scholarly journals Characterization of a telomere-binding protein from Physarum polycephalum.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 2282-2290 ◽  
Author(s):  
J S Coren ◽  
E M Epstein ◽  
V M Vogt

We have partially purified a nuclear protein (PPT) from Physarum polycephalum that binds to the extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA telomeres of this acellular slime mold. Binding is specific for the (T2AG3)n telomere repeats, as evidenced by nitrocellulose filter binding assays, by gel mobility shift assays with both DNA fragments and double-stranded oligonucleotides, and by DNase I footprinting. PPT is remarkably heat stable, showing undiminished binding activity after incubation at 90 degrees C. It sediments at 1.2S, corresponding to a molecular weight of about 10,000 (for a globular protein), and its binding activity is undiminished by incubation with RNase, suggesting that it is not a ribonucleoprotein. We hypothesize that PPT plays a structural role in telomeres, perhaps preventing nucleolytic degradation or promoting telomere extension by a telomere-specific terminal transferase.

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 2282-2290
Author(s):  
J S Coren ◽  
E M Epstein ◽  
V M Vogt

We have partially purified a nuclear protein (PPT) from Physarum polycephalum that binds to the extrachromosomal ribosomal DNA telomeres of this acellular slime mold. Binding is specific for the (T2AG3)n telomere repeats, as evidenced by nitrocellulose filter binding assays, by gel mobility shift assays with both DNA fragments and double-stranded oligonucleotides, and by DNase I footprinting. PPT is remarkably heat stable, showing undiminished binding activity after incubation at 90 degrees C. It sediments at 1.2S, corresponding to a molecular weight of about 10,000 (for a globular protein), and its binding activity is undiminished by incubation with RNase, suggesting that it is not a ribonucleoprotein. We hypothesize that PPT plays a structural role in telomeres, perhaps preventing nucleolytic degradation or promoting telomere extension by a telomere-specific terminal transferase.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 4208-4221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengyu Wang ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Shinnshin Sun ◽  
Katya Ravid

Cyclin D3 plays a major role in the development of polyploidy in megakaryocytes. The expression of cyclin D3 gene and the level of cyclin D3 protein are increased by the Mpl ligand in the Y10/L8057 megakaryocytic cell line, as indicated by Northern and Western blot analyses, and by nuclear run-on assays and transfection experiments with cyclin D3 promoter constructs. DNase I footprinting of the promoter region showed protected segments, at −75 to −60 bp and at −134 to −92 bp, which display binding sites for the Sp family of transcription factors. Gel mobility shift assay and supershifts with specific antibodies indicate that Sp1 binds to these regions in the cyclin D3 promoter and that Sp1 binding activity is significantly increased by Mpl ligand. Mutation of either Sp1 site both decreases the basal promoter activity and eliminates the induction by Mpl ligand. We find that the nonphosphorylated form of SP1 has greater affinity for the cyclin D3 promoter and that the majority of Sp1 in the cells is nonphosphorylated. Mpl ligand treatment results in increased levels of Sp1 protein, which also appears as nonphosphorylated. Okadaic acid, which inhibits protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and shifts Sp1 to a phosphorylated form, decreases cyclin D3 gene expression and suppresses Mpl ligand induction. Our data point to the potential of Mpl ligand to activate at once several Sp1-dependent genes during megakaryopoiesis.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (12) ◽  
pp. 4208-4221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengyu Wang ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Shinnshin Sun ◽  
Katya Ravid

Abstract Cyclin D3 plays a major role in the development of polyploidy in megakaryocytes. The expression of cyclin D3 gene and the level of cyclin D3 protein are increased by the Mpl ligand in the Y10/L8057 megakaryocytic cell line, as indicated by Northern and Western blot analyses, and by nuclear run-on assays and transfection experiments with cyclin D3 promoter constructs. DNase I footprinting of the promoter region showed protected segments, at −75 to −60 bp and at −134 to −92 bp, which display binding sites for the Sp family of transcription factors. Gel mobility shift assay and supershifts with specific antibodies indicate that Sp1 binds to these regions in the cyclin D3 promoter and that Sp1 binding activity is significantly increased by Mpl ligand. Mutation of either Sp1 site both decreases the basal promoter activity and eliminates the induction by Mpl ligand. We find that the nonphosphorylated form of SP1 has greater affinity for the cyclin D3 promoter and that the majority of Sp1 in the cells is nonphosphorylated. Mpl ligand treatment results in increased levels of Sp1 protein, which also appears as nonphosphorylated. Okadaic acid, which inhibits protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) and shifts Sp1 to a phosphorylated form, decreases cyclin D3 gene expression and suppresses Mpl ligand induction. Our data point to the potential of Mpl ligand to activate at once several Sp1-dependent genes during megakaryopoiesis.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (21) ◽  
pp. 5727-5732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragana Ajdić ◽  
Joseph J. Ferretti

ABSTRACT The galactose operon of Streptococcus mutans is transcriptionally regulated by a repressor protein (GalR) encoded by the galR gene, which is divergently oriented from the structural genes of the gal operon. To study the regulatory function of GalR, we partially purified the protein and examined its DNA binding activity by gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting experiments. The protein specifically bound to thegalR-galK intergenic region at an operator sequence, the position of which would suggest that GalR plays a role in the regulation of the gal operon as well as autoregulation. To further examine this hypothesis, transcriptional start sites of the gal operon and thegalR gene were determined. Primer extension analysis showed that both promoters overlap the operator, indicating that GalR most likely represses transcription initiation of both promoters. Finally, the results from in vitro binding experiments with potential effector molecules suggest that galactose is a true intracellular inducer of the galactose operon.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 6524-6532
Author(s):  
S M Frisch ◽  
J H Morisaki

Proteolysis by type IV collagenase (T4) has been implicated in the process of tumor metastasis. The T4 gene is expressed in fibroblasts, but not in normal epithelial cells, and its expression is specifically repressed by the E1A oncogene of adenovirus. We present an investigation of the transcriptional elements responsible for basal, E1A-repressible, and tissue-specific expression. 5'-Deletion analysis, DNase I footprinting, and gel mobility shift assays revealed a strong, E1A-repressible enhancer element, r2, located about 1,650 bp upstream of the start site. This enhancer bound a protein with binding specificity very similar to that of the transcription factor AP-2. A potent silencer sequence was found 2 to 5 bp downstream of this enhancer. The silencer repressed transcription from either r2 or AP-1 enhancer elements and in the context of either type IV collagenase or thymidine kinase (tk) gene core promoters; enhancerless transcription from the latter core promoter was also repressed. Comprising the silencer were two contiguous, autonomously functioning silencer elements. Negative regulation of T4 transcription by at least two factors was demonstrated. mcf-7 proteins specifically binding both elements were detected by gel mobility shift assays; a protein of approximately 185 kDa that bound to one of these elements was detected by DNA-protein cross-linking. The silencer repressed transcription, in an r2 enhancer-tk promoter context, much more efficiently in T4-nonproducing cells (mcf-7 or HeLa) than in T4-producing cells (HT1080), suggesting that cell type-specific silencing may contribute to the regulation of this gene.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 3002-3014
Author(s):  
K Kudrycki ◽  
C Stein-Izsak ◽  
C Behn ◽  
M Grillo ◽  
R Akeson ◽  
...  

We report characterization of several domains within the 5' flanking region of the olfactory marker protein (OMP) gene that may participate in regulating transcription of this and other olfactory neuron-specific genes. Analysis by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting identifies two regions that contain a novel sequence motif. Interactions between this motif and nuclear proteins were detected only with nuclear protein extracts derived from olfactory neuroepithelium, and this activity is more abundant in olfactory epithelium enriched in immature neurons. We have designated a factor(s) involved in this binding as Olf-1. The Olf-1-binding motif consensus sequence was defined as TCCCC(A/T)NGGAG. Studies with transgenic mice indicate that a 0.3-kb fragment of the OMP gene containing one Olf-1 motif is sufficient for olfactory tissue-specific expression of the reporter gene. Some of the other identified sequence motifs also interact specifically with olfactory nuclear protein extracts. We propose that Olf-1 is a novel, olfactory neuron-specific trans-acting factor involved in the cell-specific expression of OMP.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 4167-4173
Author(s):  
J Min ◽  
H P Zassenhaus

An activity from Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondria was identified that specifically bound to a 12-nucleotide sequence, AAUAA(U/C)AUUCUU, that is a site for processing of pre-mRNAs so as to generate the mature 3' ends of mRNAs. Because processing occurs 3' to the end of the dodecamer site, all mRNAs in yeast mitochondria terminate with that sequence. RNase T1 digestion fragments which terminated precisely at their 3' ends with the dodecamer sequence bound the activity, indicating that mRNAs in vivo would be capable of binding. Gel mobility shift analyses using RNA oligonucleotides showed that binding was reduced by a U-to-A substitution at position 3 of the dodecamer sequence; a C-to-A substitution at position 10 eliminated binding. UV cross-linking identified three polypeptides with approximate molecular masses of 19, 60, and 70 kDa as constituents of the binding activity. These estimates included the contribution of the 32P-labeled RNA oligonucleotide used to tag these polypeptides. An oligonucleotide with a UA-->AU substitution at positions 3 and 4 of the dodecamer site formed complexes deficient in the 19-kDa species, suggesting that binding specificity was inherent to the higher-molecular-weight polypeptides. Assembly of the complex at a dodecamer site on an RNA protected sequences located 5' to the dodecamer site from digestion by a nucleoside triphosphate-dependent 3' exoribonuclease found in yeast mitochondria. Since mitochondrial mRNAs terminate with an intact dodecamer sequence, the binding activity may function in the stabilization of mRNAs in addition to 3'-end formation of mRNAs.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 934-943
Author(s):  
R J Garzon ◽  
Z E Zehner

Vimentin, a member of the intermediate filament protein family, exhibits tissue- as well as development-specific expression. Transcription factors that are involved in expression of the chicken vimentin gene have been described and include a cis-acting silencer element (SE3) that is involved in the down-regulation of this gene (F. X. Farrell, C. M. Sax, and Z. E. Zehner, Mol. Cell. Biol. 10:2349-2358, 1990). In this study, we report the identification of two additional silencer elements (SE1 and SE2). We show by transfection analysis that all three silencer elements are functionally active and that optimal silencing occurs when multiple (at least two) silencer elements are present. In addition, the previously identified SE3 can be divided into three subregions, each of which is moderately active alone. By gel mobility shift assays, all three silencer elements plus SE3 subregions bind a protein which by Southwestern (DNA-protein) blot analysis is identical in molecular mass (approximately 95 kDa). DNase I footprinting experiments indicate that this protein binds to purine-rich sites. Therefore, multiple elements appear to be involved in the negative regulation of the chicken vimentin gene, which may be important in the regulation of other genes as well.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 7046-7058
Author(s):  
Y Liu ◽  
A B Beedle ◽  
L Lin ◽  
A W Bell ◽  
R Zarnegar

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a cytokine with multiple functions, exhibits cell-type-specific as well as cytokine- and steroid hormone-regulated expression. The HGF gene is known to be expressed predominately in mesenchymal but not in epithelial cells. In this study, we report the identification of a cell-type-specific transcriptional repressor in the promoter region of the mouse HGF gene, which is evidently responsible for the suppression of HGF expression in epithelial cells. Gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting studies revealed that a 27-bp element (-16 to +11) around the transcription initiation site is responsible for the binding of a nuclear protein which is present in epithelial but not in mesenchymally derived cells. Further analysis of the binding activity of the DNA region with nuclear protein revealed that an approximately 19-bp sequence containing a unique palindromic structure (5'-AACCGACCGGTT-3') overlapped by a CAP box is essential for binding. Substitution of a single base (the contact site) within this region by site-directed mutagenesis resulted in total abrogation of the binding of the nuclear protein and a concomitant increase in the transcriptional activity of various lengths of HGF-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fused genes when transfected into the epithelial cell line RL95-2 but not the mesenchymal cell line NIH 3T3. Southwestern (DNA-protein) analyses revealed that the nuclear protein which binds to this repressor element is a single polypeptide of approximately 70 kDa. Analysis of the nuclear extract prepared from regenerating mouse liver at various times after two-thirds partial hepatectomy by gel mobility shift assay revealed a substantial reduction (more than 75% within 3 h) in the binding of the repressor to its cognate binding site. Our results suggest that a cis-acting transcriptional repressor in the promoter region of the mouse HGF gene is involved in cell-type-specific regulation through binding to its cognate trans-acting protein which exists in epithelial cells but is absent in fibroblast cells.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (9) ◽  
pp. 3660-3664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suvit Loprasert ◽  
Wirongrong Whangsuk ◽  
James M. Dubbs ◽  
Ratiboot Sallabhan ◽  
Kumpanart Somsongkul ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Sinorhizobium meliloti hpdA, which encodes the herbicide target 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase, is positively regulated by HpdR. Gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting analyses revealed that HpdR binds to a region that spans two conserved direct-repeat sequences within the hpdR-hpdA intergenic space. HpdR-dependent hpdA transcription occurs in the presence of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, as well as during starvation.


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