Identification of a transcriptional activator-binding element in the 27-kilodalton zein promoter, the -300 element

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 4350-4359
Author(s):  
T Ueda ◽  
Z Wang ◽  
N Pham ◽  
J Messing

By utilizing a homologous transient-expression system, we have shown that a 58-bp sequence from the gamma-class 27-kDa zein promoter, spanning from -307 to -250 relative to the transcription start site, confers a high level of transcriptional activity on a truncated plant viral promoter. The transcriptional activity mediated by the 58-bp sequence is orientation independent, and it is further enhanced as a result of its multimerization. A similarly high level of transcriptional activity was also observed in protoplasts isolated from leaf tissue-derived maize suspension cells. In vitro binding and DNase I footprinting assays with nuclear protein prepared from cultured endosperm cells revealed the sequence-specific binding of a nuclear factor(s) to a 16-nucleotide sequence present in the 58-bp region. The nuclear factor binding sequence includes the -300 element, a cis-acting element highly conserved among different zein genes and many other cereal storage protein genes. A 23-bp oligonucleotide sequence containing the nuclear factor binding site is sufficient for binding the nuclear factor in vitro. It also confers a high level of transcriptional activity in vivo, but in an orientation-dependent manner. Four nucleotide substitutions in the -300 element drastically reduced binding and transcriptional activation by the nuclear factor. The same nuclear factor is abundant in the developing kernel endosperm and binds to the -300 element region of the 27-kDa or the alpha-class zein promoter. These results suggest that the highly conserved -300 element is involved in the common regulatory mechanisms mediating the coordinated expression of the zein genes.

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 4350-4359 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Ueda ◽  
Z Wang ◽  
N Pham ◽  
J Messing

By utilizing a homologous transient-expression system, we have shown that a 58-bp sequence from the gamma-class 27-kDa zein promoter, spanning from -307 to -250 relative to the transcription start site, confers a high level of transcriptional activity on a truncated plant viral promoter. The transcriptional activity mediated by the 58-bp sequence is orientation independent, and it is further enhanced as a result of its multimerization. A similarly high level of transcriptional activity was also observed in protoplasts isolated from leaf tissue-derived maize suspension cells. In vitro binding and DNase I footprinting assays with nuclear protein prepared from cultured endosperm cells revealed the sequence-specific binding of a nuclear factor(s) to a 16-nucleotide sequence present in the 58-bp region. The nuclear factor binding sequence includes the -300 element, a cis-acting element highly conserved among different zein genes and many other cereal storage protein genes. A 23-bp oligonucleotide sequence containing the nuclear factor binding site is sufficient for binding the nuclear factor in vitro. It also confers a high level of transcriptional activity in vivo, but in an orientation-dependent manner. Four nucleotide substitutions in the -300 element drastically reduced binding and transcriptional activation by the nuclear factor. The same nuclear factor is abundant in the developing kernel endosperm and binds to the -300 element region of the 27-kDa or the alpha-class zein promoter. These results suggest that the highly conserved -300 element is involved in the common regulatory mechanisms mediating the coordinated expression of the zein genes.


1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 2615-2623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Watanabe ◽  
G Takaesu ◽  
M Hagiwara ◽  
K Irie ◽  
K Matsumoto

The Mpk1 (Slt2) mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase has been implicated in several biological processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The Rlm1 protein, a member of the MADS box family of transcription factors, functions downstream of Mpk1 in the pathway. To characterize the role of Rlm1 in mediating the transcriptional activation by the Mpk1 pathway, we constructed a LexA-Rlm1 deltaN chimera in which sequences, including the MADS box domain of the Rlm1 protein, were replaced by the LexA DNA binding domain and tested the ability of this chimera to activate a LexA operator-controlled reporter gene. In this assay, the Rlm1 protein was found to activate transcription in a manner regulated by the Mpk1 pathway. The Mpk1 protein kinase phosphorylated Rlm1 deltaN in vitro and the LexA-Rlm1 deltaN chimera protein was phosphorylated in vivo in a Mpk1-dependent manner. These results suggest that Mpk1 regulates the transcriptional activity of Rlm1 by directly phosphorylating it. We identified a Mpk1-like protein kinase, Mlp1, as an Rlm1-associated protein by using the yeast two-hybrid system. Overexpression of MLP1 suppresses the caffeine-sensitive phenotype of the bck1 delta mutation. The additivity of the mlp1 delta defect with the Mpk1 delta defect with regard to the caffeine sensitivity, combined with the results of genetic epistasis experiments, suggested that the activity of Rlm1 is regulated independently by Mpk1 MAP kinase and the Mlp1 MAP kinase-like kinase.


2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1140-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dae-Won Kim ◽  
Brent H. Cochran

ABSTRACT We have previously shown that TFII-I enhances transcriptional activation of the c-fos promoter through interactions with upstream elements in a signal-dependent manner. Here we demonstrate that activated Ras and RhoA synergize with TFII-I for c-fospromoter activation, whereas dominant-negative Ras and RhoA inhibit these effects of TFII-I. The Mek1 inhibitor, PD98059 abrogates the enhancement of the c-fos promoter by TFII-I, indicating that TFII-I function is dependent on an active mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway. Analysis of the TFII-I protein sequence revealed that TFII-I contains a consensus MAP kinase interaction domain (D box). Consistent with this, we have found that TFII-I forms an in vivo complex with extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK). Point mutations within the consensus MAP kinase binding motif of TFII-I inhibit its ability to bind ERK and its ability to enhance the c-fos promoter. Therefore, the D box of TFII-I is required for its activity on the c-fos promoter. Moreover, the interaction between TFII-I and ERK can be regulated. Serum stimulation enhances complex formation between TFII-I and ERK, and dominant-negative Ras abrogates this interaction. In addition, TFII-I can be phosphorylated in vitro by ERK and mutation of consensus MAP kinase substrate sites at serines 627 and 633 impairs the phosphorylation of TFII-I by ERK and its activity on the c-fos promoter. These results suggest that ERK regulates the activity of TFII-I by direct phosphorylation.


1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 5532-5535 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Abate ◽  
D Luk ◽  
E Gagne ◽  
R G Roeder ◽  
T Curran

The products of c-fos and c-jun (Fos and Jun) function in gene regulation by interacting with the AP-1 binding site. Here we have examined the contribution of Fos and Jun toward transcriptional activity by using Fos and Jun polypeptides purified from Escherichia coli. Fos contained a transcriptional activation domain as well as a region which exerted a negative influence on transcriptional activity in vitro. Moreover, distinct activation domains in both Fos and Jun functioned cooperatively in transcriptional stimulation. Thus, regulation of gene expression by Fos and Jun results from an integration of several functional domains in a bimolecular complex.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 140-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Hwa Goo ◽  
Young Chang Sohn ◽  
Dae-Hwan Kim ◽  
Seung-Whan Kim ◽  
Min-Jung Kang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Many transcription coactivators interact with nuclear receptors in a ligand- and C-terminal transactivation function (AF2)-dependent manner. These include activating signal cointegrator 2 (ASC-2), a recently isolated transcriptional coactivator molecule, which is amplified in human cancers and stimulates transactivation by nuclear receptors and numerous other transcription factors. In this report, we show that ASC-2 belongs to a steady-state complex of approximately 2 MDa (ASC-2 complex [ASCOM]) in HeLa nuclei. ASCOM contains retinoblastoma-binding protein RBQ-3, α/β-tubulins, and trithorax group proteins ALR-1, ALR-2, HALR, and ASH2. In particular, ALR-1/2 and HALR contain a highly conserved 130- to 140-amino-acid motif termed the SET domain, which was recently implicated in histone H3 lysine-specific methylation activities. Indeed, recombinant ALR-1, HALR, and immunopurified ASCOM exhibit very weak but specific H3-lysine 4 methylation activities in vitro, and transactivation by retinoic acid receptor appears to involve ligand-dependent recruitment of ASCOM and subsequent transient H3-lysine 4 methylation of the promoter region in vivo. Thus, ASCOM may represent a distinct coactivator complex of nuclear receptors. Further characterization of ASCOM will lead to a better understanding of how nuclear receptors and other transcription factors mediate transcriptional activation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (4) ◽  
pp. 1118-1126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niilo Kaldalu ◽  
Urve Toots ◽  
Victor de Lorenzo ◽  
Mart Ustav

ABSTRACT The alkylbenzoate degradation genes of Pseudomonas putida TOL plasmid are positively regulated by XylS, an AraC family protein, in a benzoate-dependent manner. In this study, we used deletion mutants and hybrid proteins to identify which parts of XylS are responsible for the DNA binding, transcriptional activation, and benzoate inducibility. We found that a 112-residue C-terminal fragment of XylS binds specifically to the Pm operator in vitro, protects this sequence from DNase I digestion identically to the wild-type (wt) protein, and activates the Pm promoter in vivo. When overexpressed, that C-terminal fragment could activate transcription as efficiently as wt XylS. All the truncations, which incorporated these 112 C-terminal residues, were able to activate transcription at least to some extent when overproduced. Intactness of the 210-residue N-terminal portion was found to be necessary for benzoate responsiveness of XylS. Deletions in the N-terminal and central regions seriously reduced the activity of XylS and caused the loss of effector control, whereas insertions into the putative interdomain region did not change the basic features of the XylS protein. Our results confirm that XylS consists of two parts which probably interact with each other. The C-terminal domain carries DNA-binding and transcriptional activation abilities, while the N-terminal region carries effector-binding and regulatory functions.


1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 6410-6418 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Pi ◽  
C T Chien ◽  
S Fields

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Ste12p induces transcription of pheromone-responsive genes by binding to a DNA sequence designated the pheromone response element. We generated a series of hybrid proteins of Ste12p with the DNA-binding and activation domains of the transcriptional activator Gal4p to define a pheromone induction domain of Ste12p sufficient to mediate pheromone-induced transcription by these hybrid proteins. A minimal pheromone induction domain, delineated as residues 301 to 335 of Ste12p, is dependent on the pheromone mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway for induction activity. Mutation of the three serine and threonine residues within the minimal pheromone induction domain did not affect transcriptional induction, indicating that the activity of this domain is not directly regulated by MAP kinase phosphorylation. By contrast, mutation of the two tyrosines or their preceding acidic residues led to a high level of transcriptional activity in the absence of pheromone and consequently to the loss of pheromone induction. This constitutively high activity was not affected by mutations in the MAP kinase cascade, suggesting that the function of the pheromone induction domain is normally repressed in the absence of pheromone. By two-hybrid analysis, this minimal domain interacts with two negative regulators, Dig1p and Dig2p (also designated Rst1p and Rst2p), and the interaction is abolished by mutation of the tyrosines. The pheromone induction domain itself has weak and inducible transcriptional activity, and its ability to potentiate transcription depends on the activity of an adjacent activation domain. These results suggest that the pheromone induction domain of Ste12p mediates transcriptional induction via a two-step process: the relief of repression and synergistic transcriptional activation with another activation domain.


2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 3461-3474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongfang Qiu ◽  
Cuihua Hu ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Gwo Jiunn Hwang ◽  
Mark J. Swanson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Transcriptional activation by Gcn4p is enhanced by the coactivators SWI/SNF, SAGA, and Srb mediator, which stimulate recruitment of TATA binding protein (TBP) and polymerase II to target promoters. We show that wild-type recruitment of SAGA by Gcn4p is dependent on mediator but independent of SWI/SNF function at three different promoters. Recruitment of mediator is also independent of SWI/SNF but is enhanced by SAGA at a subset of Gcn4p target genes. Recruitment of all three coactivators to ARG1 is independent of the TATA element and preinitiation complex formation, whereas efficient recruitment of the general transcription factors requires the TATA box. We propose an activation pathway involving interdependent recruitment of SAGA and Srb mediator to the upstream activation sequence, enabling SWI/SNF recruitment and the binding of TBP and other general factors to the promoter. We also found that high-level recruitment of Tra1p and other SAGA subunits is independent of the Ada2p/Ada3p/Gcn5p histone acetyltransferase module but requires Spt3p in addition to subunits required for SAGA integrity. Thus, while Tra1p can bind directly to Gcn4p in vitro, it requires other SAGA subunits for efficient recruitment in vivo.


2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 688-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert M. Yarrington ◽  
Jared S. Rudd ◽  
David J. Stillman

Promoters often contain multiple binding sites for a single factor. The yeastHOgene contains nine highly conserved binding sites for the SCB (Swi4/6-dependent cell cycle box) binding factor (SBF) complex (composed of Swi4 and Swi6) in the 700-bp upstream regulatory sequence 2 (URS2) promoter region. Here, we show that the distal and proximal SBF sites in URS2 function differently. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments show that SBF binds preferentially to the left side of URS2 (URS2-L), despite equivalent binding to the left-half and right-half SBF sitesin vitro. SBF binding at URS2-L sites depends on prior chromatin remodeling events at the upstream URS1 region. These signals from URS1 influence chromatin changes at URS2 but only at sites within a defined distance. SBF bound at URS2-L, however, is unable to activate transcription but instead facilitates SBF binding to sites in the right half (URS2-R), which are required for transcriptional activation. Factor binding atHO, therefore, follows a temporal cascade, with SBF bound at URS2-L serving to relay a signal from URS1 to the SBF sites in URS2-R that ultimately activate gene expression. Taken together, we describe a novel property of a transcription factor that can have two distinct roles in gene activation, depending on its location within a promoter.


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