Transcription Termination within the Iron Transport-Biosynthesis Operon of Vibrio anguillarum Requires an Antisense RNA

ABSTRACT The iron transport-biosynthesis (ITB) operon in Vibrio anguillarum includes four genes for ferric siderophore transport, fatD, -C, -B, and -A, and two genes for siderophore biosynthesis, angR and angT. This cluster plays an important role in the virulence mechanisms of this bacterium. Despite being part of the same polycistronic mRNA, the relative levels of transcription for the fat portion and for the whole ITB message differ profoundly, the levels of the fat transcript being about 17-fold higher. Using S1 nuclease mapping, lacZ transcriptional fusions, and in vitro studies, we were able to show that the differential gene expression within the ITB operon is due to termination of transcription between the fatA and angR genes, although a few transcripts proceeded beyond the termination site to the end of this operon. This termination process requires a 427-nucleotide antisense RNA that spans the intergenic region and acts as a novel transcriptional terminator.

Cloning and Characterization of SmeT, a Repressor of the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Multidrug Efflux Pump SmeDEF

ABSTRACT We report on the cloning of the gene smeT, which encodes the transcriptional regulator of the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia efflux pump SmeDEF. SmeT belongs to the TetR and AcrR family of transcriptional regulators. The smeT gene is located upstream from the structural operon of the pump genes smeDEF and is divergently transcribed from those genes. Experiments with S. maltophilia and the heterologous host Escherichia coli have demonstrated that SmeT is a transcriptional repressor. S1 nuclease mapping has demonstrated that expression of smeT is driven by a single promoter lying close to the 5′ end of the gene and that expression of smeDEF is driven by an unique promoter that overlaps with promoter PsmeT. The level of expression of smeT is higher in smeDEF-overproducing S. maltophilia strain D457R, which suggests that SmeT represses its own expression. Band-shifting assays have shown that wild-type strain S. maltophilia D457 contains a cellular factor(s) capable of binding to the intergenic smeT-smeD region. That cellular factor(s) was absent from smeDEF-overproducing S. maltophilia strain D457R. The sequence of smeT from D457R showed a point mutation that led to a Leu166Gln change within the SmeT protein. This change allowed overexpression of both smeDEF and smeT in D457R. It was noteworthy that expression of wild-type SmeT did not fully complement the smeT mutation in D457R. This suggests that the wild-type protein is not dominant over the mutant SmeT.

The Promoter of the Yeast INO4Regulatory Gene: a Model of the Simplest Yeast Promoter

ABSTRACT In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the phospholipid biosynthetic genes are transcriptionally regulated in response to inositol and choline. This regulation requires the transcriptional activator proteins Ino4p and Ino2p, which form a heterodimer that binds to the UAS INO element. We have previously shown that the promoters of the INO4 and INO2 genes are among the weakest promoters characterized in yeast. Because little is known about the promoters of weakly expressed yeast genes, we report here the analysis of the constitutive INO4 promoter. Promoter deletion constructs scanning 1,000 bp upstream of theINO4 gene identified a small region (−58 to −46) that is absolutely required for expression. S1 nuclease mapping shows that this region contains the transcription start sites for the INO4gene. An additional element (−114 to −86) modestly enhancesINO4 promoter activity (fivefold). Thus, the region required for INO4 transcription is limited to 68 bp. These studies also found that INO4 gene expression is not autoregulated by Ino2p and Ino4p, despite the presence of a putative UAS INO element in the INO4promoter. We further report that the INO4 steady-state transcript levels and Ino4p levels are regulated twofold in response to inositol and choline, suggesting a posttranscriptional mechanism of regulation.

A translocated erythropoietin receptor gene in a human erythroleukemia cell line (TF-1) expresses an abnormal transcript and a truncated protein

We previously identified a translocation breakpoint in exon 8 of the erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) gene in TF-1 cells, a cell line derived from a human erythroleukemia. To investigate the potential pathogenetic significance of this abnormality, we more precisely mapped the breakpoint within exon 8 and studied the expression of the translocated gene by S1 nuclease mapping of EpoR transcripts and chemical crosslinking of labeled erythropoietin (Epo) to TF-1 cell surface receptors. Transcripts from the abnormal gene were found to be highly expressed in relation to normal EpoR transcripts in TF-1 cells. The breakpoint predicted by S1 mapping of abnormal EpoR transcripts agreed closely with that determined by Southern analysis. Chemical cross- linking of 125I-Epo to TF-1 cells showed an abnormal, low-molecular- weight cross-linked species directly recognized by anti-EpoR antibodies and present in considerable excess over the normal EpoR. Karyotype analysis showed that each of 10 TF-1 cell metaphases had, in addition to multiple other alterations, one chromosome 19 with additional chromosomal material translocated onto the short arm at 19p13.3, the location of the EpoR gene. We conclude that the structurally abnormal EpoR gene in TF-1 cells is highly expressed and produces an abnormal protein. We speculate that the chromosomal material brought into the EpoR locus by translocation is responsible for the high level of expression. We hypothesize that this translocation participated in the evolution of the erythroleukemia from which TF-1 cells were derived.

Structure and expression of the nuclear gene coding for the chloroplast ribosomal protein L21: developmental regulation of a housekeeping gene by alternative promoters.

We have cloned and sequenced the nuclear gene of the chloroplast ribosomal protein L21 (rpl21) of Spinacia oleracea. The gene consists of five exons and four introns. All introns are located in the sequence which corresponds to the Escherichia coli-like central core of the protein. L21 mRNA is present in photosynthetic (leaves) and nonphotosynthetic (roots and seeds) plant organs, although large quantitative differences exist. Primer extension and S1 nuclease mapping experiments revealed the existence of two types of transcripts in leaves. The two corresponding start sites were defined as P1 and P2. In roots and seeds, we found only the shorter of the two transcripts (initiated at P2). The nucleotide sequence surrounding P2 resembles promoters for housekeeping and vertebrate r-protein genes. Analysis of several promoter constructions by transient expression confirmed that both transcripts originate from transcription initiation. Results are interpreted to mean that the expression of the rpl21 gene is regulated by alternative promoters. One of the promoters (P2) is constitutive, and the other one (P1) is specifically induced in leaves, i.e., its activation should be related to the transformation of amyloplasts or proplastids to chloroplasts. The gene thus represents the first example of a housekeeping gene which is regulated by the organ-specific usage of alternative promoters. Primer extension analysis and S1 nuclease mapping of another nucleus-encoded chloroplast ribosomal protein gene (rps1) give evidence that the same type of regulation by two-promoter usage might be a more general phenomenon of plant chloroplast-related ribosomal protein genes. Preliminary results indicate that presence of conserved sequences within the rpl21 and rps1 promoter regions which compete for the same DNA binding activities.

Structure and expression of the nuclear gene coding for the chloroplast ribosomal protein L21: developmental regulation of a housekeeping gene by alternative promoters

We have cloned and sequenced the nuclear gene of the chloroplast ribosomal protein L21 (rpl21) of Spinacia oleracea. The gene consists of five exons and four introns. All introns are located in the sequence which corresponds to the Escherichia coli-like central core of the protein. L21 mRNA is present in photosynthetic (leaves) and nonphotosynthetic (roots and seeds) plant organs, although large quantitative differences exist. Primer extension and S1 nuclease mapping experiments revealed the existence of two types of transcripts in leaves. The two corresponding start sites were defined as P1 and P2. In roots and seeds, we found only the shorter of the two transcripts (initiated at P2). The nucleotide sequence surrounding P2 resembles promoters for housekeeping and vertebrate r-protein genes. Analysis of several promoter constructions by transient expression confirmed that both transcripts originate from transcription initiation. Results are interpreted to mean that the expression of the rpl21 gene is regulated by alternative promoters. One of the promoters (P2) is constitutive, and the other one (P1) is specifically induced in leaves, i.e., its activation should be related to the transformation of amyloplasts or proplastids to chloroplasts. The gene thus represents the first example of a housekeeping gene which is regulated by the organ-specific usage of alternative promoters. Primer extension analysis and S1 nuclease mapping of another nucleus-encoded chloroplast ribosomal protein gene (rps1) give evidence that the same type of regulation by two-promoter usage might be a more general phenomenon of plant chloroplast-related ribosomal protein genes. Preliminary results indicate that presence of conserved sequences within the rpl21 and rps1 promoter regions which compete for the same DNA binding activities.