This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Xie, W Q Articles by Rothblum, L I Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Xie, W Q Articles by Rothblum, L I

Domains of the rat rDNA promoter must be aligned stereospecifically.

Sigfried and Janet Weis Center for Research, Geisinger Clinic, Danville, Pennsylvania 17822-2618.

ABSTRACT

Efficient transcription from the rat rDNA promoter results from an undefined interaction between the core (CPE) and upstream (UPE) promoter elements or the protein complexes which form on them. These interactions were demonstrated by the behavior of promoters that contained either linker-scanning or deletion mutations of the UPE in combination with point mutations of the CPE (bidomain mutants). In vivo transcription experiments using point mutations within the CPE (G----A mutation at either -16 or -7) demonstrated that the CPE may in fact consist of two domains. Whereas both of these mutants were rescued by the addition of UBF to in vitro transcription reactions, the CPE mutant -7A/G was inactive in vivo. Experiments with these bidomain mutants demonstrated that the UPE was required for the rescue of the CPE mutants. We also examined the hypothesis that this interaction might require a stereospecific alignment of the promoter elements. Our results indicate that the promoter consists of several domains with differing responses to mutations that alter the distance between, or within, the promoter elements. For example, the insertion or deletion of half-multiples of the helical repeat distance between -167 and -147 had no significant effect on transcription. On the other hand, some sites were sensitive to deletions of any size but not to insertions of up to 20 bp. The analyses of two sites yielded results suggesting that they lay between domains of the promoter that must be on the same side of the DNA helix for promoter activity. The first of these sites mapped between -106 and -95.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kermekchiev, M., Ivanova, L. (2001). Ribin, a Protein Encoded by a Message Complementary to rRNA, Modulates Ribosomal Transcription and Cell Proliferation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 21: 8255-8263 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hirschler-Laszkiewicz, I., Cavanaugh, A., Hu, Q., Catania, J., Avantaggiati, M. L., Rothblum, L. I. (2001). The role of acetylation in rDNA transcription. Nucleic Acids Res 29: 4114-4124 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Paule, M. R., White, R. J. (2000). SURVEY AND SUMMARY Transcription by RNA polymerases I and III. Nucleic Acids Res 28: 1283-1298 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Tinti, C., Yang, C., Seo, H., Conti, B., Kim, C., Joh, T. H., Kim, K.-S. (1997). Structure/Function Relationship of the cAMP Response Element in Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene Transcription. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 19158-19164 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Keys, D A, Lee, B S, Dodd, J A, Nguyen, T T, Vu, L, Fantino, E, Burson, L M, Nogi, Y, Nomura, M (1996). Multiprotein transcription factor UAF interacts with the upstream element of the yeast RNA polymerase I promoter and forms a stable preinitiation complex.. Genes Dev. 10: 887-903 [Abstract]  
• Bazett-Jones, D., Leblanc, B, Herfort, M, Moss, T (1994). Short-range DNA looping by the Xenopus HMG-box transcription factor, xUBF. Science 264: 1134-1137 [Abstract]