J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 263, Issue 20, 9569-9572, 07, 1988
A mammalian viral enhancer confers transcriptional regulation in yeast
EJ Fodor, TS Yen and WJ Rutter
Hormone Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
Transcriptional enhancers are DNA sequences that regulate RNA transcription
from linked promoters by binding to cellular proteins (trans-activators).
In the mammalian virus SV40, initiation of transcription is controlled, in
part, by a strong 72-base pair enhancer. We show that yeast cells contain a
factor that binds specifically to a key DNA motif in the SV40 enhancer, the
P element that is essential for viral transcription in mammalian cells. The
P element shows sequence similarity to a yeast DNA transcriptional
regulatory element, GCN4, that controls transcription of genes that code
for amino acid biosynthetic enzymes. Insertion of the SV40 enhancer or
single or multiple copies of the P element itself upstream from the
cytochrome Cyc-1 promoter places the hybrid viral-yeast transcription unit
under metabolic control in yeast cells. These studies suggest that the SV40
P element and its complementary trans- activator represent a conserved
transcriptional control mechanism that operates on widely divergent
functions in evolution.
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
