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Lithium can relieve translational repression of TOP mRNAs elicited by various blocks along the cell cycle in a glycogen synthase kinase-3- and S6-kinase-independent manner.

TOP mRNAs are translationally controlled by mitogenic, growth, and nutritional stimuli through a 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine tract. Here we show that LiCl can alleviate the translational repression of these mRNAs when progression through the cell cycle is blocked at G(0), G(1)/S, or G(2)/M phases in different cell lines and by various physiological and chemical means. This derepressive effect of LiCl does not involve resumption of cell division. Unlike its efficient derepressive effect in mitotically arrested cells, LiCl alleviates inefficiently the repression of TOP mRNAs in amino acid-deprived cells and has no effect in lymphoblastoids whose TOP mRNAs are constitutively repressed even when they are proliferating. LiCl is widely used as a relatively selective inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3. However, inhibition per se of this enzyme by more specific drugs failed to derepress the translation of TOP mRNAs, implying that relief of the translational repression of TOP mRNAs by LiCl is carried out in a glycogen synthase kinase-3-independent manner. Moreover, this effect is apparent, at least in some cell lines, in the absence of S6-kinase 1 activation and ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation, thus further supporting the notion that translational control of TOP mRNAs does not rely on either of these variables.

Amino Acids↗

Repression of an interleukin-4-responsive promoter requires cooperative BCL-6 function.

BCL-6 functions as a potent transcriptional repressor that binds with specificity to DNA elements bearing marked similarity to STAT recognition sequences. Previous studies have demonstrated that BCL-6 and Stat6 can both bind and regulate the Iepsilon promoter that controls immunoglobulin heavy chain class switching to IgE. Examination of BCL-6-/- and BCL-6-/-Stat6-/- mice has demonstrated that BCL-6 is a repressor of IgE and that Stat6 is still required for the interleukin-4 (IL-4) induction of class switching to IgE in B cells lacking BCL-6. To define the mechanisms by which BCL-6 represses IL-4 function, we analyzed the role of BCL-6 in repressing the Iepsilon promoter. There are three BCL-6-binding sites within this IL-4-responsive promoter. Analysis of Iepsilon promoters that have mutated BCL-6-binding sites demonstrates that at least two of these sites are required for maximal BCL-6 repression of this locus. Footprinting analysis demonstrates that BCL-6 binds cooperatively to the two upstream binding sites in the Iepsilon promoter. This cooperative binding requires the POZ domain of BCL-6. Furthermore, activated Stat6 molecules can displace BCL-6 from one of these binding sites. These data demonstrate that cooperative interaction between BCL-6 molecules is required for repression of the Iepsilon promoter.

Animals↗

Tal1/SCL binding to pericentromeric DNA represses transcription.

Tal1/SCL is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor critical for normal hematopoiesis. To understand the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation by Tal1/SCL, we combined an in vitro DNA binding strategy and an in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis to search for Tal1/SCL target regions in K562 erythroleukemia cells. A 0.4-kb genomic DNA clone containing two Tal1/SCL binding E-boxes and GATA- and SATB1-binding motifs (EEGS) was identified that localized to the pericentromeric region with high homology to satellite 2 DNA. Pericentric DNA is related to heterochromatin and gene inactivation. We found that Tal1/SCL could complex with the histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9)-specific methyltransferase Suv39H1. Binding of Tal1/SCL to EEGS chromatin correlated with hypermethylation of H3K9 and the association of heterochromatin protein HP1 to this region. In Rep4 reporter gene assays, EEGS affected repression in a manner dependent on the expression level of Tal1/SCL that was accompanied by increased H3K9 methylation in chromatin associated with EEGS and a linked promoter. A specific histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, relieved Tal1/SCL-mediated repression by EEGS. In addition, SATB1 bound EEGS chromatin and promoted Tal1/SCL EEGS-dependent repression. We expand the list of potential interacting partners for Tal1/SCL by demonstrating direct associations of Tal1/SCL with SATB1 and with Suv39H1. These results reveal a novel mechanism of action for Tal1/SCL and implicate heterochromatin-like silencing via a cis-acting binding motif for transcriptional repression.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Collagen alpha1(I) gene (COL1A1) is repressed by RFX family.

Collagen type I is composed of three polypeptide chains transcribed from two separate genes (COL1A1 and COL1A2) with different promoters requiring coordinate regulation. Our recent publications, centering on COL1A2 regulation, demonstrate that methylation in the first exon of COL1A2 at a regulatory factor for X box (RFX) site (at -1 to +20) occurs in human cancer cells and correlates with increased RFX1 binding and decreased collagen transcription (Sengupta, P. K., Erhlich, M., and Smith, B. D. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274, 36649-36655; Sengupta, S., Smith, E. M., Kim, K., Murnane, M. J., and Smith, B. D. (2003) Cancer Res. 63, 1789-1797). In normal cells, RFX5 complex along with major histocompatibility class II transactivator (CIITA) is induced by interferon-gamma to occupy this site and repress collagen transcription (Xu, Y., Wang, L., Buttice, G., Sengupta, P. K., and Smith, B. D. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 41319-41332). In this paper, we demonstrate that COL1A1 has an RFX consensus binding site surrounding the transcription start site (-11 to +10) that contains three methylation sites rather than one in the COL1A2 gene RFX binding site. RFX1 interacts weakly with the unmethylated COL1A1 site, and binds with higher affinity to the methylated site. RFX1 represses the unmethylated COL1A1 less efficiently than COL1A2. COL1A1 promoter activity is sensitive to DNA methylation and the COL1A1 gene is methylated in human cancer cells with coordinately decreased collagen expression. The DNA methylation inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (aza-dC) increases collagen gene expression with time in human cancer cells. On the other hand, RFX5 interacts with both collagen type I genes with a similar binding affinity and represses both promoters equally in transient transfections. Two dominant negative forms of RFX5 activate both collagen genes coordinately. Finally, CIITA RNA interference experiments indicate that CIITA induction is required for interferon gamma-mediated repression of both collagen type I genes.

Animals↗

Cyclin D1 represses p300 transactivation through a cyclin-dependent kinase-independent mechanism.

Cyclin D1 encodes a regulatory subunit, which with its cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-binding partner forms a holoenzyme that phosphorylates and inactivates the retinoblastoma protein. In addition to its Cdk binding-dependent functions, cyclin D1 regulates cellular differentiation in part by modifying several transcription factors and nuclear receptors. The molecular mechanism through which cyclin D1 regulates the function of transcription factors involved in cellular differentiation remains to be clarified. The histone acetyltransferase protein p300 is a co-integrator required for regulation of multiple transcription factors. Here we show that cyclin D1 physically interacts with p300 and represses p300 transactivation. We demonstrated further that the interaction of the two proteins occurs at the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-responsive element of the lipoprotein lipase promoter in the context of the local chromatin structure. We have mapped the domains in p300 and cyclin D1 involved in this interaction. The bromo domain and cysteine- and histidine-rich domains of p300 were required for repression by cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 repression of p300 was independent of the Cdk- and retinoblastoma protein-binding domains of cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 inhibits histone acetyltransferase activity of p300 in vitro. Microarray analysis identified a signature of genes repressed by cyclin D1 and induced by p300 that promotes cellular differentiation and induces cell cycle arrest. Together, our results suggest that cyclin D1 plays an important role in cellular proliferation and differentiation through regulation of p300.

Cyclin D1↗

Pc2-mediated sumoylation of Smad-interacting protein 1 attenuates transcriptional repression of E-cadherin.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is important in embryonic development and tumorigenesis. Smad-interacting protein 1 (SIP1) can induce EMT by repressing the transcription of E-cadherin through recruitment of the corepressor C-terminal-binding protein (CtBP). How the activity of SIP1 is regulated still remains unclear. Here we show in vivo and in vitro that SIP1 is covalently modified by sumoylation at two conserved sites, Lys391 and Lys866. The polycomb protein Pc2, but not the PIAS (protein inhibitor of activated STAT) family proteins, acts as a Small ubiquitin-like modifier E3 ligase for SIP1. Sumoylation of SIP1 does not affect its subcellular localization, but regulates its transcriptional activity. Compared with the wild-type, a SIP1 sumoylation null mutant shows more potent repression on E-cadherin transcription but similar repression on two transforming growth factor-beta-responsive reporter genes and comparable activation on vitamin D3 receptor transcription. Coexpression of SIP1 with Pc2 can partially relieve E-cadherin repression by SIP1. We further show that SIP1 sumoylation disrupts the recruitment of CtBP. Thus SIP1 sumoylation regulates its transcriptional activity in a promoter context-dependent manner and may represent an important intervention target to modulate EMT in tumorigenesis.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Regulatory factor for X-box family proteins differentially interact with histone deacetylases to repress collagen alpha2(I) gene (COL1A2) expression.

Our studies indicate that the regulatory factor for X-box (RFX) family proteins repress collagen alpha2(I) gene (COL1A2) expression (Xu, Y., Wang, L., Buttice, G., Sengupta, P. K., and Smith, B. D. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 49134-49144; Xu, Y., Wang, L., Buttice, G., Sengupta, P. K., and Smith, B. D. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 41319-41332). In this study, we examined the mechanism(s) underlying the repression of collagen gene by RFX proteins. Two members of the RFX family, RFX1 and RFX5, associate with distinct sets of co-repressors on the collagen transcription start site in vitro. RFX5 specifically interacts with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) and the mammalian transcriptional repressor (mSin3B), whereas RFX1 preferably interacts with HDAC1 and mSin3A. HDAC2 cooperates with RFX5 to down-regulate collagen promoter activity, whereas HDAC1 enhances inhibition of collagen promoter activity by RFX1. Interferon-gamma promotes the recruitment of RFX5/HDAC2/mSin3B to the collagen transcription start site but decreases the occupancy by RFX1/mSin3A as manifested by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. RFX1 binds to the methylated collagen sequence with much higher affinity than unmethylated sequence, recruiting more HDAC1 and mSin3A. The DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, which inhibits DNA methylation, reduces RFX1/HDAC1 binding to the collagen transcription start site in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Finally, both RFX1 and RFX5 are acetylated in vivo. Trichostatin A stimulates the acetylation of RFX proteins and activates the collagen promoter activity. Collectively, our data strongly indicate two separate pathways for RFX proteins to repress collagen gene expression as follows: one for RFX5/HDAC2 in interferon-gamma-mediated repression, and the other for RFX1/HDAC1 in methylation-mediated collagen silencing.

Collagen Type I↗

NAB2 represses transcription by interacting with the CHD4 subunit of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex.

Early growth response (EGR) transactivators act as critical regulators of several physiological processes, including peripheral nerve myelination and progression of prostate cancer. The NAB1 and NAB2 (NGFI-A/EGR1-binding protein) transcriptional corepressors directly interact with three EGR family members (Egr1/NGFI-A/zif268, Egr2/Krox20, and Egr3) and repress activation of their target promoters. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying NAB repression, we found that EGR activity is modulated by at least two repression domains within NAB2, one of which uniquely requires interaction with the CHD4 (chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 4) subunit of the NuRD (nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase) chromatin remodeling complex. Both NAB proteins can bind either CHD3 or CHD4, indicating that the interaction is conserved among these two protein families. Furthermore, we show that repression of the endogenous Rad gene by NAB2 involves interaction with CHD4 and demonstrate colocalization of NAB2 and CHD4 on the Rad promoter in myelinating Schwann cells. Finally, we show that interaction with CHD4 is regulated by alternative splicing of the NAB2 mRNA.

Alternative Splicing↗

Sumoylated SnoN represses transcription in a promoter-specific manner.

The transcriptional modulator SnoN controls a diverse set of biological processes, including cell proliferation and differentiation. The mechanisms by which SnoN regulates these processes remain incompletely understood. Recent studies have shown that SnoN exerts positive or negative regulatory effects on transcription. Because post-translational modification of proteins by small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) represents an important mechanism in the control of the activity of transcriptional regulators, we asked if this modification regulates SnoN function. Here, we show that SnoN is sumoylated. Our data demonstrate that the SUMO-conjugating E2 enzyme Ubc9 is critical for SnoN sumoylation and that the SUMO E3 ligase PIAS1 selectively interacts with and enhances the sumoylation of SnoN. We identify lysine residues 50 and 383 as the SUMO acceptor sites in SnoN. Analyses of SUMO "loss-of-function" and "gain-of-function" SnoN mutants in transcriptional reporter assays reveal that sumoylation of SnoN contributes to the ability of SnoN to repress gene expression in a promoter-specific manner. Although this modification has little effect on SnoN repression of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 promoter and only modestly potentiates SnoN repression of the p21 promoter, SnoN sumoylation robustly augments the ability of SnoN to suppress transcription of the myogenesis master regulatory gene myogenin. In addition, we show that the SnoN SUMO E3 ligase, PIAS1, at its endogenous levels, suppresses myogenin transcription. Collectively, our findings suggest that SnoN is directly regulated by sumoylation leading to the enhancement of the ability of SnoN to repress transcription in a promoter-specific manner. Our study also points to a physiological role for SnoN sumoylation in the control of myogenin expression in differentiating muscle cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

BRG1 chromatin remodeling activity is required for efficient chromatin binding by repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) and facilitates REST-mediated repression.

Chromatin remodeling enzymes such as SWI/SNF use the hydrolysis of ATP to power the movement of nucleosomes with respect to DNA. BRG1, one of the ATPases of the SWI/SNF complex, can be recruited by both activators and repressors, although the precise role of BRG1 in mechanisms of repression has thus far remained unclear. One transcription factor that recruits BRG1 as a corepressor is the repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST). Here we address for the first time the mechanism of BRG1 activity in gene repression. We found that BRG1 enhanced REST-mediated repression at some REST target genes by increasing the interaction of REST with the local chromatin at its binding sites. Furthermore, REST-chromatin interactions, mediated by BRG1, were enhanced following an increase in histone acetylation in a manner dependent on the BRG1 bromodomain. Our data suggest that BRG1 facilitates REST repression by increasing the interaction between REST and chromatin. Such a mechanism may be applicable to other transcriptional repressors that utilize BRG1.

Acetylation↗

FoxD3 and Grg4 physically interact to repress transcription and induce mesoderm in Xenopus.

FoxD3 is a forkhead-related transcriptional regulator that is essential for multiple developmental processes in the vertebrate embryo, including neural crest development and maintenance of mammalian stem cell lineages. Recent results demonstrate a requirement for FoxD3 in Xenopus mesodermal development. In the gastrula, FoxD3 functions as a transcriptional repressor in the Spemann organizer to maintain the expression of Nodal-related members of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily that induce dorsal mesoderm formation. Here we report that the function of FoxD3 in mesoderm induction is dependent on the recruitment of transcriptional corepressors of the TLE/Groucho family. Structure-function analyses indicate that the transcriptional repression and mesoderm induction activities of FoxD3 are dependent on a C-terminal domain, as well as specific DNA-binding activity conferred by the forkhead domain. The C-terminal domain contains a heptapeptide similar to the eh1/GEH Groucho interaction motif. Deletion and point mutagenesis demonstrated that the FoxD3 eh1/GEH motif is required for both repression of transcription and induction of mesoderm, as well as the direct physical interaction of FoxD3 and Grg4 (Groucho-related gene-4). Consistent with a functional interaction of FoxD3 and Grg4, the transcriptional repression activity of FoxD3 is enhanced by Grg4, and reduced by Grg5, a dominant inhibitory Groucho protein. The results indicate that FoxD3 recruitment of Groucho corepressors is essential for the transcriptional repression of target genes and induction of mesoderm in Xenopus.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

RAP55, a cytoplasmic mRNP component, represses translation in Xenopus oocytes.

mRNAs in eukaryotic cells are presumed to always associate with a set of proteins to form mRNPs. In Xenopus oocytes, a large pool of maternal mRNAs is masked from the translational apparatus as storage mRNPs. Here we identified Xenopus RAP55 (xRAP55) as a component of RNPs that associate with FRGY2, the principal component of maternal mRNPs. RAP55 is a member of the Scd6 or Lsm14 family. RAP55 localized to cytoplasmic foci in Xenopus oocytes and the processing bodies (P-bodies) in cultured human cells: in the latter cells, RAP55 is an essential constituent of the P-bodies. We isolated xRAP55-containing complexes from Xenopus oocytes and identified xRAP55-associated proteins, including a DEAD-box protein, Xp54, and a protein arginine methyltransferase, PRMT1. Recombinant xRAP55 repressed translation, together with Xp54, in an in vitro translation system. In addition, xRAP55 repressed translation in oocytes when tethered with a reporter mRNA. Domain analyses revealed that the N-terminal region of RAP55, including the Lsm domain, is important for the localization to P-bodies and translational repression. Taken together, our results suggest that xRAP55 is involved in translational repression of mRNA as a component of storage mRNPs.

Animals↗

LexA represses CTXphi transcription by blocking access of the alpha C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase to promoter DNA.

CTXPhi is a Vibrio cholerae-specific temperate filamentous phage that encodes cholera toxin. CTXPhi lysogens can be induced with DNA damage-inducing agents such as UV light, leading to the release of CTXPhi virions and the rapid dissemination of cholera toxin genes to new V. cholerae hosts. This environmental regulation is directly mediated by LexA, the host-encoded global SOS transcription factor. LexA and a phage-encoded repressor, RstR, both repress transcription from P(rstA), the primary CTXPhi promoter. Because the LexA binding site is located upstream of the core P(rstA) promoter and overlaps with A-tract sequences, we speculated that LexA represses P(rstA) by occluding a promoter UP element, a binding site for the C-terminal domain of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase (RNAP) (alphaCTD). Using in vitro transcription assays, we have shown that the LexA binding site stimulates maximal rstA transcription in the absence of any added factors. The alphaCTD of RNAP is required for this stimulation, demonstrating that the LexA site contains, or overlaps with, a promoter UP element. LexA represses rstA transcription by normal RNAP but fails to repress rstA transcription catalyzed by RNAP lacking the alphaCTD. DNase I footprint analysis mapped the alphaCTD binding site to the upstream promoter region that includes the LexA binding site. The addition of free alpha subunits blocked the binding of LexA to rstA promoter DNA, indicating that LexA and the alphaCTD directly compete for binding to their respective sites. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a repressor blocking transcription initiation by occluding a promoter UP element.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Active repression by unliganded retinoid receptors in development: less is sometimes more.

The retinoid receptors have major roles throughout development, even in the absence of ligand. Here, we summarize an emerging theme whereby gene repression, mediated by unliganded retinoid receptors, can dictate cell fate. In addition to activating transcription, retinoid receptors actively repress gene transcription by recruiting cofactors that promote chromatin compaction. Two developmental processes for which gene silencing by the retinoid receptors is essential are head formation in Xenopus and skeletal development in the mouse. Inappropriate repression, by oncogenic retinoic acid (RA)**Abbreviations used in this paper: APL, acute promyelocytic leukemia; dnRARalpha, dominant-negative version of the RARalpha; E, embryonic age; HDAC, histone deacetylase; LCoR, ligand-dependent corepressor; NCoR, nuclear receptor corepressor; RA, retinoic acid; RAR, RA receptor; RARE, RXR homodimer bound to bipartite response element; RXR, retinoid X receptor; TSA, trichostatin A; CYP26, cytochrome p450, 26; TR, thyroid hormone receptor. receptor (RAR) fusion proteins, blocks myeloid differentiation leading to a rare form of leukemia. Our current understanding of the developmental role of retinoid repression and future perspectives in this field are discussed.

Animals↗

Repression of interleukin-2 and interleukin-4 promoters by tumor suppressor protein p53.

Interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) secreted by activated but not by resting mature T cells are pleiotropic cytokines affecting growth and differentiation of diverse cell types, such as T cells, B cells, and mast cells. There is little information about the molecular basis for the constitutive repression of IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression in unstimulated T cells. We investigated the possibility that wild-type (wt) p53, a nuclear tumor suppressor protein, might serve to repress IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression in murine E14 T lymphoma and in human Jurkat cells. We transiently cotransfected these cells with constitutive simian virus 40 (SV 40) early promoter expression plasmids overproducing wt or mutant murine p53 and with appropriate luciferase (luc) reporter plasmids containing the promoter elements of murine IL-2 and IL-4 genes to evaluate the effect of various p53 species on these promoters. Murine wt p53 derived from pSG5p53cD strongly repressed the IL-2 and IL-4 promoters in both cell lines induced by the phorbol ester TPA and the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin but not, however, in uninduced cells. In similar transient transfection experiments with lymphoma cells, overexpression of deletion mutant species of murine p53 revealed that the N-terminal and C-terminal domains are crucial for inhibition of both IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression. These parts of p53 comprise the transactivation domain at the amino terminal side, which has previously also been shown to interact with the TATA-box binding-protein TBP and the carboxy-terminal oligomerization domain. Additionally, it was shown that a previously described inhibitory protein, the high-mobility-group protein HMG-I/Y, does not functionally interact with p53. Cotransfection of expression plasmids for both p53 and HMG-I/Y did not alter the extent of inhibition by the individual proteins. These data suggest that p53 can downmodulate both IL-2 and IL-4 gene expression and that both the transactivation and oligomerization domains of the tumor suppressor protein are essential for this transcriptional repression.

Animals↗

Glucose mediates transcriptional repression of the human angiotensin type-1 receptor gene: role for a novel cis-acting element.

Human angiotensin type 1 receptor (hAT1R) gene is regulated by hormones, second messengers, and both pathophysiological and developmental states. The focus of the present study was to determine the role of glucose in the trans-repression of hAT1R gene transcription and to identify the functional cis-acting response element(s). Serial deletions of the hAT1R promoter region indicated that an area between -1717 and -1543 base pairs upstream of the 5' end of the cDNA sequence has a glucose responsive regulatory element (GluRE) to down-regulate the gene expression. Further analysis revealed a putative 29-bp (5'-AACTGATTTTTGTATATTGATCTTGTATT-3') repressor element located between -1582 and -1610 bp was necessary for transcriptional repression. Removal of this region from promoter construct abolished repression of the hAT1R gene transcription in human proximal tubule epithelial cells (hPTECs). Using mobility shift assays, we demonstrated DNA binding activity to the labeled repressor element in hPTEC nuclear extracts. Additional studies demonstrated increased DNA binding activity to the labeled repressor element in nuclear extracts treated with high glucose (25 mM). Southwestern analysis identified two GluRE binding proteins of 34 and 36 kDa in glucose-treated extracts. Glucose-induced activity of the repressor trans-acting factor(s) reached a maximum at 4 h, which correlated with decreased transcriptional activity of the hAT1R gene, suggesting that glucose can down-regulate the transcription of the hAT1R gene through the repressor element. Furthermore, insertion of the glucose response element into heterologous SV40 promoter (SV40) chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) vector showed orientation/distance-independent repression of SV40 promoter-mediated CAT activity in hPTECs. Our results show that the glucose response factor(s) acts as trans-acting factor(s) binding to the cis-acting repressor element in the hAT1R promoter, which may participate in the control of basal transcription as well as glucose-mediated transcriptional inhibition of the hAT1R gene.

Animals↗

hairy mediates dominant repression in the Drosophila embryo.

hairy encodes a bHLH repressor that regulates several developmental processes in Drosophila, including embryonic segmentation and neurogenesis. Segmentation repressors such as Krüppel and knirps have been shown to function over short distances, less than 50-100 bp, to inhibit or quench closely linked upstream activators. This mode of repression permits multiple enhancers to work independently of one another within a modular promoter. Here, we employ a transgenic embryo assay to present evidence that hairy acts as a dominant repressor, which can function over long distances to block multiple enhancers. hairy is shown to repress a heterologous enhancer, the rhomboid NEE, when bound 1 kb from the nearest upstream activator. Moreover, the binding of hairy to a modified NEE leads to the repression of both the NEE and a distantly linked mesoderm-specific enhancer within a synthetic modular promoter. Additional evidence that hairy is distinct from previously characterized embryonic repressors stems from the analysis of the gypsy insulator DNA. This insulator selectively blocks the hairy repressor, but not the linked activators, within a modified NEE. We compare hairy with previously characterized repressors and discuss the consequences of short-range and long-range repression in development.

Animals↗

The integration of nitrogen and carbon catabolite repression in Aspergillus nidulans requires the GATA factor AreA and an additional positive-acting element, ADA.

The expression of the structural genes of the proline utilization cluster of Aspergillus nidulans is repressed efficiently only when both repressing carbon and nitrogen sources are present. Two hypotheses can account for this fact. One is a direct or indirect competition mechanism between the positive-acting AreA GATA factor, mediating nitrogen metabolite repression, and the negative-acting CreA protein, mediating carbon catabolite repression. The second is to propose that CreA prevents the binding or activity of another, as yet unidentified, positive-acting factor, here called ADA. We show the second possibility to be the correct one, and we localize the new positive cis-acting element within 290 bp of the prnD-prnB divergent promoter.

Aspergillus nidulans↗