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RESEARCH COMMUNICATION
Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| Abstract |
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[Keywords: Transcription; RNA polymerase II; TFIIB; promoter]
Received March 6, 2005; revised version accepted August 16, 2005.
The general transcription factor TFIIB can also engage in sequence-specific contact with the core promoter (Lagrange et al. 1998
; Qureshi and Jackson 1998
). This TFIIB-recognition element (BRE) is located immediately upstream of the TATA element in a subset of promoters. A helixturnhelix (HTH) motif at the C terminus of TFIIB mediates contact with the BRE (Lagrange et al. 1998
; Tsai and Sigler 2000
). The TFIIBBRE interaction facilitates the assembly of a TFIIBTBPTATA complex (Lagrange et al. 1998
; Qureshi and Jackson 1998
). In addition, the TFIIBBRE interaction can orient the PIC on the promoter (Bell et al. 1999
; Littlefield et al. 1999
; Tsai and Sigler 2000
). The BRE acts to increase basal transcription in a system composed of purified factors (Lagrange et al. 1998
). In crude nuclear extracts and in living cells, the BRE acts to suppress basal transcription, but has no effect on the level of transcription attained in the presence of an activator protein (Evans et al. 2001
; Chen and Manley 2003
). Interestingly, the HTH motif is not conserved in yeast or plant TFIIB (Lagrange et al. 1998
; Tsai and Sigler 2000
).
Previous crystallographic and biochemical studies have indicated that TFIIB also makes sequence-specific DNA contacts downstream of the TATA box (Tsai and Sigler 2000
; Fairley et al. 2002
; Chen and Manley 2003
). Specifically, both the crystal structure of a TFIIBTBP complex at the Adenovirus major late promoter and also methylation interference analysis of the Adenovirus E4 demonstrate specific contact between TFIIB and two different nucleotides downstream of the TATA element. Here we define a core promoter sequence element downstream of TATA that is contacted by TFIIB. We demonstrate that this contact stabilizes a TFIIBTBPpromoter complex and modulates promoter strength of a selection of core promoters both in vitro using nuclear extracts and in living cells.
| Results and Discussion |
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The TATA box of the AdE4 promoter is shown in bold in Figure 1A. Downstream of TATA, two Gs on the negative strand (indicated by solid circles) and a DNase I hypersensitive region on the positive strand (asterisks) that we previously determined as regions of TFIIB-specific contact are shown (Fairley et al. 2002
). Using this information, we generated a library containing randomized bases between positions -23 and -17 within the AdE4 core promoter (bases -51 and +12) (Fig. 1A). This DNA was radiolabeled and then used in bandshift assays with recombinant human TBP and TFIIB. Complexes were isolated, the DNA purified and amplified, and the process repeated to a total of seven rounds of selection. Figure 1B shows a bandshift to analyze TFIIBTBPpromoter complex formation using either the original randomized pool (Random) or the enriched sequence pool after seven rounds of selection (7th round). The enriched pool exhibited a greater affinity in TFIIBTBPpromoter complex formation, consistent with the selection of optimal sequences. The DNA fragments were then cloned and 41 promoter derivatives were sequenced (Fig. 1C). The selected sequences contain a strong representation of G and T bases and a striking preference against A (especially between bases -17 and -20). Using these data we derived a consensus sequence 5'-G/A-T-T/G/A-T/G-G/T-T/G-T/G-3'. The wild-type AdE4 conforms to this consensus in only three of the seven bases. However, consistent with the selected bases, it does not contain any As within the region -17 to -20. The sequence derived in this study bears no similarity to the BRE, which is immediately upstream of the TATA element in some promoters. From here on we will refer to the BRE identified by Lagrange et al. (1998
) as the upstream BRE (BREu) and the sequence characterized here as the downstream BRE (BREd).
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We next performed methylation interference to analyze contact at G-19 and G-21 within the opE4 and dfE4 promoter derivatives (negative strand) (Fig. 2C). The data show that methylation of G-19 mediates greater interference at the opE4 derivative when compared with the wild-type AdE4 promoter (wtE4; closed circles). In contrast, and consistent with the selection results and the bandshift analysis, the dfE4 derivative shows severely reduced methylation interference at G-19. We note that methylation interference was not lost at G-21, suggesting that this contact is maintained within the BREd mutants that we generated. Permanganate interference was used to ascertain that TBP contact with the opE4 and dfE4 derivatives was not affected by the mutations that we introduced (data not shown).
The wild-type AdE4 promoter was next compared with the opE4 and dfE4 derivatives in their ability to support transcription in vitro in a HeLa nuclear extract (Fig. 3A,B). In both the absence (part A) and presence (part B) of an activator the AdE4 derivative that contains an optimized BREd (opE4) showed an enhanced level of transcription when compared with the wild-type AdE4 promoter (wtE4), which in turn exhibited a greater level of transcription than that observed with the derivative containing a defective BREd (dfE4). In addition, we note that the strength of the BREd has significant effects on transcription start site selection (Fig. 3B). Specifically, the transcription start site pattern at the derivative containing a defective BREd (dfE4) is more diffuse than that observed with the AdE4 derivative containing an optimal BREd (opE4), while the wild-type AdE4 promoter lies in between. Interestingly, our previous studies showed that DNA flanking the TATA box modulates TFIIB conformation in a TFIIBTBPpromoter complex and that this might affect transcription start site selection (Fairley et al. 2002
).
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We next turned our attention to the motif in TFIIB that mediates contact with the BREd. Deletion analyses confirmed that the motif was within the core domain of TFIIB (Supplementary Fig. 1A). A previous crystal structure of the TFIIBTBPAdML promoter complex demonstrated that a loop in the first direct repeat of TFIIB between helices BH2 and BH3 mediated contact through the minor groove downstream of TATA in the AdML promoter (Fig. 4A; Tsai and Sigler 2000
). In this structure Gly153 (G153) mediated base-specific contact and Arg154 (R154) exhibited water-mediated contact within the minor groove. This was further stabilized by Lys152, Arg154, Ala155, and Asn156 through contacts with the DNA backbone. Based on this information we generated a single amino acid substitution mutant of TFIIB (G153Q) and also a double amino acid substitution mutant (G153Q:R154A). These mutant TFIIB derivatives were tested in a bandshift assay to determine their ability to form a TFIIBTBPpromoter complex (Fig. 4B). Compared with wild-type TFIIB, the G153Q mutant was compromised in its ability to form a TFIIBTBPAdE4 complex, and a further reduction was seen with the double substitution TFIIB mutant (G153Q:R154A).
We next reasoned that, if the above mutations affect the ability of TFIIB to interact with the BREd, then, in contrast to wild-type TFIIB, the TFIIB mutant G153Q:R154A should show less preference for an optimal over a defective BREd sequence. We therefore analyzed TFIIB(G153Q:R154A)TBPpromoter complex formation at the wild-type AdE4 promoter (wtE4) alongside the opE4 and dfE4 derivatives (Fig. 4C). Significantly, TFIIB G153Q:R154A did not show a reduced ability to assemble at the dfE4 promoter derivative when compared with the wild-type AdE4 promoter (wtE4) or the opE4 derivative. Furthermore, wild-type TFIIB, TFIIB G153Q, and TFIIB G153Q:R154A did not show a significant difference in their ability to form a complex when a BREd was not present within the promoter (dfE4) (Fig. 4D). We also performed methylation interference analysis, which revealed that TFIIB G153Q and TFIIB G153Q:R154A both showed reduced interference at both G-19 and G-21 when compared with wild-type TFIIB (Fig. 4E). Taken together, these data demonstrate that the loop between TFIIB helices BH2 and BH3 mediates base-specific contact with the BREd.
The TFIIB derivatives G153Q and G153Q:R154A were next tested for their ability to support transcription at the AdE4 promoter. A TFIIB-depleted HeLa nuclear extract was supplemented with either wild-type TFIIB or one of the TFIIB derivatives G153Q and G153Q:R154A and then used in transcription assays with the AdE4 promoter. Figure 4F shows that, when compared with wild-type TFIIB, both TFIIB G153Q and G153Q:R154A were deficient in supporting transcription, particularly in the presence of an activator. These data are consistent with the defect in promoter assembly with TBP that we observed with these derivatives. We note that the defect in transcription that we observed with the TFIIB mutants is more severe than that observed in a standard transcription assay with the AdE4 derivative containing a defective BREd (dfE4) (Fig. 3). This can perhaps be explained by the methylation interference data, which showed that contact is maintained with G-21 in the defective AdE4 derivative, whereas both G-21 and G-19 contacts are abated with the TFIIB derivatives containing mutations within the recognition loop. Taken together our results show that, at the AdE4 promoter, the TFIIBBREd interaction has a positive effect on both basal and activator-dependent transcription in both nuclear extracts and in living cells. Furthermore, this sequence-specific TFIIBDNA contact is mediated by a recognition loop in the first direct repeat of TFIIB between helices BH2 and BH3.
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Using the information above we selected the hTPT1 and hCompF core promoters, which contain seven/seven and six/seven base matches to the BREd consensus, respectively, to test the functional relevance of the BREd to a cellular gene (Fig. 5A,B; see Supplementary Fig. 2 for the promoter sequences). Mutant derivatives of both promoters were generated to render the BREd sequence non-functional (df) and the transcriptional activities compared in a HeLa nuclear extract in both the absence and presence of the activator GAL4-AH. Mutation of the BREd at both the hTPT1 and hCompF core promoters caused a significant reduction in transcription, confirming a role for the BREd in the regulation of cellular genes. We note that both the hTPT1 and hCompF promoters lack an Inr sequence and hence use multiple transcription start sites. We also selected a human promoter (H2AFY) that contains a poor TATA element, but both a consensus Inr and DPE in addition to a six/seven match BREd. Mutation of the BREd within the H2AFY promoter caused a small, but reproducible, reduction in transcription, although we also note that the promoter elicited a poor response to GAL4-AH (Fig. 5C).
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The Adenovirus major late (AdML) promoter contains both a BREu and a six/seven match to the consensus BREd. A recent study by Chen and Manley (2003
) analyzed a mutant AdML derivative that, based on our selection studies, we predict would weaken the BREd. They found that this mutant enhanced activator-dependent transcription. We therefore generated an AdML derivative that disrupts the BREd in the same way as the other promoters analyzed above. Wild-type AdML and the AdML derivative containing a defective BREd were tested in an in vitro transcription assay in the absence and presence of the activator GAL4-AH (Fig. 5D). In agreement with the study of Chen and Manley (2003
), disruption of the AdML BREd enhanced transcriptional activation. We obtained comparable data in a transient transfection assay with the wtML and dfML derivatives (Supplementary Fig. 3). We also analyzed the effect of BREd mutation on another BREu-containing promoter (hRIPK3) (Fig. 5E). As we observed with the AdML, mutation of the BREd element in the hRIPK3 promoter caused an increase in transcriptional activation. Thus, in a promoter context-dependent manner, the BREd can elicit either a positive or negative effect on transcription. It is therefore likely that there is cross-talk between the TFIIB recognition elements via their contacts with TFIIB.
Considering that both BREs can act to stabilize the assembly of TFIIB at the promoter, it is intriguing that they can also elicit a negative effect on transcription at some promoters when analyzed in nuclear extracts and living cells. This could involve a role for inhibitory transcription factors such as Dr1/NC2 and Mot1 (for review, see Smale and Kadonaga 2003
). In addition, while GTFcore promoter interactions can enhance PIC formation, they might also impede the transition from initiation to promoter escape. Our current work therefore adds more weight to the notion that it is the blend of core promoter elements rather than individual elements per se that direct the final transcriptional outcome.
Interestingly, the TFIIB HTH motif, which contacts the BREu, is not conserved among all eukaryotes (it is absent in yeast and plants). However, the TFIIB recognition loop containing G153 and R154 is conserved in all eukaryotes (Tsai and Sigler 2000
). Indeed, at the AdE4 promoter, yeast TFIIB shows the same methylation interference pattern as that observed with human TFIIB (see Supplementary Fig. 4). Based on the studies of Tsai and Sigler (2000
), the TFIIBDNA contact with the BREd takes place via the minor groove, while that with the BREu takes place through the major groove. It is interesting that TFIIB has evolved to mediate two independent DNA sequence-specific contacts with the promoter. This is reminiscent of prokaryotic
factors, which also contain two DNA-binding motifs that contact the -35 and -10 elements within bacterial promoters (for review, see Borukhov and Severinov 2002
). Further characterization of the eukaryotic TFIIB recognition elements will determine their precise relationship and the extent of their use in core promoter function in vivo.
| Materials and methods |
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G9E4 containing nucleotides -51 to +12 from Adenovirus E4 promoter has been described previously (Fairley et al. 2002
). The expression vectors pEThTFIIB, pETHIS-hTBP, and pETGal4AH have been described before (Lin et al. 1988
; Hawkes and Roberts 1999
; Fairley et al. 2002
). Recombinant TFIIB (and derivatives) and GAL4-AH were purified as previously described (Ha et al. 1993
; Lin et al. 1988
). Recombinant hTBP was purified with Nickel agarose as described by the manufacturer (Qiagen). Promoter and TFIIB derivatives were generated by using the Quickchange site-directed mutagenesis kit as described by the manufacturer (Stratagene).
Random selection and bandshift assays
The oligonucleotides used for random selection were synthesized as follows: ADE4 DNA template, 5'-TACGTCATTTTTTAGTCCTATATATACTNNNNNNNCACTTGGCCCTTTTTTACACTGTGACTG-3'; RSP1, 5'-GGCGGATCCTACGTCATTTTTTAGTCC-3'; RSP2, 5'-GCCGAATTCCAGTCACAGTGTAAAAAAGG-3'. This AdE4 DNA template contains seven consecutive randomized nucleotides downstream of the TATA box. PCR primers RSP1 and RSP2 contain restriction sites recognized by BamHI and EcoRI to assist cloning. For the first cycle, 600 ng AdE4 template and 200 ng RSP2 were used to perform primer extension in a 50-µL reaction mixture containing 50 µM dGTP, dTTP, dCTP, 25 µM dATP, 1 µL of
32P dATP (10 µCi) and 5 U of Taq DNA polymerase (Roche). The products of primer extension were purified on a 6% native polyacrylamide gel. The radiolabeled DNA fragments were used in a bandshift assay with recombinant hTFIIB and hTBP as described previously (Maldonado et al. 1990
). The band containing TBPTFIIB complexes was excised after detection with autoradiography, then DNA fragments were recovered by incubating the gel slice with 600 µL ddH2O overnight at 37°C and precipitation with ethanol. The recovered DNA fragments were used as a PCR template for the next cycle of selection. After a total of seven rounds of selection, the DNA fragments were digested with BamHI and EcoRI, followed by cloning into pGEM3 downstream of nine GAL4 DNA-binding sites.
Methylation interference and transcription assays
Methylation interference analysis was performed as described previously (Ausubel et al. 1995
; Evans et al. 2001
; Fairley et al. 2002
). Transcription assays, transient transfection, Hirt assay, and TFIIB depletion of nuclear extracts were performed as described before (Lin et al. 1988
; Hawkes and Roberts 1999
; Evans et al. 2001
). HeLa cell nuclear extracts were purchased from Computer Cell Culture Centre.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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Article and publication are at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.342405.
E-MAIL stefan.roberts{at}manchester.ac.uk; FAX 0161-275-5082. ![]()
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