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Regulation of Transcription Initiation
Cell Function
Proteins
Key Components in Control of Transcription Initiation
1) Regulatory sequences associated with genes.
(cisacting)
2) Proteins that bind to the regulatory sequences.
(transacting)
Francois Jacob Jacques Monod
Genes involved in lactose metabolism
lacA thiogalactoside ?
transacetylase
“Enzyme Induction”:
βgalactosidase is induced in the presence of
lactose, not glucose.
The Specificity of Induction
INDUCER SUBSTRATE FOR
FOR LAC OPERON? β GALACTOSIDASE?
Initial observation that led to the JacobMonod Model
RESULTS:
* All three enzymes respond identically to all
inducers.
* There is little correlation between good inducers
and good substrates.
CONCLUSION:
An additional protein acts as a receptor for the inducer,
which is different from the lactosedigesting enzymes.
Mutations in lacI Cause Constitutive Expression of lac Operon
Constitutive mutants
lacI lac repressor
Importance: first gene shown to be involved in the regulation of enzymes.
The Jacob and Monod Model
Based on the model,
what would be the predicted
phenotypes of operator mutants
(Oc) and promoter mutants?
Oc is CisActing and Dominant over O+
lacI+ is TransActing and Dominant over lacI
DNaseI Footprinting
Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA)
LacOperon TranscriptionControl Region
β and β’ polymerize NTPs
α interacts with regulatory proteins
σ 70 determines the initiation site
β, β’, α, α. core polymerase
β, β’, α, α, σ 70 holoenzyme
• Lac repressor inhibits transcription by blocking access of RNA polymerase to the
lac promoter.
• cAMPCAP activates transcription by increasing affinity of RNA polymerase for
the lac promoter.
• Cooperative binding of cAMPCAP and RNA polymerase to the lac control
region.
Negative and Positive Transcriptional Control of the lac Operon
Usage of Different Sigma Factors in Gene Regulation
Gene activation through
phosphorylation of
enhancerbinding proteins
Eukaryotic Gene Control: General Approaches
• Determining mode of regulation: mRNA amount, protein amount, protein
activity
– Northern blot; immunoblot; and functional assay
• Determining mode of regulation: transcription versus RNA stability
– Nascentchain analysis (nuclear runon assay); transfection; transcription
inhibitor assays.
• Mapping of transcription initiation site.
– Primer extension; RNase protection; S1 Nuclease protection; RACE
• Mapping transcriptioncontrol sequences
– Linker scanning mutagenesis
• Isolating sitespecific DNAbinding transcription factors
– Biochemical; genetic approaches
NascentChain (RunOn) Assay
Differential mRNA Synthesis in Liver
Primer Extension
Linker Scanning Mutagenesis to Identify TranscriptionControl Elements
Comparison of CisActing Promoter Elements
in (a) Unicellular and (b) Multicellular Eukaryotes
Boundary or Insulator Elements
can Prevent Enhancer Interactions with Inappropriate Promoters
Biochemical Techniques for Identifying Transcription Factors
– Chromatography (e.g sequencespecific DNA affinity
chromatography)
– DNaseI footprinting or electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA)
– In vitro transcription assay
– Determination of partial amino acid sequence
– Isolation of the cDNA clone
– In vivo transfection assay
Additional Methods for Identifying Partners in ProteinDNA Interactions
Yeast OneHybrid:
Classic Genetic Screens:
PCRMediated Selection for Specific DNA Binding Sites:
Purification of Transcription Factors by DNA Affinity Chromatography
In Vitro Transcription Activation by SP1
In Vivo Assay for Transcription Factor Activity
What is the general caveat of overexpression?
What are the alternatives?
Modular Structure of Eukaryotic Transcription Activators
Yeast TwoHybrid Screen:
A Common Approach for Identifying ProteinProtein Interactions
The RNA Polymerase II Transcription Machinery
Initiation by Pol II Requires General Transcription Factors
Stepwise Assembly
of a Transcription
Initiation Complex
Yeast RNA Pol IIDependent Transcription Machinery
Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases
* Three eukaryotic polymerases catalyze formation of different RNAs.
Polymerase I Preribosomal RNA (28S, 5.8S, 18S)
Polymerase II All messenger RNAs; small nuclear RNAs (splicing)
Polymerase III tRNAs; 5S rRNA; small RNAs
* CTD of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II.
TyrSerProThrSerProSer (x2652)
The Cterminal Domain
(CTD) of RNA polymerase II
Coordinates Transcription
and PremRNA Processing
Model for Cooperative Assembly of an Activated TranscriptionInitiation Complex
Identification of Tissue and
GeneSpecific Subunits of the
General Transcription Apparatus
ovarianspecific TAF105
TBPrelated factors (TRFs)
SUMMARY
Prokaryotic Transcription Initiation
• Promoter strength depends on 10 and 35 sequences.
• Repressors interferes with binding of RNA polymerase. Activator cAMPCAP
facilitates polymerase binding.
• Multiple mechanisms of gene regulation in response to various environmental cues.
Eukaryotic Transcription Initiation
• Promoters (TATA box, initiator, or DPE) determine the transcription
initiation site. Cisacting control regions in eukaryotic genes can be promoter
proximal elements, enhancers, silencers, and insulators.
• Transcription factors bind to promoterproximal elements and enhancers.
RNA polymerase II requires several general transcription factors (GTF) to
locate the initiation site. Sitespecific activators can facilitate RNA
polymerase function by interactions with the coactivators.
• Gene regulation in multicellular organisms are mainly designed for the
growth and developmental needs.