scholarly journals Regions outside the DNA-binding domain are critical for proper in vivo specificity of an archetypal zinc finger transcription factor

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 276-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Burdach ◽  
A. P. W. Funnell ◽  
K. S. Mak ◽  
C. M. Artuz ◽  
B. Wienert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Zinc Finger Transcription Factor

New Insights into the Mechanism of Dominant Anemia Caused By Zinc Finger Mutations in KLF1

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 740-740
Author(s):  
Andrew C Perkins ◽  
Kevin R Gillinder ◽  
Graham Magor ◽  
Mathieu Lajoie ◽  
Timothy L Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Fetal Liver ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Erythroid Cell ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Cell Biol

Abstract Krûppel-like factor-1 (KLF1) is an essential erythroid-specific transcription factor [1, 2]. A number of studies have shown up to ~700 genes are poorly expressed when KLF1 is absent [3-6]. This global loss of expression is responsible for failure of effective red blood cell production in KLF1 knockout mice, and partly responsible for congenital dyserythropoietic anemia type IV (CDA-IV) observed in humans with dominant mutations in the DNA-binding domain of KLF1 [7]. Recently an ENU-generated mouse model of neonatal anemia, ‘nan’, was also reported to harbour a mutation in the second zinc-finger of KLF1 [8]. Remarkably, the ‘nan’ mutation (E339D) resides at exactly the same amino acid which results in human CDA IV (= E325 in humans). Unlike loss of function point mutations in KLF1, this mutation leads to a more severe phenotype than the KLF1 null allele, suggesting it is an unusual dominant mutation [9]. To investigate how this mutation might cause disease, we introduced tamoxifen-inducible versions of KLF1 and KLF1nan into an erythroid cell line derived from Klf1-/- fetal liver cells [10]. We performed ChIP-seq to determine differences in genome occupancy in vivo, and identified novel sites occupied by EKLF-E339D but not by wild type KLF1. Using de novo motif discovery [11], we find KLF1nan binds a slightly degenerate CACC box element (CCMNGCCC) in comparison with wild type KLF1 (CCMCRCCC). This specificity is novel with respect to any known TFs, so we think it represents a sequence specificity not normally encoded in mammals. Ectopic binding to non-erythroid gene promoters is accompanied by aberrant gene expression as determined by 4sU labelling and deep sequencing of tamoxifen-induced primary nuclear RNAs. We find a 4-fold greater number of genes induced by KLF1-nan compared with wild type KLF1 which is consistent with degenerate genome occupancy. We compared the KLF1-nan dependent genes with RNA-seq performed in primary fetal liver for KLF1+/nan versus KLF1+/- mice. We confirmed aberrant binding using EMSA and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using recombinant GST-Klf1 zinc finger domains expressed in E.coli. The degenerate motif is consistent with structural models of how the second zinc finger of KLF1 specifically interacts with its binding site [12, 13]. We are undertaking structural studies to confirm this modelling. Together RNA-seq, ChIP-seq and SPR studies have provided a novel explanation for how mutations in KLF1 result in dominant anemia in mice and man. To our knowledge this mechanism, whereby a transcription factor DNA-binding domain mutation leads to promiscuous binding, activation of an aberrant transcriptional program and subsequent derailing of co-ordinated differentiation, is novel. References: 1.Perkins, A.C., A.H. Sharpe, and S.H. Orkin. Nature, 1995. 375(6529): p. 318-22. 2.Nuez, B., et al., Nature, 1995. 375(6529): p. 316-8. 3.Pilon, A.M., et al., Mol Cell Biol, 2006. 26(11): p. 4368-77. 4.Drissen, R., et al., Mol Cell Biol, 2005. 25(12): p. 5205-14. 5.Hodge, D., et al., Blood, 2006. 107(8): p. 3359-70. 6.Tallack, M.R., et al., Genome Res, 2012. 22(12):2385-98 7.Arnaud, L., et al., Am J Hum Genet. 87(5): p. 721-7. 8.Siatecka, M., et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010. 107(34):15151-6 9.Heruth, D.P., et al., Genomics, 2010. 96(5): p. 303-7. 10.Coghill, E., et al., Blood, 2001. 97(6): p. 1861-1868. 11.Bailey, T.L., et al., Nucleic Acids Res, 2009. 37(Web Server issue): p. W202-8. 12.Schuetz, A., et al., Cell Mol Life Sci, 2011. 68(18): p. 3121-31. 13.Oka, S., et al., Biochemistry, 2004. 43(51): p. 16027-35. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals Crystal structure of the DNA binding domain of the transcription factor T-bet suggests simultaneous recognition of distant genome sites

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (43) ◽  
pp. E6572-E6581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ce Feng Liu ◽  
Gabriel S. Brandt ◽  
Quyen Q. Hoang ◽  
Natalia Naumova ◽  
Vanja Lazarevic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crystal Structure ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Quaternary Structure ◽  
Regulatory Element ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Chromosome Conformation

The transcription factor T-bet (Tbox protein expressed in T cells) is one of the master regulators of both the innate and adaptive immune responses. It plays a central role in T-cell lineage commitment, where it controls the TH1 response, and in gene regulation in plasma B-cells and dendritic cells. T-bet is a member of the Tbox family of transcription factors; however, T-bet coordinately regulates the expression of many more genes than other Tbox proteins. A central unresolved question is how T-bet is able to simultaneously recognize distant Tbox binding sites, which may be located thousands of base pairs away. We have determined the crystal structure of the Tbox DNA binding domain (DBD) of T-bet in complex with a palindromic DNA. The structure shows a quaternary structure in which the T-bet dimer has its DNA binding regions splayed far apart, making it impossible for a single dimer to bind both sites of the DNA palindrome. In contrast to most other Tbox proteins, a single T-bet DBD dimer binds simultaneously to identical half-sites on two independent DNA. A fluorescence-based assay confirms that T-bet dimers are able to bring two independent DNA molecules into close juxtaposition. Furthermore, chromosome conformation capture assays confirm that T-bet functions in the direct formation of chromatin loops in vitro and in vivo. The data are consistent with a looping/synapsing model for transcriptional regulation by T-bet in which a single dimer of the transcription factor can recognize and coalesce distinct genetic elements, either a promoter plus a distant regulatory element, or promoters on two different genes.

NMR Structure of Transcription Factor Sp1 DNA Binding Domain†,‡

Biochemistry ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 43 (51) ◽  
pp. 16027-16035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinichiro Oka ◽  
Yasuhisa Shiraishi ◽  
Takuya Yoshida ◽  
Tadayasu Ohkubo ◽  
Yukio Sugiura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Nmr Structure ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Transcription Factor Sp1

scholarly journals Solution Structure of the DNA-Binding Domain of the Tomato Heat-Stress Transcription Factor HSF24

1996 ◽  
Vol 236 (3) ◽  
pp. 911-921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jurgen Schultheiss ◽  
Olaf Kunert ◽  
Uwe Gase ◽  
Klaus-Dieter Scharf ◽  
Lutz Nover ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Solution Structure ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Dna Binding Domain

scholarly journals The C6 zinc finger and adjacent amino acids determine DNA-binding specificity and affinity in the yeast activator proteins LAC9 and PPR1.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 5128-5137 ◽  
Author(s):  
M M Witte ◽  
R C Dickson
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Zinc Finger ◽  
Binding Specificity ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Activator Proteins ◽  
Dna Binding Specificity

LAC9 is a DNA-binding protein that regulates transcription of the lactose-galactose regulon in Kluyveromyces lactis. The DNA-binding domain is composed of a zinc finger and nearby amino acids (M. M. Witte and R. C. Dickson, Mol. Cell. Biol. 8:3726-3733, 1988). The single zinc finger appears to be structurally related to the zinc finger of many other fungal transcription activator proteins that contain positively charged residues and six conserved cysteines with the general form Cys-Xaa2-Cys-Xaa6-Cys-Xaa6-9-Cys-Xaa2-Cys-Xaa 6-Cys, where Xaan indicates a stretch of the indicated number of any amino acids (R. M. Evans and S. M. Hollenberg, Cell 52:1-3, 1988). The function(s) of the zinc finger and other amino acids in DNA-binding remains unclear. To determine which portion of the LAC9 DNA-binding domain mediates sequence recognition, we replaced the C6 zinc finger, amino acids adjacent to the carboxyl side of the zinc finger, or both with the analogous region from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae PPR1 or LEU3 protein. A chimeric LAC9 protein, LAC9(PPR1 34-61), carrying only the PPR1 zinc finger, retained the DNA-binding specificity of LAC9. However, LAC9(PPR1 34-75), carrying the PPR1 zinc finger and 14 amino acids on the carboxyl side of the zinc finger, gained the DNA-binding specificity of PPR1, indicating that these 14 amino acids are necessary for specific DNA binding. Our data show that C6 fingers can substitute for each other and allow DNA binding, but binding affinity is reduced. Thus, in a qualitative sense C6 fingers perform a similar function(s). However, the high-affinity binding required by natural C6 finger proteins demands a unique C6 finger with a specific amino acid sequence. This requirement may reflect conformational constraints, including interactions between the C6 finger and the carboxyl-adjacent amino acids; alternatively or in addition, it may indicate that unique, nonconserved amino acid residues in zinc fingers make sequence-specifying or stabilizing contacts with DNA.

Reconstitution of transcriptional activation domains by reiteration of short peptide segments reveals the modular organization of a glutamine-rich activation domain

1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 6056-6067
Author(s):  
M Tanaka ◽  
W Herr
Keyword(s):  
Dna Binding ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Activation Domain ◽  
Activation Domains ◽  
Transcriptional Activation Domain ◽  
Pou Domain

The POU domain activator Oct-2 contains an N-terminal glutamine-rich transcriptional activation domain. An 18-amino-acid segment (Q18III) from this region reconstituted a fully functional activation domain when tandemly reiterated and fused to either the Oct-2 or GAL4 DNA-binding domain. A minimal transcriptional activation domain likely requires three tandem Q18III segments, because one or two tandem Q18III segments displayed little activity, whereas three to five tandem segments were active and displayed increasing activity with increasing copy number. As with natural Oct-2 activation domains, in our assay a reiterated activation domain required a second homologous or heterologous activation domain to stimulate transcription effectively when fused to the Oct-2 POU domain. These results suggest that there are different levels of synergy within and among activation domains. Analysis of reiterated activation domains containing mutated Q18III segments revealed that leucines and glutamines, but not serines or threonines, are critical for activity in vivo. Curiously, several reiterated activation domains that were inactive in vivo were active in vitro, suggesting that there are significant functional differences in our in vivo and in vitro assays. Reiteration of a second 18-amino-acid segment from the Oct-2 glutamine-rich activation domain (Q18II) was also active, but its activity was DNA-binding domain specific, because it was active when fused to the GAL4 than to the Oct-2 DNA-binding domain. The ability of separate short peptide segments derived from a single transcriptional activation domain to activate transcription after tandem reiteration emphasizes the flexible and modular nature of a transcriptional activation domain.

scholarly journals Adaptive evolution of transcription factor binding affinities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jungeui Hong ◽  
Nathan Brandt ◽  
Ally Yang ◽  
Tim Hughes ◽  
David Gresham
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Adaptive Evolution ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Dna Binding Domain ◽  
Missense Mutations ◽  
Binding Affinities ◽  
Synonymous Mutations

Understanding the molecular basis of gene expression evolution is a central problem in evolutionary biology. However, connecting changes in gene expression to increased fitness, and identifying the functional basis of those changes, remains challenging. To study adaptive evolution of gene expression in real time, we performed long term experimental evolution (LTEE) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (budding yeast) in ammonium-limited chemostats. Following several hundred generations of continuous selection we found significant divergence of nitrogen-responsive gene expression in lineages with increased fitness. In multiple independent lineages we found repeated selection for non-synonymous mutations in the zinc finger DNA binding domain of the activating transcription factor (TF), GAT1, that operates within incoherent feedforward loops to control expression of the nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR) regulon. Missense mutations in the DNA binding domain of GAT1 reduce its binding affinity for the GATAA consensus sequence in a promoter-specific manner, resulting in increased expression of ammonium permease genes via both direct and indirect effects, thereby conferring increased fitness. We find that altered transcriptional output of the NCR regulon results in antagonistic pleiotropy in alternate environments and that the DNA binding domain of GAT1 is subject to purifying selection in natural populations. Our study shows that adaptive evolution of gene expression can entail tuning expression output by quantitative changes in TF binding affinities while maintaining the overall topology of a gene regulatory network.

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