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Elucidation of a downstream boundary of the 3' IgH regulatory region.

Class switch recombination (CSR) changes the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) constant region gene (C(H)) in B cells from IgM to IgG, IgA, or IgE, without modifying the variable region gene segment. This process requires transcription through switch (S) regions located upstream of the C(H) genes targeted for CSR, a process that relies on the activity of an uncharacterized regulatory region at the 3' end of the C(H) locus (3' IgH RR) that has been implicated via the effects of pgk-neo cassettes inserted into the locus. The 30kb region just downstream of the most 3' C(H) gene (Ca) contains four known enhancer elements including HS3a, HS1,2, HS3b, and HS4. Replacement of either of the proximal two enhancer elements (HS3a or HS1,2) with a pgk-neo gene cassette disrupted germline transcription of and CSR to most C(H) genes. However, replacement of either of the enhancers with a loxP sequence had no effect on CSR indicating that these elements are not critical for CSR. Insertion of a pgk-neo cassette at various sites within the C(H) locus inhibited CSR to upstream, but not downstream C(H) genes, supporting the notion that the pgk-neo cassette insertion into the locus short-circuits the ability of the 3' RR to facilitate CSR of dependent C(H) genes upstream of the insertion. These analyses also indicated that the key elements of the 3' IgH RR were downstream from HS1,2. In this study, we have sought to localize the 3' IgH RR by defining its 3' boundary. For this purpose, a pgk-neo gene cassette was targeted 2kb downstream of the HS4 element in ES cells that had normal ability to undergo CSR. We then employed Rag-2 deficient blastocyst complementation to generate chimeric mice that harbored B cells homozygous for this mutation. Such chimeras exhibited normal reconstitution of the splenic compartment and had normal serum immunoglobulin levels. Upon in vitro activation, transcription from the pgk-neo cassette was induced in B cells, however, CSR to all measured IgH isotypes occurred at normal levels. These findings, coupled with previous pgk-neo insertion studies, suggest that key elements of the 3' IgH RR lie within a 17kb region between HS1,2 and 2kb downstream of HS4.

Animals↗

Studies by pulsed Doppler ultrasonography of velocity fields downstream of graded stenoses on the abdominal aorta in pigs.

PURPOSE: To investigate local hemodynamics downstream of arterial stenoses, a perivascular five-element Doppler ultrasound transducer was used for registration of one-dimensional velocity profiles and estimation of Reynolds (turbulent) normal stresses downstream of smooth, graded stenoses on the abdominal aorta in six 90 kg pigs. METHODS: Blood velocities were registered by a 10 MHz pulsed Doppler velocimeter that used a modified zero-crossing detector with an upper -3 dB cutoff frequency of 200 Hz. Signal analysis included ensemble averaging, turbulence analysis, and dimensional visualization of velocity profiles. RESULTS: Velocity profiles downstream of minor (< or = 40%) and moderate (40% to 65%) stenoses were skewed with the highest systolic velocities toward the anterior vessel wall and diastolic flow reversal occasionally present at the posterior vessel wall. Immediately downstream of severe (> or = 65%) stenoses a prominent poststenotic jet and systolic recirculation zones were present. Further downstream, vortices and eddies dominated the flow field. Reynolds normal stresses were highest at locations in the velocity field with high-velocity gradients corresponding to the parajet zone. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that pulsed Doppler ultrasonography can provide detailed and quantitative information of flow phenomena such as jetlike flow, vortices, and recirculation zones in a poststenotic flow field in the abdominal aorta.

Animals↗

Glial fibrillary acidic protein transcriptional regulation is independent of a TFIID-binding downstream initiator sequence.

Previous studies have shown that the promoter of the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene contains a transcriptional initiator located downstream from the transcription initiation (cap) site. This initiator was shown to be essential for efficient in vitro TATA box binding and function of TATA box-binding factor (TFIID); its deletion significantly reduced in vitro template transcription by the GFAP promoter and inhibited almost completely expression of a reporter gene under control of human GFAP promoter and upstream sequences in glial cells. However, although activity of initiator-containing GFAP promoter in human and murine GFAP-reporter constructs in transfected cells was shown to increase sharply when upstream cis-acting elements are added, initiator-lacking murine constructs have shown a small GFAP promoter region to have high activity in glioma cells, with no increase in activity when regulatory sequences are extended further upstream. These findings suggested a possible difference between the in vitro and in vivo effects of the downstream initiator on the promoter region itself, as well as an in vivo interplay between the initiator and regulatory sequences upstream from the promoter region. Here we have analyzed the effect of the downstream initiator on gene expression in cells using matched (pairs of otherwise identical initiator-containing and initiator-deleted plasmids) constructs extending to different upstream positions. We show that matched initiator-containing and initiator-deleted counterparts direct similar expression levels, and that, with or without the downstream initiator, expression levels increase sharply when upstream sequences are added to the GFAP promoter. Our results show that the downstream initiator is not required for GFAP transcriptional activity in cultured cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

RNA ligands selected by cleavage stimulation factor contain distinct sequence motifs that function as downstream elements in 3'-end processing of pre-mRNA.

Critical events in 3'-end processing of pre-mRNA are the recognition of the AAUAAA polyadenylation signal by cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) and the binding of cleavage stimulation factor (CstF) via its 64-kDa subunit to the downstream element. The stability of this CPSF.CstF.RNA complex is thought to determine the efficiency of 3'-end processing. Since downstream elements reveal high sequence variability, in vitro selection experiments with highly purified CstF were performed to investigate the sequence requirements for CstF-RNA interaction. CstF was purified from calf thymus and from HeLa cells. Surprisingly, calf thymus CstF contained an additional, novel form of the 64-kDa subunit with a molecular mass of 70 kDa. RNA ligands selected by HeLa and calf thymus CstF contained three highly conserved sequence elements as follows: element 1 (AUGCGUUCCUCGUCC) and two closely related elements, element 2a (YGUGUYN0-4UUYAYUGYGU) and element 2b (UUGYUN0-4AUUUACU(U/G)N0-2YCU). All selected sequences tested functioned as downstream elements in 3'-end processing in vitro. A computer survey of the EMBL data library revealed significant homologies to all selected elements in naturally occurring 3'-untranslated regions. The majority of element 2a homologies was found downstream of coding sequences. Therefore, we postulate that this element represents a novel consensus sequence for downstream elements in 3'-end processing of pre-mRNA.

Animals↗

Microarray analysis detects novel Pax3 downstream target genes.

Pax3 is a transcription factor that is required for the development of embryonic neural tube, neural crest, and somatic derivatives. Our previous study (Mayanil, C. S. K., George, D., Mania-Farnell, B., Bremer, C. L., McLone, D. G., and Bremer, E. G. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 23259-23266) reveals that overexpression of Pax3 in a human medulloblastoma cell line, DAOY, resulted in an up-regulation in alpha-2,8-polysialyltransferase (STX) gene expression and an increase in polysialic acid on neural cell adhesion molecule. This finding suggests that STX might be a previously undescribed downstream target of Pax3. Because Pax3 is important in diverse cellular functions during development, we are interested in the identification of additional downstream targets of Pax3. We utilized oligonucleotide arrays and RNA isolated from stable Pax3 transfectants to identify potential target genes. A total of 270 genes were altered in the Pax3 transfectants as compared with the vector control and parental cell line. An independent analysis by cDNA expression array and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction of several genes confirmed the changes observed by the oligonucleotide microarray data. Of the genes that displayed significant changes in expression, several contain paired and homeodomain binding motifs of Pax3 in their promoter regions. Using promoter-luciferase reporter transfection assays and electromobility shift assays, we showed at least one previously undescribed downstream target, STX, to be a biological downstream target of Pax3. Thus we report several previously undescribed candidate genes to be potential downstream targets of Pax3.

Animals↗

Kinetic effect of a downstream strand and its 5'-terminal moieties on single nucleotide gap-filling synthesis catalyzed by human DNA polymerase lambda.

During short-patch base excision repair, the excision of a 5'-terminal 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate moiety of the downstream strand by the 5'-2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase activity of either DNA polymerase beta or lambda is believed to occur after each respective enzyme catalyzes gap-filling DNA synthesis. Yet the effects of this 5'-terminal 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate moiety on the polymerase activities of these two enzymes have never been quantitatively determined. Moreover, x-ray crystal structures of truncated polymerase lambda have revealed that the downstream strand and its 5'-phosphate group of gapped DNA interact intensely with the dRPase domain, but the kinetic effect of these interactions is unclear. Here, we utilized pre-steady state kinetic methods to systematically investigate the effect of a downstream strand and its 5'-moieties on the polymerase activity of the full-length human polymerase lambda. The downstream strand and its 5'-phosphate were both found to increase nucleotide incorporation efficiency (kp/Kd) by 15 and 11-fold, respectively, with the increase procured by the effect on the nucleotide incorporation rate constant kp rather than the ground state nucleotide binding affinity Kd. With 4 single nucleotide-gapped DNA substrates containing a 1,2-dideoxyribose-5-phosphate moiety, a 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate mimic, we measured the incorporation efficiencies of 16 possible nucleotides. Our results demonstrate that although this 5'-terminal 2-deoxyribose-5-phosphate mimic does not affect the fidelity of polymerase lambda, it moderately decreased the polymerase efficiency by 3.4-fold. Moreover, this decrease in polymerase efficiency is due to a drop of similar magnitude in kp rather than Kd. The implication of the downstream strand and its 5'-moieties on the kinetics of gap-filling synthesis is discussed.

Base Sequence↗

Reassessment of the location of the thyrotropin receptor 50 amino acid "insertion" provides evidence in favor of a second downstream cleavage site.

Cleavage of thyrotropin receptors (TSHR) on the cell surface into disulfide-linked A and B subunits involves deletion of an intervening region that corresponds approximately to a 50 amino acid "insertion" in the TSHR relative to the noncleaving luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LH/CGR). The location of this insertion is imprecise because of the relatively low homology between the two receptors in this region. We tested the hypothesis that the TSHR 50 amino acid insertion was further downstream than we previously concluded, a possibility that would relocate the crucial LH/CGR glycan at N291 relative to the position of the TSHR insertion, and that would mitigate against the 50 amino acid insertion playing a role in TSHR intramolecular cleavage. Thus, we transferred the LH/CGR glycan at amino acid 291 from downstream (N367) to upstream of the 50 amino acid insertion (N317) in the TSHR, leaving this insertion intact. TSHR cleavage persisted. Moreover, deletion of amino acid residues 320-366 in addition to the upstream N291 substitution (ALN317-319NET) also did not prevent cleavage. On the other hand, deletion of three contiguous downstream residues (GQE367-369) in the TSHR 50 amino acid insertion abolished receptor cleavage into subunits. In summary, the present data are consistent with our previous location of the TSHR 50 amino acid insertion and, therefore, do not undermine evidence for the involvement of this insertion in TSHR cleavage. In addition, the data regarding TSHR residues GQE367-369 (far downstream of cleavage site 1) support the controversial possibility of a secondary cleavage site downstream of the insertion.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) gene expression: downmodulation by sequence elements downstream of the transcriptional initiation site.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) gene expression is downmodulated by sequence elements downstream of the transcriptional initiation site, corresponding to the U5 region of the long terminal repeat (LTR) and further downstream. This repression appeared to be related more to the length of the sequence intervening the transcriptional initiation site and the coding region than to a particular sequence content. The repressive effect of the downstream segment was not affected by HIV-2 and HIV-1 TAT or by the cytomegalovirus transactivator IE-2 gene. Nor was it affected by T-cell activation signals or by such cytokines as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), and interferon-alpha (IFN alpha). In contrast to HIV-1, HIV-2 LTR-directed gene expression was not modulated by TNF-alpha. A specific sequence element, located downstream of the TAR element in the R region, seemed to participate in modulation of gene expression. This element interacted with a nuclear protein with a mobility of about 26 kD. The repressive effect of the downstream sequence was to a certain extent cell type dependent, suggesting the involvement of cell type-specific factors. It was more effective in human lymphocytic CEM cells than in Jurkat cells. This may be relevant to the HIV-2 cell tropism (replication), latency, and virulence.

Animals↗

Bipartite structure of the downstream element of the mouse beta globin (major) poly(A) signal.

The downstream region of the mouse beta (major) globin poly(A) signal was mutated and analyzed for function in transfected COS cells. From analysis of unidirectional Bal31 deletions, the 3' boundary of the downstream element was defined as +22 (22 nucleotides downstream from the cleavage site). Analysis of cluster mutations, in which 5 or 6 adjacent bases were replaced with a random CA-containing sequence in a manner that did not alter spacing, confirmed +22 as the 3' boundary of the downstream element. The analysis also revealed two short UG-rich sequences, located from +5 to +10 and from +17 to +22, as major functional components. In contrast, a more refined series of mutations, in which clusters of 3 bases were replaced, failed to cause loss of function. We conclude that the downstream element of the mouse beta globin poly(A) signal is bipartite in structure, and that portions of its sequence are functionally redundant.

Animals↗

Protein/DNA crosslinking of a TFIID complex reveals novel interactions downstream of the transcription start.

A protein--DNA complex containing TFIID has been analyzed by crosslinking. The TBP subunit of TFIID crosslinked to the TATA element but not to any of the regions further downstream which were tested. A 150 kd polypeptide, which corresponds in size to one of the TBP-associated factors (TAFs), crosslinked to a region between +10 and +15 and a second region between +35 and +47. Another polypeptide of greater than 205 kd (also a potential TAF) crosslinked preferentially to the region between +35 and +42. The +10 to +15 region has been recently implicated in hsp70 promoter recognition by TFIID, and the most downstream contacts overlap with the region where RNA polymerase II pauses on the hsp70 promoter in noninduced cells. Crosslinking revealed that as the salt concentration was increased, the TBP interaction was largely unaffected whereas the protein/DNA interactions downstream of the TATA element were disrupted. We propose that during the formation of a transcription complex, TATA-dependent interactions could be disrupted in the vicinity of the start site and the region immediately downstream. A protein contact downstream of +35 might function in pausing polymerase.

Base Sequence↗

Auxiliary downstream elements are required for efficient polyadenylation of mammalian pre-mRNAs.

We have previously identified a G-rich sequence (GRS) as an auxiliary downstream element (AUX DSE) which influences the processing efficiency of the SV40 late polyadenylation signal. We have now determined that sequences downstream of the core U-rich element (URE) form a fundamental part of mammalian polyadenylation signals. These novel AUX DSEs all influenced the efficiency of 3'-end processing in vitro by stabilizing the assembly of CstF on the core downstream URE. Three possible mechanisms by which AUX DSEs mediate efficient in vitro 3'-end processing have been explored. First, AUX DSEs can promote processing efficiency by maintaining the core elements in an unstructured domain which allows the general polyadenylation factors to efficiently assemble on the RNA substrate. Second, AUX DSEs can enhance processing by forming a stable structure which helps focus binding of CstF to the core downstream URE. Finally, the GRS element, but not the binding site for the bacteriophage R17 coat protein, can substitute for the auxiliary downstream region of the adenovirus L3 polyadenylation signal. This suggests that AUX DSE binding proteins may play an active role in stimulating 3'-end processing by stabilizing the association of CstF with the RNA substrate. AUX DSEs, therefore, serve as a integral part of the polyadenylation signal and can affect signal strength and possibly regulation.

Adenoviruses, Human↗

Correct usage of multiple transcription initiation sites and C/EBP-dependent transcription activation of the rat XDH/XO TATA-less promoter requires downstream elements located in the coding region of the gene.

In the present study, we have shown that a downstream element located in the coding region of the TATA-less rat xanthine dehydrogenase/oxidase (XDH/XO) gene (-7 to +42) plays an important role in transcription initiation and C/EBP transcriptional activation. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that the promoter is organized with multiple initiator elements (Inr 1, 2, 3 and 4) which are important for transcription initiation. Additionally, we had identified two C/EBP binding sites upstream of this promoter. Deletional and mutational studies revealed that C/EBP binding was not essential for the basal level of transcriptional initation. However when XO-luciferase constructs include downstream sequence extending to +42 there is development of C/EBP sensitivity as well as a shift in the initiator usage. In the absence of the downstream element, primer extension analyses reveals Inr 3 and 4 to be the major start sites but in the presence of this additional sequence the usage is shifted to Inr 1 and 2. This shift in Inr usage more closely resembles that seen in intact macrophages or liver cells. Gel mobility shift assays indicate the presence of several binding factors located in this downstream region, one of which has been identified as YY-1. We postulate that YY-1 allows DNA bending which permits the upstream C/EBP elements to exhibit a transcriptional activation which is not seen when the downstream element is absent. This study presents a potential model for regulation of the XDH/XO promoter.

Animals↗

Analysis of downstream revenue to an academic medical center from a primary care network.

PURPOSE: Many academic medical centers (i.e., teaching hospitals) have established primary care networks for not only assuring a referral base but also for educating students in the primary care setting. Such networks generally are not profitable when analyzed on an individual facility basis. However, revenues generated at the medical center in terms of inpatient admissions, laboratory testing etc., usually are much larger than generated on site. In this study, the downstream revenue from 18 practice sites was evaluated at The Ohio State University Medical Center. METHOD: Revenues in fiscal year July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004, were broken down into four streams, including inpatient and outpatient charges and collections for both network and specialist physicians. A fifth stream evaluated specialist professional fees. The authors developed a novel conservative weighting system to capture the concept that not all revenues generated from network patients were actually dependent on the use of the network. RESULTS: Findings included that the downstream direct contribution margin of US dollars 14 million just from the admissions and outpatient tests and procedures directly generated by network physicians alone was nearly twice the US dollars 8.3 million network operating loss. The total downstream net revenue of nearly US dollars 115 million was more than 6 times the US dollars 18.9 million net revenue to the network. The downstream direct contribution margin of US dollars 52 million was 6.3 times the network loss. Total downstream gross revenue (charges) to the medical center was over US dollars 250 million and over US dollars 300 million when the specialist gross revenues were included. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that a primary care network can generate significant financial support for an academic medical center.

Academic Medical Centers↗

The 'fixed performance' venturi: effect of downstream pressure on outflow and FIO2.

Fixed performance venturi devices should provide a predetermined oxygen concentration at an outflow which exceeds an adult's peak resting inspiratory flow rate (approximately 30 l.min(-1)). Campbell's original description mentioned the sensitivity of the venturi device to downstream resistance but gave no further details. This study examined outflow and oxygen concentration from the five standard venturi devices (24-60% O(2)) when downstream pressure increased. Outflow was exquisitely sensitive to small increases in pressure. The outflow at zero downstream pressure for the 24-40% O(2) venturi devices ranged from 40 to 50 l.min(-1) but only 2-3 mmH(2)O was needed to halve this flow and increase oxygen concentration. The 60% O(2) venturi delivered a maximum of only 30 l.min(-1) at zero downstream pressure and flow was reduced further by increasing this pressure. An increase in downstream pressure of only a few mmH(2)O increased oxygen concentration and decreased outflow of all the venturi devices tested, in most to less than normal peak tidal flow in adults.

Drug Administration Schedule↗

Dok-3 sequesters Grb2 and inhibits the Ras-Erk pathway downstream of protein-tyrosine kinases.

Adaptor proteins are essential in coordinating recruitment and, in a few cases, restraint of various effectors during cellular signaling. Dok-1, Dok-2 and Dok-3 comprise a closely related family of adaptor, which negatively regulates mitogen-activated protein kinase Erk downstream of protein-tyrosine kinases (PTKs). Recruitment of p120 rasGAP, a potent inhibitor of Ras, by Dok-1 and Dok-2 appears critical in the negative regulation of the Ras-Erk pathway. However, as Dok-3 does not bind rasGAP, it has been unclear how Dok-3 inhibits Erk downstream of PTKs. Here, we identified Grb2 as a Dok-3-binding protein upon its tyrosine phosphorylation. This interaction required the intact binding motifs of the Grb2 SH2 domain, and a mutant (Dok-3-FF) having a Tyr/Phe substitution at these motifs failed to inhibit Ras and Erk activation downstream of a cytoplasmic PTK Src. Because Grb2 forms a stable complex with Sos, a crucial activator of Ras, these data suggest that Dok-3 restrains Grb2 and inhibits the ability of the Grb2-Sos complex to activate Ras. Indeed, forced expression of Dok-3, but not Dok-3-FF, inhibited the recruitment of the Grb2-Sos complex to Shc downstream of Src, which is an essential event for activation of the Ras-Erk pathway. These findings indicate that Dok-3 sequesters Grb2 from Shc and inhibits the Ras-Erk pathway downstream of PTKs.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Sequences downstream from the transcriptional start site are essential for microaerobic, but not symbiotic, expression of the Rhizobium meliloti nifHDK promoter.

Deletion analysis studies have been carried out on the nifHDK promoter (P1) of R. meliloti in an attempt to determine sequences involved in the expression of this promoter under both free-living microaerobic and symbiotic conditions. Deletion of a region downstream (+17 to +61) from the promoter element resulted in low levels of expression under free-living microaerobic conditions. However, wild-type levels of expression were obtained during symbiosis with Alfalfa plants. The sequences in this region were designated the "downstream sequences'. The pattern of expression observed when the downstream sequences were deleted was similar to that observed when a previously identified upstream activator sequence (UAS) was deleted. Only when both the downstream sequences and the UAS were deleted, did activity from the P1 promoter become significantly decreased during symbiosis. Expression studies of the P1 promoter in a nifA mutant background indicate that nifA is required for symbiotic expression of P1 which is enhanced by the presence of the downstream sequences.

Aerobiosis↗

Characterization of the Vibrio cholerae El Tor lipase operon lipAB and a protease gene downstream of the hly region.

We have cloned and sequenced a region encoding a lipase operon and a putative, previously uncharacterized metalloprotease of Vibrio cholerae O1. These lie downstream of hlyA and hlyB, which encode the El Tor hemolysin and methyl-accepting chemotactic factor, respectively. Previous reports identified the hlyC gene downstream of hlyAB, encoding an 18.3-kDa protein. However, we now show that this open reading frame (ORF) encodes a 33-kDa protein, and since the amino acid sequence is highly homologous to the triacylglyceride-specific lipase of Pseudomonas spp., hlyC has been renamed lipA. LipA contains the highly conserved pentapeptide and catalytic triad amino acid regions of the catalytic sites of other lipases. The region downstream of lipA has been sequenced and has revealed ORFs lipB and prtV. The amino acid sequence of lipB is homologous to those of the accessory lipase proteins (lipase-specific foldase) required by Pseudomonas and various other bacterial species for the production of mature active lipase, and in agreement with this, we show that both lipA and lipB are required to restore a lipase-deficient lipA null mutant of V. cholerae. The intergenic stop codon for lipA overlaps the ribosome-binding site for lipB, and a stem-loop resembling a rho-independent terminator is present immediately downstream from lipB, suggesting that lipA and lipB form a lipase operon in V. cholerae. prtV lies downstream of lipAB but is transcribed in the opposite direction and is predicted to share the same putative transcriptional terminator with lipAB. The zinc-binding and catalytic domains conserved among many metalloproteases are present in PrtV, which is highly homologous to the immune inhibitor A (InA) metalloprotease of Bacillus thuringiensis. PrtV was visualized as approximately 102 kDa, which is consistent with the coding capacity of the gene. The genetic organization of this region suggests that it is possibly part of a pathogenicity island, encoding products capable of damaging host cells and/or involved in nutrient acquisition by V. cholerae. However, neither lipA nor prtV null mutants were attenuated in the infant mouse model, nor did they exhibit reduced colonization potential compared with wild type in competition experiments.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of the cvaA and cvi promoters of the colicin V export system: iron-dependent transcription of cvaA is modulated by downstream sequences.

Secretion of the Escherichia coli toxin colicin V was previously determined to be iron regulated via the Fur (ferric uptake regulator) protein, based on studies in fur mutants. The iron dependence of transcription and expression of cvaA, which encodes a transporter accessory protein, and cvi, encoding the colicin V immunity protein, was assessed under conditions of iron excess or depletion. Immunoblots showed that production of both Cvi and CvaA is iron dependent. The iron-dependent transcriptional start for cvaA identified by primer extension and S1 nuclease analysis, P1, lies 320 bp upstream of the translational start and is associated with a newly identified Fur binding site. Beta-galactosidase activity in transcriptional lacZ fusions with the P1 promoter alone is higher than with downstream sequences present and is induced 10-fold by iron depletion. Including immediate downstream regions with P1 enhances activity from P1 even more but reduces the induction by iron depletion fivefold. Including subsequent downstream sequences, however, down-modulates overall transcription from P1 almost fourfold. Deletion of a long stem-loop structure in this region alleviates the down-modulation by increasing transcription, indicating that the sequences or structure of this element may contribute to this down-regulation. Characterization of the cvi promoter by primer extension showed that it resides where predicted, about 50 bp upstream of cvi associated with a previously identified Fur binding site. The cvi promoter is also inducible by iron depletion. The modulating sequences from cvaA were placed downstream of the cvi promoter to test their effects in transcriptional fusions of the cvi promoter to lacZ. The fusion results showed that these sequences also modulate transcription of the cvi promoter in a manner similar to that of the cvaA promoter. The potential for up- and down-regulation within the long untranslated region downstream of the cvaA promoter suggests a novel mechanism that fine-tunes expression of the colicin V secretion genes.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗