Identification of a DNA segment that is necessary and sufficient for. cap alpha. -specific gene control in saccharomyces cerevisiae: Implications for regulation of. cap alpha. -specific and a-specific genes

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · Mol. Cell. Biol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1128/MCB.8.1.309· OSTI ID:6772560

Jarvis, E E; Hagen, D C; Sprague, Jr, G F

STE3 mRNA is present only in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ..cap alpha.. cells, not in a or a/..cap alpha.. cells, and the transcript level increases about fivefold when cells are treated with a-factor mating pheromone. Deletions in the 5' noncoding region of STE3 defined a 43-base-pair (bp) upstream activation sequence (UAS) that can impart both modes of regulation to a CYC1-lacZ fusion when substituted for the native CYC1 UAS. UAS activity required the ..cap alpha..1 product of MAT..cap alpha.., which is known to be required for transcription of ..cap alpha..-specific genes. A chromosomal deletion that removed only 14 bp of the STE3 UAS reduced STE3 transcript levels 50- to 100-fold, indicating that the UAS is essential for expression. The STE3 UAS shares a 26-bp homology with the 5' noncoding sequences of the only other known ..cap alpha..-specific genes, MF..cap alpha..l and MF..cap alpha..2. The authors view the homology as having two components - a nearly palindromic 16-bp ''P box'' and an adjacent 10-bp ''Q box.'' A synthetic STE3 P box was inactive as a UAS; a perfect palindrome P box was active in all three cell types. The authors propose that the P box is the binding site for a transcription activator, but that ..cap alpha..1 acting via the Q box is required for this activator to bind to the imperfect P boxes of ..cap alpha..-specific genes. Versions of the P box are also found upstream of a-specific genes, within the binding sites of the repressor ..cap alpha..2 encoded by MAT..cap alpha... Thus, the products of MAT..cap alpha.. may render gene expression ..cap alpha.. or a-specific by controlling access of the same transcription activator to its binding site, the P box.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Biology and Institute of Molecular Biology, Univ. of Oregon, Eugene, OR (US)
• OSTI ID: 6772560
• Journal Information: Mol. Cell. Biol.; (United States), Journal Name: Mol. Cell. Biol.; (United States) Vol. 8:1; ISSN MCEBD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200* -- Biochemistry
550400 -- Genetics
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CLONING
DNA-CLONING
FUNGI
GENE OPERONS
GENE REGULATION
GENE REPRESSORS
GENETIC MAPPING
MAPPING
MESSENGER-RNA
MICROORGANISMS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOPROTEINS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHENOTYPE
PHEROMONE
PLANTS
PROTEINS
RNA
SACCHAROMYCES
SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE
SECRETION
SPECIFICITY
STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIPS
TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS
YEASTS