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 Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Garcia, A D Articles by Sharp, S J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Garcia, A D Articles by Sharp, S J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Mol Cell Biol. 1987 June; 7(6): 2046-2051

Formation of an active transcription complex in the Drosophila melanogaster 5S RNA gene is dependent on an upstream region.

ABSTRACT

We constructed deletion-substitution and linker-scanning mutations in the 5'-flanking region of the Drosophila melanogaster 5S RNA gene. In vitro transcription of these templates in Drosophila and HeLa cell extracts revealed the presence of an essential control region (-30 region) located between nucleotides -39 and -26 upstream of the transcription initiation site: deletion of sequences upstream of nucleotide position -39 had no detectable effect on the wild-type level of in vitro transcription, whereas mutations extending between positions -39 and 1 resulted in templates with decreased transcriptional levels; specifically, deletion and linker-scanning mutations in the -34 to -26 region (-30 region) resulted in loss of transcription. The -30 region is essential for transcription and therefore forms part of the Drosophila 5S RNA gene transcription promoter. Compared with the activity of the wild-type gene, mutant 5S DNAs exhibited no impairment in the ability to sequester limiting transcription factors in a template exclusion competition assay. While we do not know which transcription factor(s) interacts with the -30 region, the possible involvement of RNA polymerase III at this region is discussed.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Brow, D A, Guthrie, C (1990). Transcription of a yeast U6 snRNA gene requires a polymerase III promoter element in a novel position.. Genes Dev. 4: 1345-1356 [Abstract]  
• Bentley, D L, Brown, W L, Groudine, M (1989). Accurate, TATA box-dependent polymerase III transcription from promoters of the c-myc gene in injected Xenopus oocytes.. Genes Dev. 3: 1179-1189 [Abstract]  
• Folk, W R (1988). Changing directions in Pol III transcription.. Genes Dev. 2: 373-375