scholarly journals Redox regulation of DNA binding activity of DREF (DNA replication-related element binding factor) in Drosophila

2004 ◽  
Vol 378 (3) ◽  
pp. 833-838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae-Yeong CHOI ◽  
S. Young PARK ◽  
Ho-Sung KANG ◽  
Jae-Hun CHEONG ◽  
Han-Do KIM ◽  
...  

DREF [DRE (DNA replication-related element) binding factor] is an 80 kDa polypeptide homodimer which plays an important role in regulating cell proliferation-related genes. Both DNA binding and dimer formation activities are associated with residues 16–115 of the N-terminal region. However, the mechanisms by which DREF dimerization and DNA binding are regulated remain unknown. Here, we report that the DNA binding activity of DREF is regulated by a redox mechanism, and that the cysteine residues are involved in this regulation. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis using Drosophila Kc cell extracts or recombinant DREF proteins indicated that the DNA binding domain is sufficient for redox regulation. Site-directed mutagenesis and transient transfection assays showed that Cys59 and/or Cys62 are critical both for DNA binding and for redox regulation, whereas Cys91 is dispensable. In addition, experiments using Kc cells indicated that the DNA binding activity and function of DREF are affected by the intracellular redox state. These findings give insight into the exact nature of DREF function in the regulation of target genes by the intracellular redox state.

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (21) ◽  
pp. 13298-13309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pu Wang ◽  
Latasha Day ◽  
Jayaraju Dheekollu ◽  
Paul M. Lieberman

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation from latency is known to be sensitive to redox regulation. The immediate-early protein Zta is a member of the basic-leucine zipper (bZIP) family of DNA binding proteins that stimulates viral and cellular transcription and nucleates a replication complex at the viral lytic origin. Zta shares with several members of the bZIP family a conserved cysteine residue (C189) that confers redox regulation of DNA binding. In this work, we show that replacement of C189 with serine (C189S) eliminated lytic cycle DNA replication function of Zta. The mechanistic basis for this replication defect was investigated. We show that C189S was not significantly altered for DNA binding activity in vitro or in vivo. We also show that C189S was not defective for transcription activation of EBV early gene promoters. C189S was deficient for transcription activation of several viral late genes that depend on lytic replication and therefore was consistent with a primary defect of C189S in activating lytic replication. C189S was not defective in binding methylated DNA binding sites and was capable of activating Rta from endogenous latent viral genomes, in contrast to the previously characterized S186A mutation. C189S was slightly impaired for its ability to form a stable complex with Rta, although this did not prevent Rta recruitment to OriLyt. C189S did provide some resistance to oxidation and nitrosylation, which potently inhibit Zta DNA binding activity in vitro. Interestingly, this redox sensitivity was not strictly dependent on C189S but involved additional cysteine residues in Zta. These results provide evidence that the conserved cysteine in the bZIP domain of Zta plays a primary role in EBV lytic cycle DNA replication.


F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 1316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maud Gillessen ◽  
Pieter Bas Kwak ◽  
Alfred Tamayo

The proteins CLOCK and BMAL1 form a heterodimeric transcription factor essential to circadian rhythms in mammals.  Daily rhythms of CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding activity are known to oscillate with target gene expression in vivo. Here we present a highly sensitive assay that recapitulates native CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding rhythms from crude tissue extracts, which we call the Clock Protein-DNA Binding Assay (CPDBA). This method can detect less than 2-fold differences in DNA binding activity, and can deliver results in two hours or less using 10 microliters or less of crude extract, while requiring neither specialized equipment nor expensive probes. To demonstrate the sensitivity and versatility of this assay, we show that enzymatic removal of phosphate groups from proteins in tissue extracts or pharmacological inhibition of casein kinase I in cell culture increased CLOCK-BMAL1 DNA binding activity by ~1.5 to ~2 fold, as measured by the CPDBA. In addition, we show that the CPDBA can measure CLOCK-BMAL1 binding to reconstituted chromatin. The CPDBA is a sensitive, fast, efficient and versatile probe of clock function.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (41) ◽  
pp. 25617-25623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark E. Martin ◽  
Yurii Chinenov ◽  
Mi Yu ◽  
Tonya K. Schmidt ◽  
Xiu-Ying Yang

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 4380-4389 ◽  
Author(s):  
L I Chen ◽  
T Nishinaka ◽  
K Kwan ◽  
I Kitabayashi ◽  
K Yokoyama ◽  
...  

Studies have demonstrated that the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product, RB, can either positively or negatively regulate expression of several genes through cis-acting elements in a cell-type-dependent manner. The nucleotide sequence of the retinoblastoma control element (RCE) motif, GCCACC or CCACCC, and the Sp1 consensus binding sequence, CCGCCC, can confer equal responsiveness to RB. Here, we report that RB activates transcription of the c-jun gene through the Sp1-binding site within the c-jun promoter. Preincubation of crude nuclear extracts with monoclonal antibodies to RB results in reduction of Sp1 complexes in a mobility shift assay, while addition of recombinant RB in mobility shift assay mixtures with CCL64 cell extracts leads to an enhancement of DNA-binding activity of SP1. These results suggest that RB is directly or indirectly involved in Sp1-DNA binding activity. A mechanism by which RB regulates transactivation is indicated by our detection of a heat-labile and protease-sensitive Sp1 negative regulator(s) (Sp1-I) that specifically inhibits Sp1 binding to a c-jun Sp1 site. This inhibition is reversed by addition of recombinant RB proteins, suggesting that RB stimulates Sp1-mediated transactivation by liberating Sp1 from Sp1-I. Additional evidence for Sp1-I involvement in Sp1-mediated transactivation was demonstrated by cotransfection of RB, GAL4-Sp1, and a GAL4-responsive template into CV-1 cells. Finally, we have identified Sp1-I, a approximately 20-kDa protein(s) that inhibits the Sp1 complexes from binding to DNA and that is also an RB-associated protein. These findings provide evidence for a functional link between two distinct classes of oncoproteins, RB and c-Jun, that are involved in the control of cell growth, and also define a novel mechanism for the regulation of c-jun expression.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 355-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah J. Zhang ◽  
Victoria J. Drake ◽  
Linjing Xu ◽  
Jianfang Hu ◽  
Frederick E. Domann ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Adenovirus gene therapy is a promising tool in the clinical treatment of many genetic and acquired diseases. However, it has also caused pathogenic effects in organs such as the liver. The redox-sensitive transcription factors AP-1 and NF-κB have been implicated in these effects. To study the mechanisms of adenovirus-mediated AP-1 and NF-κB activation and the possible involvement of oxidative stress in adenovirus transduction, rats were injected with either replication-defective recombinant adenovirus with DNA containing the cytomegalovirus promoter region only (AdCMV), adenovirus containing human manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) cDNA (AdMnSOD), or vehicle. Compared to vehicle and AdCMV transduction, MnSOD gene transfer yielded a fivefold increase in liver MnSOD activity 7 days postinjection. Gel shift assay showed that AdCMV transduction induced DNA binding activity for AP-1 but not NF-κB. MnSOD overexpression abolished this activation. Western blotting analysis of c-Fos and c-Jun suggested that up-regulation of c-fos and c-jun gene expression does not directly contribute to the induction of AP-1 activation. Glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratios were decreased by adenovirus transduction and restored by MnSOD overexpression. The AP-1 binding activity that was induced by AdCMV was decreased by immunoprecipitation of Ref-1 protein. Ref-1 involvement was confirmed by restoration of AP-1 binding activity after the immunoprecipitated Ref-1 protein had been added back. AP-1 DNA binding activity was also elevated in control and AdMnSOD-injected rats after addition of the immunoprecipitated Ref-1 protein. These data indicate that cellular transduction by recombinant adenovirus stimulates AP-1 DNA binding activity. Furthermore, our results suggest that MnSOD overexpression decreases AP-1 DNA binding activity by regulating intracellular redox status, with the possible involvement of Ref-1 in this redox-sensitive pathway.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Yin ◽  
Vladimira Dragnea ◽  
George Feldman ◽  
Loubna A. Hammad ◽  
Jonathan A. Karty ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The DNA binding activity of the photosystem-specific repressor PpsR is known to be repressed by the antirepressor AppA. AppA contains a blue-light-absorbing BLUF domain and a heme-binding SCHIC domain that controls the interaction of AppA with PpsR in response to light and heme availability. In this study, we have solved the structure of the SCHIC domain and identified the histidine residue that is critical for heme binding. We also demonstrate that dark-adapted AppA binds heme better than light-excited AppA does and that heme bound to the SCHIC domain significantly reduces the length of the BLUF photocycle. We further show that heme binding to the SCHIC domain is affected by the redox state of a disulfide bridge located in the Cys-rich carboxyl-terminal region. These results demonstrate that light, redox, and heme are integrated inputs that control AppA’s ability to disrupt the DNA binding activity of PpsR. IMPORTANCE Photosynthetic bacteria must coordinate synthesis of the tetrapyrroles cobalamin, heme, and bacteriochlorophyll, as overproduction of the latter two is toxic to cells. A key regulator controlling tetrapyrrole biosynthesis is PpsR, and the activity of PpsR is controlled by the heme-binding and light-regulated antirepressor AppA. We show that AppA binds heme only under dark conditions and that heme binding significantly affects the length of the AppA photocycle. Since AppA interacts with PpsR only in the dark, bound heme thus stimulates the antirepressor activity of PpsR. This causes the redirection of tetrapyrrole biosynthesis away from heme into the bacteriochlorophyll branch.


1995 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 5552-5562 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Roulet ◽  
M T Armentero ◽  
G Krey ◽  
B Corthésy ◽  
C Dreyer ◽  
...  

The nuclear factor I (NFI) family consists of sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins that activate both transcription and adenovirus DNA replication. We have characterized three new members of the NFI family that belong to the Xenopus laevis NFI-X subtype and differ in their C-termini. We show that these polypeptides can activate transcription in HeLa and Drosophila Schneider line 2 cells, using an activation domain that is subdivided into adjacent variable and subtype-specific domains each having independent activation properties in chimeric proteins. Together, these two domains constitute the full NFI-X transactivation potential. In addition, we find that the X. laevis NFI-X proteins are capable of activating adenovirus DNA replication through their conserved N-terminal DNA-binding domains. Surprisingly, their in vitro DNA-binding activities are specifically inhibited by a novel repressor domain contained within the C-terminal part, while the dimerization and replication functions per se are not affected. However, inhibition of DNA-binding activity in vitro is relieved within the cell, as transcriptional activation occurs irrespective of the presence of the repressor domain. Moreover, the region comprising the repressor domain participates in transactivation. Mechanisms that may allow the relief of DNA-binding inhibition in vivo and trigger transcriptional activation are discussed.


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