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Mol Cell Biol, July 1998, p. 3811-3818, Vol. 18, No. 7
0270-7306/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Xenopus TFIIIA Gene Transcription Is Dependent on cis-Element Positioning and Chromatin Structure

Samuel L. Pfaff1 2 and William L. Taylor1 3 *

Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 372321; Gene Expression Laboratory, Salk Institute, La Jolla, California 920372; and Department of Biochemistry, Health Science Center, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 381633

Received 27 October 1997/Returned for modification 10 December 1997/Accepted 13 April 1998

The Xenopus TFIIIA gene is transcribed very efficiently in oocytes. In addition to a TATA element at -30, we show that from -425 to +7 the TFIIIA gene contains only two positive cis elements centered at -267 (element 1) and -230 (element 2). This arrangement of the cis elements in the TFIIIA gene is striking because these two elements are positioned very close to each other yet separated from the TATA element by approximately 190 nucleotides. We show that the 190-nucleotide spacing between the TATA element and the upstream cis elements (elements 1 and 2) is critical for efficient transcription of the gene in oocytes and that a nucleosome is positioned in this intervening region. This nucleosome may act positively on TFIIIA transcription in oocytes by placing transcription factors bound at elements 1 and 2 in a favorable position relative to the transcription complex at the TATA element.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biochemistry, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Memphis, TN 38163. Phone: (901) 448-6165. Fax: (901) 448-7360. E-mail: wtaylor{at}utmem1.utmem.edu.

Mol Cell Biol, July 1998, p. 3811-3818, Vol. 18, No. 7
0270-7306/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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