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Molecular and Cellular Biology, December 2005, p. 11171-11183, Vol. 25, No. 24
0270-7306/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.25.24.11171-11183.2005
Hongfang Qiu,
Chhabi K. Govind, and
Alan G. Hinnebusch*
Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Development, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Received 6 July 2005/ Returned for modification 8 August 2005/ Accepted 21 September 2005
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cells and to a lesser extent in tup1
cells. The defects in Gcn4p binding and transcriptional activation in cyc8
cells cannot be overcome by Gcn4p overexpression but are partially suppressed in tup1
cells. The impairment of Gcn4p binding in cyc8
and tup1
cells is severe
enough to reduce recruitment of SAGA, Srb mediator, TATA binding protein, and RNA polymerase II to the ARG1 and ARG4
promoters, accounting for impaired transcriptional activation of these
genes in both mutants. Cyc8p and Tup1p are recruited to the
ARG1 and ARG4 promoters, consistent with a direct
role for this complex in stimulating Gcn4p occupancy of the upstream
activation sequence (UAS). Interestingly, Gcn4p also stimulates binding
of Cyc8p/Tup1p at the 3' ends of these genes, raising the
possibility that Cyc8p/Tup1p influences transcription elongation. Our
findings reveal a novel coactivator function for Cyc8p/Tup1p at the
level of activator binding and suggest that Gcn4p may enhance its own
binding to the UAS by recruiting
Cyc8p/Tup1p. |
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cells or in response to DNA
damage, osmotic stress, or hypoxic (low-oxygen) conditions
(42). The
Cyc8p/Tup1p complex is targeted to promoters by DNA
binding proteins specific for the different classes of repressed genes
(42). Whereas Cyc8p is
crucial for recruitment of Cyc8p/Tup1p by the Mig1 and
Rox1 repressors (45,
46), Tup1p makes contact
with the
2 repressor
(19). It is thought that
Tup1p provides the main repressor functions of the complex, because
tethering a LexA-Tup1 fusion protein to a promoter led to
transcriptional repression in cyc8 mutant cells
(46), whereas repression
by LexA-Cyc8p was dependent on Tup1p
(4). It has been proposed that Cyc8p/Tup1p can repress transcription by organizing nucleosomes into repressive chromatin structures (5, 12, 26). This function could be mediated by direct interaction of Tup1p with the N-terminal tails of histones H3 and H4 (11, 18) and nonhistone chromosomal protein Nhp6 (24). Other findings suggest that repression by Tup1p occurs by deacetylation of histone N-terminal tails at the promoter (1, 7, 8), which might involve direct recruitment of histone deacetylases by Cyc8p/Tup1p (6, 48, 49). A third repression mechanism was suggested by observations that Cyc8p/Tup1p-mediated repression is partially impaired by mutations in subunits of Srb mediator (henceforth referred to as mediator) (reference 25 and references therein). The mediator is a multisubunit cofactor that forms a holoenzyme complex with RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and other general transcription factors and is implicated in activation as well as repression (31). There is evidence that mediator subunits Srb7p, Srb10p, and Hrs1p/Med3p/Pgd1p are targets of Tup1 in the mediator. As mediator is required for optimal recruitment of TATA binding protein (TBP) and Pol II by various activators (23, 27, 39), interaction of Cyc8p/Tup1p with mediator subunits could interfere with assembly of the preinitiation complex (PIC).
It appears that none of these repression mechanisms alone can account for Tup1p-mediated repression. Mutations in H3, H4, and Nhp6p increase expression of only a subset of Cyc8p/Tup1p target genes, and repression of certain promoters in wild-type (WT) cells occurs in the absence of positioned nucleosomes (42). In addition, repression of ANB1 (30) and RNR3 (53) was unaffected by mutations in TUP1 and ISW2, respectively, that eliminate nucleosome positioning at these genes. In fact, nucleosome positioning, histone deacetylation, and mediator subunits make overlapping contributions to Tup1p-mediated repression of RNR3, as successive inactivation of each mechanism led to stepwise derepression of this gene (53).
Interestingly, Tup1p/Cyc8p can participate in overcoming its own repressive function at certain target genes. Thus, phosphorylation of transcription factor Sko1p during osmotic stress overcomes the repressing function of the promoter-bound Sko1p-Cyc8p/Tup1p complex, leading to Tup1p-dependent recruitment of SAGA and SWI/SNF and attendant transcription of Sko1p target genes. As deletion of TUP1 did not reduce transcription of these genes under inducing conditions, it appears that recruitment of SWI/SNF and SAGA is required primarily to overcome the repressor function of Cyc8p/Tup1p (38). Similarly, Cyc8p/Tup1p remains bound at the GAL1 promoter under galactose-inducing conditions and Cyc8p recruits SAGA to the promoter via Cti6p/Rxt1p (35). Again, deletion of CYC8 does not impair galactose induction of GAL1, suggesting that Cti6p/Rxt1p-dependent recruitment of SAGA serves to counteract Cyc8p/Tup1p repression at GAL1.
There is also evidence that Cyc8p can function as a conventional coactivator at CYC1 (52) and SUC2 (34), where gene induction is impaired in cyc8 mutant cells. Cyc8p/Tup1p plays a dual role at CIT2, with Tup1p mediating repression and Cyc8p supporting activation by Rtg3p. Indeed, Cyc8p/Tup1p was recruited by Rtg3p to the CIT2 promoter in vitro, and the Rtg3p activation domain can directly interact with Cyc8p (4). Cyc8p and, to a lesser extent, Tup1p are also required for activation of FRE2 by Aft1p. Cyc8p interacts directly with Aft1p in vitro and is recruited by Aft1p to the FRE2 promoter in vivo, where it mediates nucleosome remodeling of the promoter in conjunction with Nhp6p (13).
We have been analyzing the coactivator requirements for Gcn4p, a transcriptional activator of amino acid biosynthetic genes in yeast (33) that is induced at the translational level by starvation for any amino acid (16). The Gcn4p activation domain interacts specifically in vitro with mediator, SAGA, and the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes SWI/SNF and RSC (10, 32, 43, 47), and Gcn4p recruits all four coactivators to target genes in living cells (21, 22, 43, 44). Furthermore, mutations in various subunits of these coactivators confer sensitivity to inhibitors of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes (Gcn phenotype) and reduce transcriptional activation of one or more Gcn4p-dependent target genes or reporters in vivo (39; reference 43 and references therein). Recent findings indicate that SAGA, SWI/SNF, and mediator arrive simultaneously at Gcn4p target promoters under inducing conditions but are highly interdependent for their recruitment by Gcn4p (15, 40). These coactivators stimulate both PIC assembly and one or more steps in transcription elongation at the Gcn4p target gene ARG1 (15, 39).
In this report, we show that Cyc8p/Tup1p is a coactivator for Gcn4p at multiple target genes in vivo, and we present evidence that Cyc8p/Tup1p functions to enhance Gcn4p binding to the upstream activation sequence (UAS) elements at ARG1 and ARG4. Interestingly, Gcn4p recruits Cyc8p/Tup1p to both genes, which may provide a positive-feedback mechanism to maintain high-level Gcn4p binding at the UAS elements of these genes in vivo.
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1
leu2
0 met15
0
ura3
0) and BY4742 (MAT
his3
1 leu2
0
lys2
0 ura3
0) and deletion
derivatives thereof were described previously
(14) and purchased from
Research Genetics. The presence of all reported deletion alleles was
confirmed by PCR amplification or complementation of mutant phenotypes
by plasmid-borne wild-type genes
(43). myc-tagged
strains were constructed as previously described
(43). The presence of the
myc-tagged alleles was verified by colony PCR and Western blot
analysis using anti-Myc antibodies. |
View this table: [in a new window] |
TABLE 1. Yeast
strains used in this study
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View this table: [in a new window] |
TABLE 2. Plasmids
used in this study
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Biochemical methods. The reporter gene assays were performed as described previously (43). For Western analysis, whole-cell extracts (WCEs) were prepared as described previously (41) and analyzed using monoclonal anti-myc (Roche) and polyclonal anti-Gcd6p (3) antibodies. Northern analysis was carried out as described previously (43), with the following modification. QuikHyb hybridization solution (Stratagene) was used for prehybridization and hybridization as described by the vendor. After hybridization, the membranes were washed twice with 2x SSC (1x SSC is 0.15 M NaCl plus 0.015 M sodium citrate) buffer and 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at room temperature for 15 min and once with 0.1x SSC buffer-0.1% SDS at 60°C for 30 min. The washed membranes were subjected to phosphorimaging analysis for quantifying the signals and also to autoradiography. The chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments were conducted as described previously, using the same primers described there (39, 40, 43, 50). The coimmunoprecipitation and glutathione S-transferase (GST) pulldown assays shown in the supplemental material were conducted essentially as described previously (51).
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strain was found to be highly sensitive to SM (SMs),
although it was less sensitive than the isogenic gcn4
mutant in the deletion library. The tup1
strain is
also SMs but less so than the cyc8
mutant
(Fig.
1A). We verified by PCR analysis of genomic DNA that these two mutants
contain the reported deletions. We also determined that the
cyc8
/cyc8
and
tup1
/tup1
mutants in the homozygous
diploid deletion library exhibit SMs phenotypes comparable
to those observed for the corresponding haploid mutants (data not
shown). Finally, the SMs phenotype of the haploid
cyc8
mutant was diminished by introducing a
plasmid-borne CYC8 allele into this strain (data not shown).
We conclude that inactivation of CYC8 or TUP1 confers
sensitivity to SM.
![]() View larger version (47K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 1. Deletion
of CYC8 confers sensitivity to an inhibitor of
isoleucine/valine biosynthesis and impairs induction of Gcn4p-dependent
reporter genes. (A) The WT strain (BY4741) and isogenic
gcn4 (249), cyc8 (7161), and
tup1 (7198) strains were grown in synthetic complete
medium (SC), and serial 10-fold dilutions were spotted to SC or SC
lacking Ile and Val (SCIle/Val) containing SM at 0.5
µg or 1 µg/ml (as indicated) and incubated for 3 days
at 30°C. (B to E) The strains listed in panel A were
transformed with pHYC2 harboring the
UASGCRE-CYC1-lacZ reporter that contains
two copies of a Gcn4p binding site from HIS4
(UASGCRE) inserted upstream of the CYC1
promoter (B and C) or pKN7 carrying the HIS3-GUS fusion that
contains the 5' noncoding region of HIS3 from
450 to 3 (relative to the ATG start codon) fused to
the GUS coding region (D and E). The resultant transformants
were grown under noninducing and inducing conditions (SCUra
and SCIle/Val/Ura containing 0.5 µg/ml SM,
respectively), and ß-galactosidase and ß-glucuronidase
activities in WCEs were assayed. The average values and standard errors
derived from at least three independent cultures are presented in nmol
of o-nitrophenyl-ß-D*galactopyranoside
(B) or
p-nitrophenyl-ß-D-glucuronide (D)
hydrolyzed per min per mg total protein and as percentages
of the corresponding values from the WT parental strain in panels C and
E,
respectively.
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mutant showed a dramatic defect
in activation of a Gcn4p-dependent lacZ reporter containing
two Gcn4p binding sites upstream of the CYC1 core promoter
(UASGCRE-CYC1-lacZ) (Fig.
1B and C). This reporter
is induced more than 10-fold in the WT strain when Gcn4p is induced by
SM. Induction of the reporter was nearly eliminated in the
cyc8
mutant, which exhibits only slightly higher
reporter expression than does the gcn4
mutant under
inducing conditions (4% versus 1% of WT, respectively). By contrast,
the cyc8
mutant showed >80% of WT
UASGCRE-CYC1-lacZ expression under
noninducing conditions, even though deleting GCN4 eliminates
most of the reporter expression in nonstarved cells (Fig.
1B and C). Thus, Cyc8p is
required primarily to support the high-level transcription of
UASGCRE-CYC1-lacZ evoked by induced levels
of Gcn4p produced under starvation conditions.
Cyc8p is also
required for efficient activation of a HIS3-GUS reporter
containing the intact HIS3 promoter, as induction of this
reporter occurred at only
30% of the WT level in
cyc8
cells (Fig. 1D
and E). Most of the HIS3-GUS expression under
noninducing conditions is independent of Gcn4p. Interestingly,
cyc8
led to an approximately sevenfold derepression
of HIS3-GUS expression under noninducing conditions. These
findings suggest that Cyc8p is required to repress basal HIS3
promoter function under noninducing conditions even though it is
necessary for strong activation of this promoter by induced levels of
Gcn4p.
Consistent with its weaker SMs phenotype, the
tup1
mutant showed only a modest defect in activation
of the UASGCRE-CYC1-lacZ reporter and no
defect in HIS3-GUS expression under inducing conditions.
However, tup1
derepressed the
UASGCRE-CYC1-lacZ and HIS3-GUS
reporters by approximately threefold and fivefold, respectively, under
noninducing conditions (Fig. 1B to
E). It seems that Tup1p plays only a negative role in
regulating the transcription of these reporter genes, being required to
maintain low-level expression under noninducing
conditions.
Somewhat different results were obtained when we
compared the effects of cyc8
and
tup1
mutations on mRNAs produced from the chromosomal
Gcn4p target genes ARG1 and ARG4. Northern analysis
of the steady-state levels of these mRNAs relative to the Pol III
transcript scR1 indicated that cyc8
impairs
ARG1 and ARG4 expression under both inducing and
noninducing conditions (Fig. 2A and
B). Similar results were obtained for ARG1 and ARG4 and
extended to include the Gcn4p targets HIS4 and TRP3
in cyc8
cells, using the Pol II transcript
ACT1 as an internal control (Fig.
2C). Thus,
cyc8
impairs transcriptional activation by Gcn4p at
multiple authentic target genes. Interestingly, tup1
led to reductions in the induced levels of ARG1 and
ARG4 mRNAs comparable to those observed for
cyc8
(Fig. 2A and
B), suggesting that Tup1p plays a positive role in
activation of these chromosomal target genes even though it is
dispensable for activation of the plasmid-borne reporters. Furthermore,
tup1
did not elicit significant derepression of
ARG1 or ARG4 mRNAs under noninducing conditions (Fig.
2A and B).
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FIG. 2. Deletions
of CYC8 and TUP1 impair induction of Gcn4p target
genes. Total RNA was isolated from strains described in the legend for
Fig. 1,
grown under the same inducing (I) and noninducing
(N) conditions described there and subjected to Northern
analysis using probes for ARG1, ARG4 (A to C),
HIS4 (C), TRP3 (C), or GCN4 (D)
mRNAs. ACT1 mRNA and scR1 RNA were also probed as
loading controls. The hybridization signals were quantified with a
PhosphorImager (Molecular Dynamics), with ImageQuant 5.2 software, and
normalized to the corresponding scR1 (A and B) and
ACT1 (C and D) signals. The resulting ratios for the mutant
strains were normalized to those measured for the WT strain, and the
average normalized ratios measured for at least two independent
cultures are shown in the histograms as percentages of the WT value
under inducing conditions (A to
C).
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and tup1
on expression of
reporter genes versus authentic target genes reflect differences in the
promoter sequences involved or, rather, an atypical chromatin structure
of the plasmid-borne reporters.
Cyc8p is required for efficient binding of Gcn4p to target genes in vivo.
To determine whether
the activation defects observed with cyc8
and
tup1
mutants result from reduced binding of Gcn4p at
its target genes, we first analyzed the effects of
cyc8
on GCN4 expression. As shown in Fig.
2D, we observed no
difference in GCN4 mRNA levels between WT and
cyc8
cells under inducing or noninducing conditions.
We next measured the steady-state expression of a myc-tagged form of
Gcn4p by Western analysis. The GCN4-myc allele is nearly
indistinguishable from untagged GCN4 in complementing the
SMs phenotype of the gcn4
mutant (data not
shown). Western blot analysis revealed little difference in the induced
levels of myc-Gcn4p between transformants of gcn4
and
cyc8
gcn4
strains harboring
GCN4-myc on single-copy (s.c.) or high-copy-number (h.c.)
plasmids (Fig.
3A). It is noteworthy that the myc-Gcn4p level in cyc8
cells containing h.c. GCN4-myc is considerably higher than
that in gcn4
cells containing s.c. GCN4-myc,
(Fig. 3A, cf. lanes 11 and
12 with lanes 5 and 6) yet overexpressing Gcn4p from an h.c. plasmid
did not suppress the SMs phenotype of the
cyc8
mutant. Thus, the activation defect
in cyc8
cells does not appear to result from reduced
accumulation of Gcn4p in starved cells.
![]() View larger version (56K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 3. Deletion
of CYC8 does not reduce myc-Gcn4p abundance, and the
SMs phenotype of cyc8 cells is not
overcome by overexpressing Gcn4p. Western analysis of myc-Gcn4p
expression. (A) gcn4 (249) and
cyc8 gcn4 (KS4) strains were
transformed with s.c. (pSK1) or h.c. (pHQ1293) plasmids harboring the
GCN4-myc allele or empty vector YCp50, as indicated. WCEs were
prepared from two transformants of each strain cultured under the
inducing conditions described in the legend for Fig.
1. Aliquots with equal
amounts of total protein were separated by 8 to 16% SDS-polyacrylamide
gel electrophoresis and probed with anti-myc and anti-Gcd6p antibodies,
as indicated to the right of the blot. Probing with anti-Gcd6p
antibodies provided a loading control. Samples from the two independent
transformants of each strain were analyzed in successive lanes of the
gel. (B) The strains described in the legend for Fig.
1 were transformed with
s.c. plasmid p1208 carrying untagged GCN4, h.c. plasmid
pHQ1303 harboring untagged GCN4, or empty vector (YCp50), as
indicated. The spotting assay was performed as described in
the legend for Fig. 1A.
SC-ura, synthetic complete medium lacking
uracil.
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mutation by conducting ChIP analysis.
Remarkably, after 2 h of induction by SM, binding to the
ARG1 UAS of native Gcn4p was greatly reduced in the
cyc8
mutant to a level only slightly above the
nonspecific background signal measured for the gcn4
strain (Fig. 4A and
B, vector lanes). Moreover, overexpressing functional
hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged Gcn4p increased binding at ARG1 by
2.2-fold in WT cells but had no effect on Gcn4p binding in the
cyc8
mutant (Fig. 4A
and B). Binding of Gcn4p at the ARG1 UAS increased
between 30 min and 2 h of induction with SM in WT cells, and
cyc8
impaired Gcn4p binding at all three time points
assayed in this time course (Fig.
4C). The
cyc8
mutation also impaired UAS binding of myc-tagged
Gcn4p, whether expressed in gcn4
cells from an s.c.
or an h.c. plasmid (Fig.
4D). Finally,
cyc8
impaired Gcn4p binding to the UAS at
ARG4 to roughly the same extent observed at ARG1 in a
manner unaffected by overexpressing HA-Gcn4p (Fig.
4E).
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FIG. 4. Deletion of CYC8 and TUP1 impair binding of Gcn4p to the UAS elements at ARG1 and ARG4. Strains BY4741 (WT), 249 (gcn4 ), 7161 (cyc8 ), and 7189 (tup1 ) were transformed with empty vector (YCp50), s.c. GCN4-HA plasmid p2382, or h.c. GCN4-HA plasmid pHQ1239 (A, B, C, E, and F). Strains 249 (gcn4 ) and KS4 (cyc8 gcn4 ) were transformed with an s.c. (pSK1) or an h.c. (pHQ1293) GCN4-myc plasmid (D). Strains BY4741, 249, and 7189 were transformed with empty vector YCp50 (G). All strains were cultured in synthetic complete medium lacking Ile and Val at 30°C and treated with 1 µg/ml of SM for 2 h or for the indicated times (C). Cells were harvested, treated with formaldehyde, and broken by vortexing with glass beads, and the extracts were sonicated to produce chromatin fragments with average lengths of 500 bp. Aliquots (5%) were immunoprecipitated with anti-Gcn4p antibodies, and DNA was extracted from the immunoprecipitate (IP) after reversing the cross-links. DNA was extracted directly from another aliquot of the chromatin preparation (5% of the total) to serve as the input control. A 300-fold dilution of the input control and the undiluted IP DNA were amplified by PCR by using primers specific for ARG1UAS (A to D and F) and ARG4UAS (E and G) and POL1ORF in the presence of [33P]dATP. The PCR products were resolved by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, visualized (A), and quantified by phosphorimaging analysis (B to G), and the ratios of the ARG1UAS or ARG4UAS signals in the IP-to-input samples were calculated and normalized for the corresponding ratios calculated for the POL1 signals to yield the normalized percentages of IP (B to G). The resulting values plotted in the histogram (B to G) are averages and standard errors of results from three PCR amplifications of chromatin immunoprecipitated from two independent cultures. In panel A, the results of three independent PCR amplifications from the same immunoprecipitation from one of the two chromatin samples are shown in successive lanes for each strain.
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mutation had a somewhat different effect on
Gcn4p binding at its target genes. Whereas tup1
strongly reduced Gcn4p binding at the ARG1 and ARG4
UAS elements (Fig. 4F and
G), this defect was overcome by overexpressing HA-Gcn4p
from an h.c. plasmid (Fig.
4F). Thus, Tup1p may be
less critical than Cyc8p for efficient binding of Gcn4p at its target
genes.
Recruitment of coactivators, TBP, and Pol II by Gcn4p is strongly impaired in cyc8
cells.
We wished to
determine whether the reduced UAS occupancy by Gcn4p in
cyc8
cells observed with ChIP assays is sufficient to
impair recruitment of SAGA, Srb mediator, TBP, and Pol II to the
promoter after 2 h of induction. The ChIP analyses in Fig.
5 show that cyc8
reduces recruitment of myc-tagged
subunits of SAGA (Spt7p) (Fig. 5A and
B) and mediator (Srb6p) (Fig.
5C and D) to the UAS
elements at ARG1 and ARG4 to nearly the same extent
as does gcn4
, even in cells overexpressing HA-Gcn4p
from a high-copy-number plasmid. The recruitment of myc-tagged forms of
TBP and the Rpb3p subunit of Pol II to the ARG1 promoter also
was impaired by cyc8
(Fig.
5E and F). The reduction
of TBP recruitment to the promoter and of Pol II occupancy in the
ARG1 open reading frame (ORF) were evident in the
cyc8
mutant immediately on induction of Gcn4p in
parallel with decreased UAS binding of Gcn4p at each time point
analyzed (Fig. 6A to
C). We showed previously that the myc-tagged alleles of SPT7,
SRB6, SPT15/TBP1, and RPB3 are functional
for transcriptional activation by Gcn4p
(39,
43), and we verified here
that cyc8
and tup1
do not reduce
steady-state expression of myc-Spt7p, myc-Srb6p, myc-TBP, or myc-Rpb3p
(see Fig. S1 in the supplemental material). Thus, the reduced UAS
occupancy of Gcn4p in cyc8
cells is associated with
substantial defects in coactivator recruitment and PIC assembly by
Gcn4p.
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FIG. 5. Recruitment
of SAGA (myc-Spt7p), Srb mediator (myc-Srb6p), TBP (myc-TBP1), and Pol
II (myc-Rpb3p) by Gcn4p is strongly dependent on Cyc8p and moderately
dependent on Tup1p. ChIP analysis was conducted on the following
strains harboring empty vector (Ycp50) or h.c. GCN4-HA plasmid
pHQ1239, as indicated, as described in the legend for Fig.
4 except using anti-myc
antibodies. (A and B) SPT7-myc strains HQY453 (WT), KS8
(cyc8 ), KS112 (tup1 ), and HQY457
(gcn4 ); (C and D) SRB6-myc strains HQY464
(WT), KS12 (cyc8 ), KS108 (tup1 ),
and HQY47O (gcn4 ); (E) TBP1-myc
strains HQY366 (WT), KS15 (cyc8 ), KS111
(tup1 ), and HQY382 (gcn4 );
(F) RPB3-myc strains HQY403 (WT), KS17
(cyc8 ), KS110 (tup1 ), and HQY422
(gcn4 ). Occupancy of ARG1UAS was
measured for myc-Spt7p (A) or myc-Srb6p (C), occupancy of
ARG4UAS was measured for myc-Spt7p (B) or
myc-Srb6p (D), occupancy of ARG1TATA was measured
for myc-TBP (E), and occupancy of ARG1TATA was
measured for myc-Rpb3p (F). IP,
immunoprecipitate.
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FIG. 6. Kinetic
ChIP analysis. The WT strain (BY4741) and cyc8 strain
(7161) bearing h.c. plasmid GCN4-HA pHQ1239 were cultured in
synthetic complete medium lacking Ile and Val containing 1
µg/ml SM for the indicated times and subjected to ChIP
analysis, as described in the legend for Fig.
4, using anti-Gcn4p (A),
anti-TBP (B), or anti-Rpb1p (C) antibodies. Occupancy of
ARG1UAS was measured for Gcn4p (A), occupancy of
ARG1TATA was measured for TBP (B), and occupancy of
ARG1ORF was measured for Rpb1p
(C).
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mutant. Recruitment of myc-Spt7p and myc-Srb6p to the UAS elements at
ARG1 and ARG4 and of myc-TBP and myc-Rpb3p binding to
the ARG1 promoter were all reduced in tup1
cells. With the possible exception of myc-Rpb3p, these recruitment
defects were suppressed by overexpressing HA-Gcn4p, such that the
levels of factor recruitment in tup1
cells bearing
h.c. GCN4-HA were comparable to the levels in TUP1
cells expressing Gcn4p at the native level (Fig.
5A to F). These results
are consistent with the fact that overexpressing Gcn4p greatly reduced
the SMs phenotype of the tup1
mutant (Fig.
3B) and restored WT Gcn4p
binding to the ARG1 UAS in tup1
cells (Fig.
4F).
Gcn4p recruits Cyc8p and Tup1p to target genes in vivo.
In an effort to determine whether Cyc8p
and Tup1p function in a direct manner to promote Gcn4p binding to the
UAS, we asked whether Cyc8p and Tup1p are present at ARG1 and
ARG4 under inducing conditions by conducting ChIP analysis of
strains expressing myc-tagged forms of these proteins. We verified that
the CYC8-myc and TUP1-myc alleles conferred wild-type
growth on SM plates (data not shown) and thus appeared to be functional
in supporting transcriptional activation by Gcn4p. The ChIP results
shown in Fig. 7B and
C reveal Gcn4p-dependent binding of myc-Cyc8p and Tup1p to the
ARG1 UAS after 30 min or 1 h of induction, in
parallel with the increased binding of Gcn4p at the UAS observed at
these time points (Fig.
7A). In the strain
containing native levels of Gcn4p (GCN4/vector), binding of
both myc-Cyc8p and Tup1p to the UAS under inducing conditions was only
twofold or less above the background level observed for the
gcn4
strain. However, much higher levels of myc-Cyc8p
and Tup1p recruitment to the UAS occurred in strains overexpressing
HA-Gcn4p (GCN4/h.c. GCN4-HA). Similar levels of
Gcn4p-dependent binding of myc-Cyc8p and myc-Tup1p were observed for
the ARG4 UAS (data not shown). Western analysis showed that
gcn4
does not reduce the steady-state levels of
myc-Cyc8p or myc-Tup1p (see Fig. S1 in the supplemental material).
Hence, we conclude that Gcn4p recruits Tup1p and Cyc8p to the
ARG1 and ARG4 UAS elements under inducing conditions,
consistent with the idea that these proteins function directly as
coactivators at these Gcn4p target genes.
![]() View larger version (37K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 7. Cyc8p/Tup1p
is associated with the UAS and coding regions of Gcn4p target genes
ARG1 and ARG4 under inducing conditions. Strains KS6
(WT) and KS32 (gcn4 ) carrying empty vector (YCp50) or
h.c. GCN4-HA plasmid pHQ1239 were cultured for the indicated
times in synthetic complete medium lacking Ile and Val containing 1
µg/ml SM and subjected to ChIP analysis, as described in the
legend for Fig. 4, using
antibodies against Gcn4p (A), myc (B, D, and F), or Tup1p (C, E, and
G). ARG1UAS occupancies of Gcn4p (A), myc-Cyc8p
(B), or Tup1p (C) and association with the ARG1 or
ARG4 coding regions (ORF) of myc-Cyc8p (D and F) and Tup1p (E
and G) are plotted in the histograms. IP,
immunoprecipitate.
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cells exhibited diminished recruitment of SAGA
and Srb mediator to the UAS, reduced promoter occupancy of TBP and Pol
II, and decreased Pol II association with the 3' ends of the
ORFs at ARG1 and ARG4. The tup1
mutant showed similar defects in coactivator recruitment, PIC assembly,
and transcriptional activation of authentic target genes but was less
sensitive to SM and did not significantly impair induction of the
reporter genes. Thus, it appears that Cyc8p is more broadly required
than Tup1p for transcriptional activation by Gcn4p.
It is
possible that all of the defects in transcriptional activation of
Gcn4p-dependent promoters observed with cyc8
and
tup1
cells can be attributed to the decreased Gcn4p
binding to the UAS elements at its target genes in these mutants. This
decrease in UAS occupancy by Gcn4p cannot be attributed to reduced
expression of GCN4 mRNA or decreased steady-state levels of
Gcn4p protein in cyc8
or tup1
cells. No other mutations in subunits of SAGA, SWI/SNF, Srb mediator,
or RSC that impair transcriptional activation by Gcn4p have been found
to reduce Gcn4p binding at ARG1 or ARG4
(15,
39). Thus, reduced Gcn4p
promoter occupancy in cells containing WT levels of Gcn4p is a unique
phenotype of cyc8
and tup1
mutants.
One way to account for the role of Cyc8p and Tup1p in
Gcn4p binding to UAS elements is to propose that they are required for
efficient nuclear import of Gcn4p. For example, expression of one or
more factors involved in nuclear import of Gcn4p could be reduced in
cyc8
and tup1
cells. It was shown
previously that a functional green fluorescent protein (GFP)-Gcn4
fusion protein is localized primarily in the nucleus independently of
amino acid abundance
(37). Thus, nuclear
localization of Gcn4p is probably not regulated by amino acid levels.
We have compared levels of localization of this GFP-Gcn4p fusion for
cyc8
versus WT cells and found only a small decrease
in the percentage of cells (from 95% to 79%) containing GFP-Gcn4p that
was localized exclusively in the nucleus in cyc8
cells
(see Fig. S2 in the supplemental material). Thus, we believe that
Cyc8p/Tup1p has no significant role in nuclear
localization of Gcn4p.
A direct role for
Cyc8p/Tup1p in promoting UAS binding by Gcn4p is
suggested by our finding that both proteins are recruited by Gcn4p to
its target genes in vivo. This raises the possibility that the
Cyc8p/Tup1p complex modifies the chromatin structure of
the UAS to increase accessibility of Gcn4p to its binding sites,
perhaps by positioning nucleosomes in an organized array
(5,
12,
26,
53) or by recruiting
histone deacetylases to reduce histone acetylation
(1,
6-8,
48,
49). Another possibility
is that Cyc8p/Tup1p impedes degradation of UAS-bound
Gcn4p. This idea is prompted by the finding that Srb10p, a component of
the mediator, phosphorylates the Gcn4p activation domain and targets
the protein for rapid degradation by the proteosome
(2,
20,
29). Hence, recruitment
of the mediator by Gcn4p could accelerate the degradation of UAS-bound
Gcn4p without affecting the turnover of unbound Gcn4p
(2). According to this
last model, Cyc8p/Tup1p recruited to the UAS by Gcn4p
would decrease the rate of Srb10p-mediated degradation of UAS-bound
Gcn4p. To account for the fact that total steady-state levels of Gcn4p
are not reduced by cyc8
, it would be necessary to
stipulate that UAS-bound Gcn4p represents only a small fraction of the
total cellular pool of the protein and that Gcn4p degraded at the UAS
in cyc8
cells is quickly replenished by new
synthesis.
Whatever the mechanism involved, it seems that Cyc8p
plays a more important role than Tup1p in promoting Gcn4p binding to
UAS elements. Thus, in addition to the less severe activation defects
in tup1
cells versus cyc8
cells, we
found that overexpressing Gcn4p can alleviate the Gcn4p binding defect
in tup1
cells but not in cyc8
cells. Presumably, Gcn4p binding to the UAS can be driven to nearly WT
levels in tup1
cells by increasing the cellular
concentration of Gcn4p, but the impediment to UAS binding is too great
to overcome by mass action in cyc8
cells.
It is
interesting that high-level UAS occupancy of Gcn4p is dependent on
Cyc8p and Tup1p, while at the same time, Gcn4p recruits Cyc8p and
Tup1p. Thus, Gcn4p and Cyc8p/Tup1p are interdependent
for high-level binding at ARG1 and ARG4. Although the
reduction in UAS occupancy by Gcn4p in cyc8
cells is
substantial, it is not complete (e.g., Fig.
4C). Indeed, the SM
sensitivity and reductions in reporter and target gene transcription
are less severe in cyc8
cells than in
gcn4
cells. Hence, it seems that Gcn4p can bind to a
UAS element lacking associated Cyc8p, albeit with reduced efficiency.
By subsequently recruiting Cyc8p/Tup1p, Gcn4p may
achieve a higher level of UAS occupancy, thereby creating a
positive-feedback loop (Fig.
8). We cannot rule out the possibility, however, that
Cyc8p/Tup1p binds at ARG1 independently of
Gcn4p at a level below the detection limit of the ChIP assay and then
promotes binding of Gcn4p to the unoccupied UAS. Once bound to the UAS,
Gcn4p would then recruit Cyc8p/Tup1p to the higher
levels observed under inducing conditions with our ChIP
assays.
![]() View larger version (18K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 8. Model
for interdependent binding of activator Gcn4p and
Cyc8p/Tup1p at ARG1 and ARG4 in vivo.
Cyc8p/Tup1p functions to stimulate Gcn4p binding to the
UAS elements at ARG1and ARG4. Interestingly, Gcn4p
recruits Cyc8p/Tup1p to the promoter and ORF regions of
both genes, which may provide a positive-feedback mechanism to maintain
high-level Gcn4p binding at the UAS elements under inducing conditions.
It is possible that Cyc8p/Tup1p binds to these genes at
low levels independently of Gcn4p under noninducing conditions and then
promotes binding of Gcn4p to an unoccupied UAS. Gcn4p would then
recruit Cyc8p/Tup1p to the higher levels observed under
inducing conditions. We do not mean to imply a direct interaction of
Cyc8p/Tup1p with DNA; rather, interaction with
nucleosomes is predicted (see text for further
details).
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Most previous studies of Cyc8p and Tup1p have
underscored their functions as corepressors
(42), but the complex can
also function in activation. As noted above, Cyc8p/Tup1p
remains bound at promoters regulated by Sko1p
(38) and at GAL1
(35) under inducing
conditions and participates in recruitment of coactivators to overcome
its own repressing functions. In the Cyc8p-dependent induction of
CIT2 by Rtg3p
(4), it is unknown whether
Cyc8p stimulates UAS occupancy by Rtg3p or provides a
coactivator function for UAS-bound Rtg3p. The exact step in
activation of CYC1 by Hap1p that is dependent on Tup1p/Cyc8p
is also unknown (52).
Regarding Cyc8p-dependent activation of FRE2 by Aft1p, Cyc8p
binds in vitro to the DNA binding domain of Aft1p, and Aft1p binding at
FRE2 was apparently reduced by a small amount in
cyc8
cells. Nevertheless, activation by a LexA-Aft1p
fusion from LexA binding sites was strongly Cyc8p dependent, pointing
to a role for Cyc8p in the activation function of Aft1p rather than in
Aft1p promoter binding
(13). Thus, the prominent
role of Cyc8p in stimulating Gcn4p binding to the UAS elements at
ARG1 and ARG4 described here appears to be unique
among the yeast activators studied thus far.
We obtained one
indication that Cyc8p/Tup1p also enhances the ability of
Gcn4p to recruit coactivators. In strains overexpressing Gcn4p from the
h.c. GCN4-HA plasmid, there was essentially the same level of
Gcn4p binding to the ARG1 UAS in WT and tup1
cells (Fig. 4F); however,
the tup1
cells showed a relatively lower level of
SAGA and mediator recruitment to the UAS and also less myc-Rpb3p
recruitment to the promoter (Fig. 5A,
C, and F). Hence, Cyc8p/Tup1p may play a
dual role at Gcn4p target genes, increasing the efficiency of
coactivator recruitment by Gcn4p in addition to stimulating Gcn4p
binding to the UAS.
Supplemental material for this article may be found at http://mcb.asm.org/. ![]()
Present address: School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272. ![]()
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2
repression in yeast. Mol. Cell. Biol.
17:6555-6562.[Abstract]
2.Mol. Cell. Biol.
17:6023-6028.[Abstract]
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