Abstract
A number of transcription activators have been found to activate transcription via protein-protein contact between RNA polymerase alpha subunits and transcription factors; they are classified as class I factors. In this report, we demonstrate that the FlhD/FlhC complex, a transcription activator of the Escherichia coli flagellar regulon, requires the C-terminal domain of the RNA polymerase alpha subunit for transcription activation. We conclude that FlhD/FlhC is a class I transcription factor.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (345.1 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Blatter E. E., Ross W., Tang H., Gourse R. L., Ebright R. H. Domain organization of RNA polymerase alpha subunit: C-terminal 85 amino acids constitute a domain capable of dimerization and DNA binding. Cell. 1994 Sep 9;78(5):889–896. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(94)90682-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gussin G. N., Olson C., Igarashi K., Ishihama A. Activation defects caused by mutations in Escherichia coli rpoA are promoter specific. J Bacteriol. 1992 Aug;174(15):5156–5160. doi: 10.1128/jb.174.15.5156-5160.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hayward R. S., Igarashi K., Ishihama A. Functional specialization within the alpha-subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. J Mol Biol. 1991 Sep 5;221(1):23–29. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(91)80197-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Igarashi K., Fujita N., Ishihama A. Identification of a subunit assembly domain in the alpha subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. J Mol Biol. 1991 Mar 5;218(1):1–6. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Igarashi K., Hanamura A., Makino K., Aiba H., Aiba H., Mizuno T., Nakata A., Ishihama A. Functional map of the alpha subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase: two modes of transcription activation by positive factors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Oct 15;88(20):8958–8962. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.20.8958. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Igarashi K., Ishihama A. Bipartite functional map of the E. coli RNA polymerase alpha subunit: involvement of the C-terminal region in transcription activation by cAMP-CRP. Cell. 1991 Jun 14;65(6):1015–1022. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90553-b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ishihama A. Protein-protein communication within the transcription apparatus. J Bacteriol. 1993 May;175(9):2483–2489. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.9.2483-2489.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ishihama A. Role of the RNA polymerase alpha subunit in transcription activation. Mol Microbiol. 1992 Nov;6(22):3283–3288. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1992.tb02196.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jones C. J., Aizawa S. The bacterial flagellum and flagellar motor: structure, assembly and function. Adv Microb Physiol. 1991;32:109–172. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2911(08)60007-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kimura M., Ishihama A. Functional map of the alpha subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase: insertion analysis of the amino-terminal assembly domain. J Mol Biol. 1995 May 12;248(4):756–767. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1995.0258. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Komeda Y., Kutsukake K., Iino T. Definition of additional flagellar genes in Escherichia coli K12. Genetics. 1980 Feb;94(2):277–290. doi: 10.1093/genetics/94.2.277. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Komeda Y. Transcriptional control of flagellar genes in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1986 Dec;168(3):1315–1318. doi: 10.1128/jb.168.3.1315-1318.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lawley B., Fujita N., Ishihama A., Pittard A. J. The TyrR protein of Escherichia coli is a class I transcription activator. J Bacteriol. 1995 Jan;177(1):238–241. doi: 10.1128/jb.177.1.238-241.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lee H. S., Ishihama A., Kustu S. The C terminus of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase is not essential for transcriptional activation of sigma 54 holoenzyme. J Bacteriol. 1993 Apr;175(8):2479–2482. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.8.2479-2482.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Liu X., Matsumura P. The FlhD/FlhC complex, a transcriptional activator of the Escherichia coli flagellar class II operons. J Bacteriol. 1994 Dec;176(23):7345–7351. doi: 10.1128/jb.176.23.7345-7351.1994. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Macnab R. M. Genetics and biogenesis of bacterial flagella. Annu Rev Genet. 1992;26:131–158. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.26.120192.001023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Malakooti J., Komeda Y., Matsumura P. DNA sequence analysis, gene product identification, and localization of flagellar motor components of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1989 May;171(5):2728–2734. doi: 10.1128/jb.171.5.2728-2734.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ross W., Gosink K. K., Salomon J., Igarashi K., Zou C., Ishihama A., Severinov K., Gourse R. L. A third recognition element in bacterial promoters: DNA binding by the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase. Science. 1993 Nov 26;262(5138):1407–1413. doi: 10.1126/science.8248780. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sakumi K., Igarashi K., Sekiguchi M., Ishihama A. The Ada protein is a class I transcription factor of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1993 Apr;175(8):2455–2457. doi: 10.1128/jb.175.8.2455-2457.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tao K., Fujita N., Ishihama A. Involvement of the RNA polymerase alpha subunit C-terminal region in co-operative interaction and transcriptional activation with OxyR protein. Mol Microbiol. 1993 Mar;7(6):859–864. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01176.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]