM1 binding site allows the addition of alpha 1 to the complex. This finding, together with the observation that Q-element point mutations affected ternary complex formation but not the weak binding of MCM1 alone, supports the idea that the Q sequence serves as a binding site for alpha 1.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 6021-6029
Author(s):  
R Metz ◽  
A J Bannister ◽  
J A Sutherland ◽  
C Hagemeier ◽  
E C O'Rourke ◽  
...  

Transcriptional activation in eukaryotes involves protein-protein interactions between regulatory transcription factors and components of the basal transcription machinery. Here we show that c-Fos, but not a related protein, Fra-1, can bind the TATA-box-binding protein (TBP) both in vitro and in vivo and that c-Fos can also interact with the transcription factor IID complex. High-affinity binding to TBP requires c-Fos activation modules which cooperate to activate transcription. One of these activation modules contains a TBP-binding motif (TBM) which was identified through its homology to TBP-binding viral activators. This motif is required for transcriptional activation, as well as TBP binding. Domain swap experiments indicate that a domain containing the TBM can confer TBP binding on Fra-1 both in vitro and in vivo. In vivo activation experiments indicate that a GAL4-Fos fusion can activate a promoter bearing a GAL4 site linked to a TATA box but that this activity does not occur at high concentrations of GAL4-Fos. This inhibition (squelching) of c-Fos activity is relieved by the presence of excess TBP, indicating that TBP is a direct functional target of c-Fos. Removing the TBM from c-Fos severely abrogates activation of a promoter containing a TATA box but does not affect activation of a promoter driven only by an initiator element. Collectively, these results suggest that c-Fos is able to activate via two distinct mechanisms, only one of which requires contact with TBP. Since TBP binding is not exhibited by Fra-1, TBP-mediated activation may be one characteristic that discriminates the function of Fos-related proteins.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2091-2103
Author(s):  
S Türkel ◽  
P J Farabaugh

Transcription of the Ty2-917 retrotransposon of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is modulated by a complex set of positive and negative elements, including a negative region located within the first open reading frame, TYA2. The negative region includes three downstream repression sites (DRSI, DRSII, and DRSIII). In addition, the negative region includes at least two downstream activation sites (DASs). This paper concerns the characterization of DASI. A 36-bp DASI oligonucleotide acts as an autonomous transcriptional activation site and includes two sequence elements which are both required for activation. We show that these sites bind in vitro the transcriptional activation protein GCN4 and that their activity in vivo responds to the level of GCN4 in the cell. We have termed the two sites GCN4 binding sites (GBS1 and GBS2). GBS1 is a high-affinity GCN4 binding site (dissociation constant, approximately 25 nM at 30 degrees C), binding GCN4 with about the affinity of a consensus UASGCN4, this though GBS1 includes two differences from the right half of the palindromic consensus site. GBS2 is more diverged from the consensus and binds GCN4 with about 20-fold-lower affinity. Nucleotides 13 to 36 of DASI overlap DRSII. Since DRSII is a transcriptional repression site, we tested whether DASI includes repression elements. We identify two sites flanking GBS2, both of which repress transcription activated by the consensus GCN4-specific upstream activation site (UASGCN4). One of these is repeated in the 12 bp immediately adjacent to DASI. Thus, in a 48-bp region of Ty2-917 are interspersed two positive and three negative transcriptional regulators. The net effect of the region must depend on the interaction of the proteins bound at these sites, which may include their competing for binding sites, and on the physiological control of the activity of these proteins.


2013 ◽  
Vol 453 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingtan Su ◽  
Xiao Liang ◽  
Qiang Zhou ◽  
Guiyou Zhang ◽  
Hongzhong Wang ◽  
...  

ACC (amorphous calcium carbonate) plays an important role in biomineralization process for its function as a precursor for calcium carbonate biominerals. However, it is unclear how biomacromolecules regulate the formation of ACC precursor in vivo. In the present study, we used biochemical experiments coupled with bioinformatics approaches to explore the mechanisms of ACC formation controlled by ACCBP (ACC-binding protein). Size-exclusion chromatography, chemical cross-linking experiments and negative staining electron microscopy reveal that ACCBP is a decamer composed of two adjacent pentamers. Sequence analyses and fluorescence quenching results indicate that ACCBP contains two Ca2+-binding sites. The results of in vitro crystallization experiments suggest that one Ca2+-binding site is critical for ACC formation and the other site affects the ACC induction efficiency. Homology modelling demonstrates that the Ca2+-binding sites of pentameric ACCBP are arranged in a 5-fold symmetry, which is the structural basis for ACC formation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the structural basis for protein-induced ACC formation and it will significantly improve our understanding of the amorphous precursor pathway.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (2) ◽  
pp. G436-G441 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Bianchi ◽  
G. Thibault ◽  
A. De Lean ◽  
J. Genest ◽  
M. Cantin

We have studied the localization and the characterization of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) binding sites by radioautographic techniques. Quantitative in vitro radioautography with a computerized microdensitometer demonstrated the presence of high-affinity, low-capacity 125I-ANF-(99-126) binding sites (Kd, 48 pM; Bmax, 63 fmol/mg protein) mainly in the villi of 20-microns slide-mounted transverse sections of the rat jejunum. Competition curves showed 50% inhibitory concentrations of 55 and 1,560 pM for ANF-(99-126) and ANF-(103-123), respectively. In vivo electron microscope radioautography showed that 80% of the silver grains were localized on the lamina propria fibroblast-like cells, 18% on mature enterocytes, and 2% on capillaries. Bradykinin and adrenocorticotropin did not compete with ANF binding. These results demonstrate that ANF binding sites in the rat jejunum possess the pharmacological characteristics of functional ANF receptors encountered in other rat tissues, and ultrastructural radioautographs show their cellular distribution. Taken together, these results demonstrate the presence and the localization of specific binding sites for ANF in the jejunal villi of the rat small intestine.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1405-1421 ◽  
Author(s):  
C C Adams ◽  
J L Workman

To investigate mechanisms by which multiple transcription factors access complex promoters and enhancers within cellular chromatin, we have analyzed the binding of disparate factors to nucleosome cores. We used a purified in vitro system to analyze binding of four activator proteins, two GAL4 derivatives, USF, and NF-kappa B (KBF1), to reconstituted nucleosome cores containing different combinations of binding sites. Here we show that binding of any two or all three of these factors to nucleosomal DNA is inherently cooperative. Thus, the binuclear Zn clusters of GAL4, the helix-loop-helix/basic domains of USF, and the rel domain of NF-kappa B all participated in cooperative nucleosome binding, illustrating that this effect is not restricted to a particular DNA-binding domain. Simultaneous binding by two factors increased the affinity of individual factors for nucleosomal DNA by up to 2 orders of magnitude. Importantly, cooperative binding resulted in efficient nucleosome binding by factors (USF and NF-kappa B) which independently possess little nucleosome-binding ability. The participation of GAL4 derivatives in cooperative nucleosome binding required only DNA-binding and dimerization domains, indicating that disruption of histone-DNA contacts by factor binding was responsible for the increased affinity of additional factors. Cooperative nucleosome binding required sequence-specific binding of all transcription factors, appeared to have spatial constraints, and was independent of the orientation of the binding sites on the nucleosome. These results indicate that cooperative nucleosome binding is a general mechanism that may play a significant role in loading complex enhancer and promoter elements with multiple diverse factors in chromatin and contribute to the generation of threshold responses and transcriptional synergy by multiple activator sites in vivo.


2010 ◽  
Vol 431 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Boon Shang Chew ◽  
Wee Leng Siew ◽  
Benjamin Xiao ◽  
Norbert Lehming

Tbp1, the TATA-binding protein, is essential for transcriptional activation, and Gal4 and Gcn4 are unable to fully activate transcription in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae TBP1E86D mutant strain. In the present study we have shown that the Tbp1E186D mutant protein is proteolytically instable, and we have isolated intragenic and extragenic suppressors of the transcription defects of the TBP1E186D mutant strain. The TBP1R6S mutation stabilizes the Tbp1E186D mutant protein and suppresses the defects of the TBP1E186D mutant strain. Furthermore, we found that the overexpression of the de-ubiquitinating enzyme Ubp3 (ubiquitin-specific protease 3) also stabilizes the Tbp1E186D mutant protein and suppresses of the defects of the TBP1E186D mutant strain. Importantly, the deletion of UBP3 and its cofactor BRE5 lead to increased degradation of wild-type Tbp1 protein and to defects in transcriptional activation by Gal4 and Gcn4. Purified GST (glutathione transferase)–Ubp3 reversed Tbp1 ubiquitination, and the deletion of UBP3 lead to the accumulation of poly-ubiquitinated species of Tbp1 in a proteaseome-deficient genetic background, demonstrating that Ubp3 reverses ubiquitination of Tbp1 in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that Ubp3 was recruited to the GAL1 and HIS3 promoters upon the induction of the respective gene, indicating that protection of promoter-bound Tbp1 by Ubp3 is required for transcriptional activation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document