Different roles for the stress-activated protein kinase pathway in the regulation of trehalose metabolism in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
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The Wis1p-Sty1p mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade is a major signalling system in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe for a wide range of stress responses. It is known that trehalose functions as a protective metabolite to counteract deleterious effects of environmental stresses. Herein it is reported that the expression of genes related to trehalose metabolism in S. pombe, ntp1(+) (neutral trehalase) and tps1(+) [trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) synthase], is partially regulated by the Sty1p kinase under salt-induced osmotic stress and conditions of slight oxidative stress and is fully dependent on this kinase under severe oxidative stress. This control is carried out through transcription factors Atf1p/Pcr1p during osmotic stress and through Pap1p during exposure to low levels of oxidative stress. However, all three transcription factors are needed for gene expression under conditions of extreme oxidative stress. In addition, a role for Sty1p in the modulation of post-transcriptional activation of trehalase mediated by Pka1p/Sck1p kinases, as well as in the activity of T6P synthase under such stressful conditions has been demonstrated. These results reveal a novel dual action of the Wis1p-Sty1p pathway in the regulation of trehalose metabolism in fission yeast. (+info)
Human cytomegalovirus contains a tegument protein that enhances transcription from promoters with upstream ATF and AP-1 cis-acting elements.
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The tegument proteins of human cytomegalovirus are introduced into cells as components of infectious virus. The tegument proteins may affect viral and cellular transcription prior to the synthesis of the immediate-early viral regulatory proteins. The phosphorylated tegument protein of 71 kDa (pp71) is reported to be encoded by the UL82 gene. The UL82 gene products transactivated promoters containing upstream ATF or AP-1 binding sites. In contrast, the phosphorylated tegument protein of 65 kDa (pp65), encoded by the UL83 gene, had no detectable effect on these promoters. Enhancement by UL82 of downstream transcription was directly proportional to the number of upstream ATF sites. Response to UL82 transactivation was abolished by mutation of the ATF site. Mutation in the carboxy-terminal region of UL82 also eliminated transactivation. Even though the major immediate-early promoter of human cytomegalovirus is a strong enhancer-containing promoter, UL82 further enhanced its transcription as much as 20-fold. The mechanism of UL82 enhancement of transcription from viral or cellular promoters is not known, but the enhancement may be mediated by triggering one of the protein kinase signaling pathways, increasing the affinity of ATF or AP-1 for the target sequence, or stabilizing the complex between the eucaryotic transcription factor and the target sequence. (+info)
An ATF/CREB binding motif is required for aberrant constitutive expression of the MHC class II DR alpha promoter and activation by SV40 T-antigen.
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Constitutive expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) antigens normally occurs in B-lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. However, many malignant tumours and transformed cells express these proteins aberrantly. We demonstrate here that the MHC II DR alpha promoter is constitutively active both in the SV40 large T antigen transformed cell line, COS, and in CV1 cells from which they are derived. As an approach to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying aberrant DR alpha expression we have examined the cis- and trans-acting requirements for DR alpha transcription in these cell types. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that the region immediately 3' to the X-box was bound by a member of the ATF/CREB family of transcription factors. Using deletions and point mutations in the DR alpha promoter we demonstrate that, in contrast to B-cells, the octamer motif and conserved X- and Y-boxes make only a minor contribution to promoter function while single point mutations in the ATF/CREB motif reduced transcription up to 20-fold. In addition, we show that the DR alpha promoter is activated by SV40 large T-antigen and that activation requires an intact ATF/CREB motif. Similar data were obtained using B16 melanoma cells. These results suggest that the ATF/CREB motif may be a target for transcription deregulation in several transformed cell types. (+info)
Modulation of cellular and viral promoters by mutant human p53 proteins found in tumor cells.
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Wild-type p53 has recently been shown to repress transcription from several cellular and viral promoters. Since p53 mutations are the most frequently reported genetic defects in human cancers, it becomes important to study the effects of mutations of p53 on promoter functions. We, therefore, have studied the effects of wild-type and mutant human p53 on the human proliferating-cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) promoter and on several viral promoters, including the herpes simplex virus type 1 UL9 promoter, the human cytomegalovirus major immediate-early promoter-enhancer, and the long terminal repeat promoters of Rous sarcoma virus and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I. HeLa cells were cotransfected with a wild-type or mutant p53 expression vector and a plasmid containing a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene under viral (or cellular) promoter control. As expected, expression of the wild-type p53 inhibited promoter function. Expression of a p53 with a mutation at any one of the four amino acid positions 175, 248, 273, or 281, however, correlated with a significant increase of the PCNA promoter activity (2- to 11-fold). The viral promoters were also activated, although to a somewhat lesser extent. We also showed that activation by a mutant p53 requires a minimal promoter containing a lone TATA box. A more significant increase (25-fold) in activation occurs when the promoter contains a binding site for the activating transcription factor or cyclic AMP response element-binding protein. Using Saos-2 cells that do not express p53, we showed that activation by a mutant p53 was a direct enhancement. The mutant forms of p53 used in this study are found in various cancer cells. The activation of PCNA by mutant p53s may indicate a way to increase cell proliferation by the mutant p53s. Thus, our data indicate a possible functional role for the mutants of p53 found in cancer cells in activating several important loci, including PCNA. (+info)
The carboxy-terminal exon of the adenovirus E1A protein is required for E4F-dependent transcription activation.
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The adenovirus-2 E1A 289R transcription activator protein contains a 49 amino acid sequence (designated CR3) that has been suggested to represent the minimal domain required for E1A-induced activation of viral early transcription. We show here that the non-conserved carboxy-terminal E1A exon contains two interchangeable elements that are required for efficient CR3-dependent transactivation of the adenovirus E4 promoter in HeLa cells. These two elements do not encode independent transactivation functions and have been designated auxiliary regions (ARs) 1 and 2. The effects of AR1 and AR2 are not additive, suggesting that they contribute a mechanistically analogous function in transcription. Previous studies have suggested that two cellular transcription factors, ATF-2 and E4F, can function together with E1A to induce transcription of the E4 promoter. The importance of respective factors for E4 transcription has not been resolved. We find that E1A activation of E4F, but not ATF-2 (or other ATF factors), is AR1- and AR2-dependent. This result suggests that E1A induction of the E4 promoter in HeLa cells is primarily mediated by E4F. (+info)
Identification of an activating transcription factor (ATF) binding site in the human transforming growth factor-beta 2 promoter.
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Transforming growth factor TGF-beta 2 is encoded by multiple mRNA transcripts of 5.8, 5.1, 4.0, 3.8, and 2.8 kilobase pairs (kb) that are expressed in various human and monkey cells. Northern blot analysis using genomic fragments of DNA was used to demonstrate that some of this size heterogeneity is due to differences in the length of the 5'-untranslated region. Probes that were colinear with the first 600 nucleotides of the 5'-untranslated region detected only the 5.8-, 4.0-, and 3.8-kb transcripts. In order to identify DNA elements that regulate the transcription of these mRNA transcripts, deletion constructs of 5'-flanking DNA were ligated to the coding region for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) and analyzed for promoter activity in several cell lines. Sequences responsible for putative enhancer and silencer regions were identified between -778 and -40 relative to the transcription initiation site. Addition of a cyclic AMP-responsive element/activating transcription factor-like element at -74 resulted in a 5-10-fold increase in CAT activity over that expressed with a construct that contained only the TATA box. This increase in CAT activity was suppressed by the addition of DNA sequences between -257 and -187, whereas sequences between -778 and -257 stimulated CAT activity. Point mutations within the ATF binding site at -74 resulted in a marked decrease in CAT expression. Cotransfection with ATF-1 or ATF-2 expression plasmids resulted in both dose-dependent stimulatory and inhibitory activities that were cell type-dependent. These studies identify multiple transcription initiation sites for TGF-beta 2 and demonstrate that transcription from one of these promoters is dependent upon an ATF binding site located 5' of the TATA box. (+info)
Histone H2B gene transcription during Xenopus early development requires functional cooperation between proteins bound to the CCAAT and octamer motifs.
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The ubiquitously expressed transcription factor Oct-1 and several other members of the POU domain protein family bind to a site, termed the octamer motif, that functions in the promoter and enhancer regions of a variety of genes expressed under diverse conditions. An octamer motif present in a conserved histone H2B-specific promoter element is required for S-phase-specific transcription of mammalian histone H2B genes in cultured cells. We have previously shown that the octamer motif in a Xenopus histone H2B gene promoter was inactive in nondividing frog oocytes. Here we show that the octamer motif, in addition to regulatory elements (TATAA, CCAAT, and ATF motifs) that are active in oocytes, is required for maximal H2B gene transcription in developing frog embryos. Factors binding to each of the H2B upstream promoter elements are present in oocytes and increase slightly in abundance during early development. The activity of the H2B octamer motif in embryos is not specifically associated with increased binding by Oct-1 or the appearance of novel octamer-binding proteins but requires the presence of an intact CCAAT motif. Our results indicate that synergistic interactions among promoter-bound factors are important for octamer-dependent H2B transcription. We suggest that the activity of the H2B promoter is regulated primarily by changes in the interactions between proteins already bound to the promoter rather than by alterations in their intrinsic abilities to bind DNA. (+info)
p38 MAP kinase-mediated negative inotropic effect of HIV gp120 on cardiac myocytes.
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Myocardial dysfunction leading to dilated cardiomyopathy has been documented with surprisingly high frequency in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. p38 MAP kinase has been implicated as a mediator of myocardial dysfunction. We previously reported p38 MAP kinase activation by the HIV coat protein gp120 in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. We now report the direct inotropic effects of HIV gp120 on adult rat ventricular myocytes (ARVM). ARVM were continuously superfused with gp120, and percent fractional shortening (FS) was determined by automated border detection and simultaneous intracellular ionized free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) measured by fura 2-AM fluorescence: gp120 alone increased FS and increased [Ca2+]i within 5 min and then depressed FS without a decrease in [Ca2+]i by 20-60 min, which persisted for at least 2 h. Exposure of ARVM to gp120 also resulted in the phosphorylation of the upstream regulator of p38 MAP kinase MKK3/6, p38 MAP kinase itself, and its downstream effector, ATF-2, over a similar time course. ERK (p44/42) and JNK stress signaling pathways were not similarly activated. The effects of the p38 MAP kinase inhibitor were concentration dependent. SB-203580 (10 microM) blocked both p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation and the delayed negative inotropic effect of gp120. SB-203580 (5 microM) selectively blocked phosphorylation of ATF-2 without blocking the phosphorylation of MKK3/6 or p38 MAP kinase itself. SB-203580 (5 microM) administered before, with, or after gp120 blocked the negative inotropic effect of gp120 in ARVM. p38 MAP kinase activation may be a common stress-response mechanism contributing to myocardial dysfunction in HIV and other nonischemic as well as ischemic cardiomyopathies. (+info)