Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1985 Dec;82(24):8562–8566. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.24.8562

Each of three "TATA elements" specifies a subset of the transcription initiation sites at the CYC-1 promoter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

S Hahn, E T Hoar, L Guarente
PMCID: PMC390957  PMID: 3001709

Abstract

Transcription initiation of the yeast iso-1-cytochrome c gene (CYC-1) occurs in six major clusters at positions +1, +10, +16, +25, +34, and +43. Potential "TATA elements" lie upstream at positions -154, -106, -52, and -22. Analysis of the TATA region suggests that three of these TATA sequences are functional and contribute to initiation at CYC-1, with the -106 TATA promoting initiation at +1, +10, and +16; the -52 TATA, at +16, +25, +34, and +43; and the -22 TATA, at +34 and +43. Deletions changing the spacing between the TATA sequences and the region of transcription initiation do not change the location of the CYC-1 transcription start points. This finding suggests that at least part of the information determining mRNA initiation sites is encoded within the DNA sequence at the site of transcription initiation. Analysis of 18 yeast RNA polymerase II promoters suggests that two classes of DNA sequences serve as preferred sites for transcription initiation. To test this possibility, we replaced some of the normal CYC-1 start sites with one of these sequences, TCGA, and found that transcription initiates at this newly introduced sequence. These results are in contrast to those from higher eukaryotes, where RNA polymerase II typically initiates transcription a fixed distance downstream from the TATA element. The presence of multiple, functional TATA sequences at CYC-1 is inconsistent with the idea that RNA polymerase or another transcription factor attaches to the template at an upstream activation site and scans for the nearest TATA element.

Full text

PDF
8562

Images in this article

8564Image
on p.8564

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Andreadis A., Hsu Y. P., Kohlhaw G. B., Schimmel P. Nucleotide sequence of yeast LEU2 shows 5'-noncoding region has sequences cognate to leucine. Cell. 1982 Dec;31(2 Pt 1):319–325. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90125-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Banerji J., Olson L., Schaffner W. A lymphocyte-specific cellular enhancer is located downstream of the joining region in immunoglobulin heavy chain genes. Cell. 1983 Jul;33(3):729–740. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90015-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Benoist C., Chambon P. In vivo sequence requirements of the SV40 early promotor region. Nature. 1981 Mar 26;290(5804):304–310. doi: 10.1038/290304a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Carlson M., Taussig R., Kustu S., Botstein D. The secreted form of invertase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is synthesized from mRNA encoding a signal sequence. Mol Cell Biol. 1983 Mar;3(3):439–447. doi: 10.1128/mcb.3.3.439. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chandler V. L., Maler B. A., Yamamoto K. R. DNA sequences bound specifically by glucocorticoid receptor in vitro render a heterologous promoter hormone responsive in vivo. Cell. 1983 Jun;33(2):489–499. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90430-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Concino M. F., Lee R. F., Merryweather J. P., Weinmann R. The adenovirus major late promoter TATA box and initiation site are both necessary for transcription in vitro. Nucleic Acids Res. 1984 Oct 11;12(19):7423–7433. doi: 10.1093/nar/12.19.7423. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Corden J., Wasylyk B., Buchwalder A., Sassone-Corsi P., Kedinger C., Chambon P. Promoter sequences of eukaryotic protein-coding genes. Science. 1980 Sep 19;209(4463):1406–1414. doi: 10.1126/science.6251548. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Donahue T. F., Daves R. S., Lucchini G., Fink G. R. A short nucleotide sequence required for regulation of HIS4 by the general control system of yeast. Cell. 1983 Jan;32(1):89–98. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90499-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Elder R. T., Loh E. Y., Davis R. W. RNA from the yeast transposable element Ty1 has both ends in the direct repeats, a structure similar to retrovirus RNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 May;80(9):2432–2436. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.9.2432. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Faye G., Leung D. W., Tatchell K., Hall B. D., Smith M. Deletion mapping of sequences essential for in vivo transcription of the iso-1-cytochrome c gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Apr;78(4):2258–2262. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.4.2258. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gafner J., Philippsen P. The yeast transposon Ty1 generates duplications of target DNA on insertion. Nature. 1980 Jul 24;286(5771):414–418. doi: 10.1038/286414a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Grosveld G. C., Shewmaker C. K., Jat P., Flavell R. A. Localization of DNA sequences necessary for transcription of the rabbit beta-globin gene in vitro. Cell. 1981 Jul;25(1):215–226. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90246-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Guarente L., Hoar E. Upstream activation sites of the CYC1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are active when inverted but not when placed downstream of the "TATA box". Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(24):7860–7864. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.24.7860. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Guarente L., Lalonde B., Gifford P., Alani E. Distinctly regulated tandem upstream activation sites mediate catabolite repression of the CYC1 gene of S. cerevisiae. Cell. 1984 Feb;36(2):503–511. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90243-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Guarente L., Mason T. Heme regulates transcription of the CYC1 gene of S. cerevisiae via an upstream activation site. Cell. 1983 Apr;32(4):1279–1286. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90309-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Guarente L. Yeast promoters and lacZ fusions designed to study expression of cloned genes in yeast. Methods Enzymol. 1983;101:181–191. doi: 10.1016/0076-6879(83)01013-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Guarente L. Yeast promoters: positive and negative elements. Cell. 1984 Apr;36(4):799–800. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90028-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Guarente L., Yocum R. R., Gifford P. A GAL10-CYC1 hybrid yeast promoter identifies the GAL4 regulatory region as an upstream site. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Dec;79(23):7410–7414. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.23.7410. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hinnebusch A. G., Fink G. R. Repeated DNA sequences upstream from HIS1 also occur at several other co-regulated genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem. 1983 Apr 25;258(8):5238–5247. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Hinnebusch A. G., Lucchini G., Fink G. R. A synthetic HIS4 regulatory element confers general amino acid control on the cytochrome c gene (CYC1) of yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Jan;82(2):498–502. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.2.498. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Hu S. L., Manley J. L. DNA sequence required for initiation of transcription in vitro from the major late promoter of adenovirus 2. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Feb;78(2):820–824. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.2.820. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Laughon A., Gesteland R. F. Primary structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae GAL4 gene. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Feb;4(2):260–267. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.2.260. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Martinez-Arias A., Yost H. J., Casadaban M. J. Role of an upstream regulatory element in leucine repression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae leu2 gene. Nature. 1984 Feb 23;307(5953):740–742. doi: 10.1038/307740b0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Nagawa F., Fink G. R. The relationship between the "TATA" sequence and transcription initiation sites at the HIS4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Dec;82(24):8557–8561. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.24.8557. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Nasmyth K. A., Tatchell K., Hall B. D., Astell C., Smith M. A position effect in the control of transcription at yeast mating type loci. Nature. 1981 Jan 22;289(5795):244–250. doi: 10.1038/289244a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Parker C. S., Topol J. A Drosophila RNA polymerase II transcription factor contains a promoter-region-specific DNA-binding activity. Cell. 1984 Feb;36(2):357–369. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90229-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Queen C., Baltimore D. Immunoglobulin gene transcription is activated by downstream sequence elements. Cell. 1983 Jul;33(3):741–748. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90016-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Russell D. W., Smith M., Williamson V. M., Young E. T. Nucleotide sequence of the yeast alcohol dehydrogenase II gene. J Biol Chem. 1983 Feb 25;258(4):2674–2682. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Siliciano P. G., Tatchell K. Transcription and regulatory signals at the mating type locus in yeast. Cell. 1984 Jul;37(3):969–978. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90431-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Struhl K., Davis R. W. Promotor mutants of the yeast his3 gene. J Mol Biol. 1981 Nov 5;152(3):553–568. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(81)90268-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Struhl K. Genetic properties and chromatin structure of the yeast gal regulatory element: an enhancer-like sequence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(24):7865–7869. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.24.7865. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Struhl K. The yeast his3 promoter contains at least two distinct elements. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Dec;79(23):7385–7389. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.23.7385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sumrada R. A., Cooper T. G. Point mutation generates constitutive expression of an inducible eukaryotic gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Feb;82(3):643–647. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.3.643. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Teem J. L., Rosbash M. Expression of a beta-galactosidase gene containing the ribosomal protein 51 intron is sensitive to the rna2 mutation of yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jul;80(14):4403–4407. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.14.4403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Tsujimoto Y., Hirose S., Tsuda M., Suzuki Y. Promoter sequence of fibroin gene assigned by in vitro transcription system. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Aug;78(8):4838–4842. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.8.4838. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Wasylyk B., Wasylyk C., Augereau P., Chambon P. The SV40 72 bp repeat preferentially potentiates transcription starting from proximal natural or substitute promoter elements. Cell. 1983 Feb;32(2):503–514. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90470-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Yocum R. R., Hanley S., West R., Jr, Ptashne M. Use of lacZ fusions to delimit regulatory elements of the inducible divergent GAL1-GAL10 promoter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Oct;4(10):1985–1998. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.10.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES