Regulation of DAF-2 receptor signaling by human insulin and ins-1, a member of the unusually large and diverse C. elegans insulin gene family.

The activity of the DAF-2 insulin-like receptor is required for Caenorhabditis elegans reproductive growth and normal adult life span. Informatic analysis identified 37 C. elegans genes predicted to encode insulin-like peptides. Many of these genes are divergent insulin superfamily members, and many are clustered, indicating recent diversification of the family. The ins genes are primarily expressed in neurons, including sensory neurons, a subset of which are required for reproductive development. Structural predictions and likely C-peptide cleavage sites typical of mammalian insulins suggest that ins-1 is most closely related to insulin. Overexpression of ins-1, or expression of human insulin under the control of ins-1 regulatory sequences, causes partially penetrant arrest at the dauer stage and enhances dauer arrest in weak daf-2 mutants, suggesting that INS-1 and human insulin antagonize DAF-2 insulin-like signaling. A deletion of the ins-1 coding region does not enhance or suppress dauer arrest, indicating a functional redundancy among the 37 ins genes. Of five other ins genes tested, the only other one bearing a predicted C peptide also antagonizes daf-2 signaling, whereas four ins genes without a C peptide do not, indicating functional diversity within the ins family.

Identification of a member of a DNA-dependent ATPase family that causes interference with silencing.

DNA in eukaryotic cells is packed in tandem repeats of nucleosomes or higher-order chromatin structures, which present obstacles to many cellular processes that require protein-DNA interactions, such as transcription, DNA repair, and recombination. To find proteins that are involved in increasing the accessibility of specific DNA regions in yeast, we used a genetic approach that exploited transcriptional silencing normally occurring at HML and HMR loci. The silencing is mediated by cis-acting silencer elements and is thought to require the formation of a special chromatin structure that prevents accessibility to the silenced DNA. A previously uncharacterized gene, termed DIS1, was isolated from a screen for genes that interfere with silencing when overexpressed. DIS1 encodes a protein with conserved motifs that are present in a family of DNA-dependent ATPases, the SWI2/SNF2-like proteins. Overproduction of N-terminal half of DIS1 protein interfered specifically with ectopic silencing used in the screen as well as HMR E silencing. Two-hybrid studies revealed a specific interaction between the N terminus of DIS1 and the C-terminal half of SIR4, a protein essential for silencing. Cells with a dis1 knockout mutation had significantly lower mating-type switching rate. These results suggest that DIS1 may contribute to making the silenced DNA template at HM loci more accessible during the mating-type switching process.

Yeast silencers create domains of nuclease-resistant chromatin in an SIR4-dependent manner.

Previous analysis of the repression of the silent mating type loci in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has linked the mechanism of silencing to the formation of a chromatin domain at the silenced loci. In this study, a TRP1 reporter gene was used to examine changes in chromatin structure in a neutral environment. This enabled the chromatin structure organized by yeast silencers to be compared directly with changes effected by the yeast alpha2 repressor. It was found that silencers mediate the formation of lengthy nuclease-resistant domains on the DNA, rather than specifically positioning nucleosomes over promoter regions as the alpha2 repressor does. Silencing at the TRP1 reporter gene closely resembled silencing at the HMR and HML loci. Repression of the test gene was optimal when two silencers flanking the reporter gene were used, mimicking the situation at the silent loci. In addition, both repression of the reporter gene and the formation of nuclease-resistant chromatin domains was SIR4 dependent.

Multiple functions of nucleosomes and regulatory factors in transcription.

The in vivo packaging of DNA with histone proteins to form chromatin makes its transcription a difficult process. Biochemical and genetic studies are beginning to reveal mechanistic details of how transcriptional regulatory factors confront at least two hurdles created by nucleosomes, the primary structural unit of chromatin. Regulatory factors must gain access to their respective binding sites and activate the formation of transcription complexes at core promoter elements. Distinct regulatory factors may be specialized to perform these functions.

A yeast protein that influences the chromatin structure of UASG and functions as a powerful auxiliary gene activator.

GRF2, an abundant yeast protein of Mr approximately 127,000, binds to the GAL upstream activating sequence (UASG) and creates a nucleosome-free region of approximately 230 bp. Purified GRF2 binds to sequences found in many other UASs, in the 35S rRNA enhancer, at centromeres, and at telomeres. Although GRF2 stimulates transcription only slightly on its own, it combines with a neighboring weak activator to give as much as a 170-fold enhancement. This effect of GRF2 is strongly distance-dependent, declining by 85% when 22 bp is interposed between the GRF2 and neighboring activator sites.

A yeast ARS-binding protein activates transcription synergistically in combination with other weak activating factors.

ABFI (ARS-binding protein I) is a yeast protein that binds specific DNA sequences associated with several autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs). ABFI also binds sequences located in promoter regions of some yeast genes, including DED1, an essential gene of unknown function that is transcribed constitutively at a high level. ABFI was purified by specific binding to the DED1 upstream activating sequence (UAS) and was found to recognize related sequences at several other promoters, at an ARS (ARS1), and at a transcriptional silencer (HMR E). All ABFI-binding sites, regardless of origin, provided weak UAS function in vivo when examined in test plasmids. UAS function was abolished by point mutations that reduced ABFI binding in vitro. Analysis of the DED1 promoter showed that two ABFI-binding sites combine synergistically with an adjacent T-rich sequence to form a strong constitutive activator. The DED1 T-rich element acted synergistically with all other ABFI-binding sites and with binding sites for other multifunctional yeast activators. An examination of the properties of sequences surrounding ARS1 left open the possibility that ABFI enhances the initiation of DNA replication at ARS1 by transcriptional activation.

Activation of yeast RNA polymerase II transcription by a thymidine-rich upstream element in vitro.

A thymidine-rich sequence upstream of the DED1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae activated transcription of the CYC1 promoter by RNA polymerase II in vitro. Activation was inhibited by an excess of an oligonucleotide with the same but not a closely related thymidine-rich sequence, pointing to the involvement of a specific thymidine-rich element-binding factor. The extent of activation was as great as 30-fold and showed a similar distance and orientation dependence and a similar effect of deletions in vitro as in vivo.

Connections between transcriptional activators, silencers, and telomeres as revealed by functional analysis of a yeast DNA-binding protein.

General regulatory factor I (GRFI) is a yeast protein that binds in vitro to specific DNA sequences at diverse genetic elements. A strategy was pursued to test whether GRFI functions in vivo at the sequences bound by the factor in vitro. Matches to a consensus sequence for GRFI binding were found in a variety of locations: upstream activating sequences (UASs), silencers, telomeres, and transcribed regions. All occurrences of the consensus sequence bound both crude and purified GRFI in vitro. All binding sites for GRFI, regardless of origin, provided UAS function in test plasmids. Also, GRFI binding sites specifically stimulated transcription in a yeast in vitro system, indicating that GRFI can function as a positive transcription factor. The stimulatory effect of GRFI binding sites at UASs for the PYK1 and ENO1 genes is significantly enhanced by flanking DNA elements. By contrast, regulatory sequences that flank the GRFI binding site at HMR E convert this region to a transcriptional silencer.

Comparison of intron-dependent and intron-independent gene expression.

Recombinant simian virus 40 viruses carrying rabbit beta-globin cDNA failed to express the beta-globin sequence unless an intron was included in the transcription unit. The addition of either beta-globin IVS1 or IVS2 caused a 400-fold increase in RNA production. Stable beta-globin RNA production required sequences in IVS2 that were very close to the splice sites and that coincided with those needed for mRNA splicing. In addition to the recombinant viruses, intron-dependent expression was observed with both replicating and nonreplicating plasmid vectors in short-term transfections of cultured animal cells. Unlike transcriptional enhancer elements, IVS2 failed to increase stable RNA production when it was placed downstream of the polyadenylation site. Using a plasmid vector system to survey different inserted sequences for their dependence on introns for expression, we found that the presence of IVS2 stimulated the expression of these sequences 2- to 500-fold. Sequences from the transcribed region of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene, a gene that lacks an intervening sequence, permitted substantial intron-independent expression (greater than 100-fold increase) in the plasmid vector system.

Two DNA-binding factors recognize specific sequences at silencers, upstream activating sequences, autonomously replicating sequences, and telomeres in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Two DNA-binding factors from Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been characterized, GRFI (general regulatory factor I) and ABFI (ARS-binding factor I), that recognize specific sequences within diverse genetic elements. GRFI bound to sequences at the negative regulatory elements (silencers) of the silent mating type loci HML E and HMR E and to the upstream activating sequence (UAS) required for transcription of the MAT alpha genes. A putative conserved UAS located at genes involved in translation (RPG box) was also recognized by GRFI. In addition, GRFI bound with high affinity to sequences with the (C1-3A)-repeat region at yeast telomeres. Binding sites for GRFI with the highest affinity appeared to be of the form 5'-(A/G)(A/C)ACCCANNCA(T/C)(T/C)-3', where N is any nucleotide. ABFI-binding sites were located next to autonomously replicating sequences (ARSs) at controlling elements of the silent mating type loci HMR E, HMR I, and HML I and were associated with ARS1, ARS2, and the 2 micron plasmid ARS. Two tandem ABFI binding sites were found between the HIS3 and DED1 genes, several kilobase pairs from any ARS, indicating that ABFI-binding sites are not restricted to ARSs. The sequences recognized by ABFI showed partial dyad-symmetry and appeared to be variations of the consensus 5'-TATCATTNNNNACGA-3'. GRFI and ABFI were both abundant DNA-binding factors and did not appear to be encoded by the SIR genes, whose products are required for repression of the silent mating type loci. Together, these results indicate that both GRFI and ABFI play multiple roles within the cell.

Interaction of GAL4 and GAL80 gene regulatory proteins in vitro.

The GAL80 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, synthesized in vitro, bound tightly to GAL4 protein and to a GAL4 protein-upstream activation sequence DNA complex, as shown by (i) coimmunoprecipitation of GAL4 and GAL80 proteins with anti-GAL4 antiserum, (ii) an electrophoretic mobility shift of a GAL4 protein-upstream activation sequence DNA complex upon the addition of GAL80 protein, and (iii) GAL4-dependent binding of GAL80 protein to upstream activation sequence DNA immobilized on Sepharose beads. Anti-GAL4 antisera were raised against a GAL4-URA3 fusion protein, which could be purified to homogeneity in a single step with the use of an affinity chromatographic procedure for the URA3 gene product.

Bent DNA at a yeast autonomously replicating sequence.

DNA fragments that show retarded electrophoretic mobility through polyacrylamide gels have been found in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In the case of kinetoplast DNA, evidence has been presented that the DNA is curved or 'bent'. Bent DNA has previously been found at the lambda and simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication origins. Here we show the existence of bent DNA at a yeast autonomously replicating sequence (ARS1), a putative replication origin. The bent DNA has been localized to a 40-55 base pair (bp) segment and contains six (A)3-5 stretches (that is, six poly(A) stretches, three to five nucleotides in length) phased approximately every 10.5 bp. This region contains a DNA binding site for a yeast protein factor. This site lies at the 3' end of the TRP1 gene, in a region devoid of nucleosomes, and is positioned 80 bp away from the ARS consensus sequence; removal of this region impairs ARS function in vivo. The bent DNA may be involved in transcription termination or the prevention of nucleosome assembly in this region.

Complex regulation of simian virus 40 early-region transcription from different overlapping promoters.

During simian virus 40 lytic infection there is a shift in initiation sites used to transcribe the early region, which encodes large T and small t antigens. Early in infection, transcription is initiated almost exclusively from sites that are downstream of the origin of DNA replication, whereas transcripts produced later are initiated mainly from sites on the upstream side. We have used mutant virus and specially constructed plasmid DNAs to investigate the factors regulating this transcriptional shift. In our studies simian virus 40 large T antigen appears to mediate the shift in transcription in two ways: first, T antigen represses transcription at the downstream sites late in infection by binding to the region where these RNAs are initiated; second, T antigen promotes transcription from sites on the upstream side by its ability to initiate replication or amplification, or both, of the template DNA. In addition, transcription from the downstream sites is heavily dependent on enhancer sequences located in the 72-base-pair repeat region, whereas transcription from the upstream sites late in infection does not require enhancer sequences. Thus, different overlapping promoters regulate simian virus 40 early-region expression in a manner that apparently coordinates the production of large T antigen with the increase in viral DNA.

Unusual regulation of simian virus 40 early-region transcription in genomes containing two origins of DNA replication.

As part of our efforts to create multifunctional vectors for the transduction of animal cells, a set of simian virus 40 recombinants were constructed which contain an inverted duplication of the region including the origin of viral DNA replication (ori) and the early-region promoter. The unusual aspects of the structure of these recombinant genomes revealed several unexpected features of their function. In particular, transcription from the early-region promoters on these recombinants occurred primarily after the start of DNA replication, and, in that sense, these promoters behaved as if they were late-region promoters. This behavior results from the fact that these genomes contain multiple ori segments, and, therefore, they replicate earlier and faster than wild-type virus DNA, thereby causing a precocious shift in the initiation of early-region transcription from sites downstream of ori to sites located upstream of ori. The abnormal expression from multiple ori genomes is consistent with our present notions regarding the replication-dependent shift in early-region transcriptional start sites (Buchman et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 4:1900-1914). Since our experiments demonstrate that RNAs initiated upstream of ori contribute to T-antigen formation late in infection, we suggest that the shift in early-region transcription starts modulates large T-antigen production in concert with viral DNA replication.