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P Pognonec

Publications and source records attributed to P Pognonec.

36 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

HIV-1 Tat acts as a processivity factor in vitro in conjunction with cellular elongation factors.

The HIV-1 trans-activator Tat increases the rate of transcription from the HIV-1 LTR promoter through the stem-loop-containing TAR RNA. To analyze the mechanisms of Tat action, a cell-free trans-activation system with no preincubation has been developed. Recombinant Tat specifically increased the level of a long runoff transcript but not a promoter-proximal transcript in a TAR-dependent fashion. These observations and the result of pulse-chase experiments support strongly the hypothesis that Tat enhances the ability of RNA polymerase to elongate over longer distances. Increased levels of the purified cellular factor TFIIF, essential for initiation and also implicated in elongation of transcription, obviated trans-activation by Tat by increasing the basal (Tat-independent) activity. However, another elongation factor, ATN/TFIIS, showed synergistic activation with Tat. An antiserum against a recombinant form of the large subunit of TFIIF (RAP 74) preferentially suppressed the activated level of transcription exerted by Tat. We propose the hypothesis that Tat acts as a processivity factor on RNA polymerase II in an analogous manner to TFIIF.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Definition of the transcriptional activation domain of recombinant 43-kilodalton USF.

The cellular transcription factor USF is involved in the regulation of both cellular and viral genes and consists of 43- and 44-kDa polypeptides which independently show site-specific DNA binding. Cloning of the corresponding cDNA revealed that the 43-kDa polypeptide (USF43) is a member of the basic (B)-helix-loop-helix (HLH)-leucine zipper (LZ) family of proteins and provided a means for its functional dissection. Initial structure-function studies revealed that the HLH and LZ regions are both important for USF43 oligomerization and DNA binding. The studies presented here have focused on the determination of domains that contribute to transcriptional activation in vitro and show that (i) both a small region close to the N terminus and a region between residues 93 and 156 contribute strongly to transcriptional activation, (ii) full activation depends on the presence of both domains, (iii) the B-HLH-LZ region has no intrinsic activation potential but DNA binding is absolutely required for transcriptional activation, and (iv) the B-HLH-LZ region can be replaced by the Gal4 DNA binding domain without loss of activation potential.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cooperative interaction of an initiator-binding transcription initiation factor and the helix-loop-helix activator USF.

Transcription initiation by mammalian RNA polymerase II is effected by multiple common factors interacting through minimal promoter elements and regulated by gene-specific factors interacting with distal control elements. Minimal promoter elements that can function independently or together, depending on the specific promoter, include the upstream TATA box and a pyrimidine-rich initiator (Inr) overlapping the transcription start site. The binding of TFIID to the TATA element promotes the assembly of other factors into a preinitiation complex but factors which function at the Inr have not been defined. We show here that a novel factor (TFII-I) binds specifically to Inr elements, supports basal transcription from the adenovirus major late promoter and is immunologically related to the helix-loop-helix activator USF. We further show that TFII-I also binds to the upstream high-affinity USF site (E box), that USF also binds to the Inr, and that TFII-I and USF interact cooperatively at both Inr and E box sites. Thus, TFII-I represents a novel type of transcription initiation factor whose interactions at multiple promoter elements may aid novel communication mechanisms between upstream regulatory factors and the general transcriptional machinery.

Animals↗

The Xenopus B1 factor is closely related to the mammalian activator USF and is implicated in the developmental regulation of TFIIIA gene expression.

The Xenopus laevis TFIIIA promoter contains a motif that has been implicated in promoter activation in late-stage oocytes and contains the sequence (-269) CACGTG (-264). A cDNA encoding a protein (B1) that binds to this element has been cloned from X. laevis and Xenopus borealis ovarian cDNA libraries. We show that this protein is a member of the helix-loop-helix family of regulatory proteins and contains 80% sequence identity with the human adenovirus major late transcription factor (MLTF or USF). A survey of B1 protein expression during oogenesis and embryogenesis revealed both oocyte-specific and somatic cell-specific B1 protein-DNA complexes. Immunological data, RNA blot analysis, and proteolytic clipping band shift assays indicated that these complexes most likely represent altered forms of a single B1 polypeptide. Implications for TFIIIA gene regulation during development are discussed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Recombinant 43-kDa USF binds to DNA and activates transcription in a manner indistinguishable from that of natural 43/44-kDa USF.

USF is a cellular factor involved in the transcriptional regulation of several cellular and viral promoters. Purified USF from HeLa cells (HeLa USF) consists of 43- and 44-kDa polypeptides which show independent binding to a specific DNA element. A cDNA encoding the 43-kDa species has been previously cloned. We show here that the purified form of bacterially expressed 43-kDa USF (i) exists in solution as a dimer whose formation is greatly favored under reducing conditions, (ii) binds to its cognate DNA sequence in a manner indistinguishable from that of HeLa USF, and (iii) is as efficient as HeLa USF in stimulating transcription from target promoters in a reconstituted cell-free system. Additional data indicate that the 44-kDa component of HeLa USF is immunologically unrelated to the 43-kDa polypeptide but is associated with it in HeLa cell extracts. These results suggest that the 43-kDa component possesses an intrinsic DNA binding and transcriptional activation potential and that the 44-kDa USF component of the natural USF complex may have some regulatory role.

Base Sequence↗

Rapid and transient expression of Ets2 in mature macrophages following stimulation with cMGF, LPS, and PKC activators.

We reported previously that Ets2 is expressed in normal and transformed macrophages. We show here that the expression of both c-ets-2 mRNA proteins is induced rapidly and transiently in chicken nondividing bone marrow-derived macrophages but not in E26-transformed myeloblasts in response to chicken myelomonocytic growth factor (cMGF), an avian hematopoietic growth factor required for survival, proliferation, and colony formation of avian myeloid cells. c-ets-2 expression is also rapidly induced in chicken bone marrow-derived macrophages, human monocytes, and mouse peritoneal macrophages in response to LPS and/or PKC activators. The rapid induction of Ets2 after treatment of chicken bone marrow-derived macrophages by cMGF is blunted after down-regulation or inactivation of PKC, suggesting a role of PKC in the cMGF-induced signal transduction pathway. Because Ets2 is localized in the nucleus of macrophages and binds to DNA in vitro, the kinetics of its expression suggest a role for Ets2 in the transduction within the nucleus of specific signals received at the cell membrane and involved in securing the survival and/or the development of functional competence of these cells.

Animals↗

Identification of a Ets1 variant protein unaffected in its chromatin and in vitro DNA binding capacities by T cell antigen receptor triggering and intracellular calcium rises.

We previously showed that thymocytes express high levels of c-ets-1 protein (Ets1) that can be rapidly phosphorylated following mitogenic stimulation using lectins. We demonstrate here that T cell receptor (TCR) specific stimulation with monoclonal antibodies of mature CD8+ or CD4+ T cells also results in the rapid phosphorylation of Ets1, reinforcing the hypothesis of a possible role for Ets1 in T cell activation. In addition to the major Ets1 product (mu-p63c-ets-1), we identify in mouse thymocytes and mature T cells a distinct 52 Kd Ets1 related protein (mu-p52c-ets-1). In contrast to the major Ets1 protein, mu-p52c-ets-1 is poorly phosphorylated in unstimulated cells. Furthermore, mitogenic stimulation of thymocytes and T cells failed to induce in mu-p52c-ets-1 the Ca2(+)-dependent phosphorylation events which are known to drastically affect the migration of the major Ets1 protein in SDS polyacrylamide gels. Mu-p52c-ets-1, like mu-p63c-ets-1, is a nuclear-chromatin associated protein which exhibits DNA binding activity in vitro. However, in contrast to the major Ets1 protein, the association of mu-p53c-ets-1 with chromatin and its ability to bind to DNA in vitro are unaffected by activation stimuli resulting in an increase in [Ca2+]i. Finally, we present indications suggesting that mu-p52c-ets-1 might be the murine equivalent of the translation product of an alternatively c-ets-1 spliced mRNA described in human cells by others.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Definition of an Ets1 protein domain required for nuclear localization in cells and DNA-binding activity in vitro.

Ets1 and Ets2 are nuclear phosphoproteins which bind to DNA in vitro and share two domains of strong identity. Deletion analyses of each of these conserved regions in Ets1 demonstrated that integrity of the carboxy-terminal domain, also conserved in the more distantly related elk and erg gene products, is essential for both nuclear targeting and DNA-binding activity in vitro.

Animals↗

The c-ets-1 protein is chromatin associated and binds to DNA in vitro.

The c-ets-1 proto-oncogene is expressed at high levels in proliferating lymphoid cells. We show here that the chicken and murine c-ets-1 proteins are predominantly localized in the cell nucleus. Over 90% of the c-ets-1 protein can be released from isolated thymocyte nuclei by treatment with low salt buffer. Release from nuclei is also observed after treatment with micrococcal nuclease, but not with RNaseA, in conditions where digestion of only a minor fraction of chromatin occurs. c-ets-1 proteins exhibit DNA binding activity, suggesting that the association to chromatin is mediated at least in part by their association to DNA. We previously showed that mitogenic stimulation of thymocytes is accompanied by the rapid calcium-dependent phosphorylation of c-ets-1 proteins. We demonstrate here that these phosphorylation events abolish the ability of c-ets-1 proteins to bind to DNA in vitro and reduce their affinity for chromatin, lending further support to the importance of these modifications in the regulation of c-ets-1 protein function.

Animals↗

Identification in chickens of an evolutionarily conserved cellular ets-2 gene (c-ets-2) encoding nuclear proteins related to the products of the c-ets proto-oncogene.

In chicken cells, we previously identified a set of proteins (p58-64) structurally related to, but distinct from, the products encoded by the c-ets proto-oncogene. We report here the isolation and nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding nuclear products of mol. wt 58, 60, 62 and 64 kd, indistinguishable from those detected in chicken cells. The p60 and p64 species appear to represent phosphorylated versions on serine and threonine residues of p58 and p62. The homology of p58-64 to other ets-related proteins, including the v-ets encoded domain of the transforming protein of avian leukemia virus E26 and p54c-ets, the translation product of the chicken (Ck) c-ets gene, is confined to two regions of 175 and 96 amino acid residues localized respectively at the carboxy-terminal domain and close to the amino-terminal domain of these molecules. This cDNA corresponds to a gene localized in a locus distinct from that of c-ets which is transcribed as a 4.0-kb RNA species in most chicken tissues. We also identified the human (Hu) c-ets-2-encoded products as two proteins of 60 and 62 kd, highly related to chicken p58-64. This, together with the fact that the amino acid sequence of the cDNA encoding p58-64 is 95% identical to the reported partial sequence of a Hu-c-ets-2 cDNA, indicates that p58-64 are the translation products of the Ck-c-ets-2 gene.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Mitogenic stimulation of thymocytes results in the calcium-dependent phosphorylation of c-ets-1 proteins.

Human, murine and chicken c-ets-1 proteins migrate in SDS-polyacrylamide gels as multiple species. We show here that most if not all of this heterogeneity is due to phosphorylation events occurring predominantly on serine and to a lesser extent on threonine residues. These phosphorylations can be specifically and rapidly stimulated by treatment with the calcium ionophore A23187 or abolished by lowering the extracellular calcium concentration to less than 0.1 microM. The products encoded by c-ets-2 are also phosphorylated in a Ca2+-dependent manner, indicating that these modifications have been conserved in the products encoded by different members of the same gene family. In thymocytes, where the expression of c-ets-1 is elevated as compared with other cell types, c-ets-1 protein phosphorylation occurs after stimulation with mitogenic doses of concanavalin A, is short lived and is strictly dependent upon extracellular Ca2+ sources. This suggests that the c-ets-1 gene product may play a role in the Ca2+-mediated early events linked to T-cell activation.

Animals↗

The 5' extremity of the v-ets oncogene of avian leukemia virus E26 encodes amino acid sequences not derived from the major c-ets-encoded cellular proteins.

Antibodies were prepared against bacterially expressed polypeptides corresponding to various portions of the v-ets-encoded domain of P135gag-myb-ets, the transforming protein of avian leukemia virus E26. Immunoprecipitation analyses show that ca. 80 v-ets-encoded amino-acids located immediately after the v-myb/v-ets junction are not found in P54/56c-ets, the translation product of the c-ets proto-oncogene, nor in a set of cellular proteins of 64, 62, and 60 kDa related to but distinct from P54/56c-ets. In addition, Northern blot analyses show that these 5' v-ets sequences neither derive from the nontranslated region of the known cellular transcripts hybridizing to a v-ets probe nor from the c-myb transcript or the helper virus genetic information. Tryptic peptide analyses furthermore indicate that, except for these sequences and the last 16 carboxy terminal amino acids of P135gag-myb-ets, the amino acids encoded by v-ets are essentially colinear with those of P54c-ets.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Transcription patterns of Rhizobium meliloti symbiotic plasmid pSym: identification of nifA-independent fix genes.

We performed a systematic survey of transcription of a large region of the Rhizobium meliloti symbiotic plasmid pSym. This led to the discovery of two new sequences induced during symbiosis. The first sequence was linked to the known nitrogen fixation (nif-fix) gene cluster, and its expression depended on the nifA gene product. The second sequence was a novel fix locus (M.-H. Renalier, J. Batut, J. Ghai, B. Terzaghi, M. Gherardi, M. David, A.-M. Garnerone, J. Vasse, G. Truchet, T. Huguet, and P. Boistard, J. Bacteriol. 169:2231-2238, 1987) whose expression was independent of the nifA gene product; therefore this fix locus undergoes a novel type of symbiotic regulation.

DNA, Bacterial↗

Identification in chicken macrophages of a set of proteins related to, but distinct from, the chicken cellular c-ets-encoded protein p54c-ets.

Using an antiserum to a bacterially expressed polypeptide corresponding to 56 amino acids of v-ets, we previously identified in chicken tissues a protein of 54 kd (p54c-ets) which shares extensive sequence homology to the v-ets-encoded domain of the E26-transforming protein p135gag-myb-ets and is thus apparently encoded by the c-ets proto-oncogene. We report here that the anti-ets serum specifically identifies in chicken cells a second set of proteins of 60 kd (p60), 62 kd (p62) and 64 kd (p64) which appear to be highly related to each other but display only a limited domain of homology with p54c-ets and p135gag-myb-ets and are thus probably encoded by a gene(s) partially related to, but different from c-ets. In contrast to p54c-ets which is expressed at high levels in chicken lymphoid tissues, prominent syntheses of p62 and p64 were found in both normal and transformed chicken macrophages but not in avian cells corresponding to immature stages of the myeloid differentiation pathway. These observations together with the fact that differentiation of avian myeloblastosis virus-transformed myeloblasts into macrophage-like cells after treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate is accompanied by the synthesis of p62 and p64 suggest a role for these proteins in chicken macrophage differentiation or function. Induction of differentiation of human leukemia cell lines HL60 and U937 into macrophages is also accompanied by the increased synthesis of c-ets-encoded 68 kd, 62 kd and 58 kd proteins.

Animals↗

Identification and preferential expression in thymic and bursal lymphocytes of a c-ets oncogene-encoded Mr 54,000 cytoplasmic protein.

The avian retrovirus E26 is unique among acute leukemia viruses in its ability to induce transformation of cells belonging to either the myeloid or erythroid lineage. The genome of E26 carries two oncogenes, v-myb and v-ets, that are derived from distinct cellular loci, c-myb and c-ets. We have constructed a plasmid vector that allows expression of part of the coding region of v-ets in a bacterial host. Antisera to the bacterially synthesized ets protein specifically precipitated the E26-encoded P135gag-myb-ets transforming protein. These antisera permitted us to identify a chicken c-ets-encoded protein of Mr 54,000 (P54c-ets) that shares 7 out of 10 of its major [35S]methionine-containing tryptic peptides with the v-ets-encoded domain of P135gag-myb-ets. Unlike P135gag-myb-ets and the Mr 75,000 translation product of c-myb (P75c-myb), which are nuclear proteins, P54c-ets was found to be predominantly cytoplasmic. P54c-ets is expressed at low levels in most cell lines and tissues tested, including bone marrow cells and circulating lymphocytes. P54c-ets, together with a minor but closely related Mr 56,000 protein, was found to be expressed at high levels in chicken thymocytes and bursal lymphocytes.

Animals↗

[Preparation and characterization of antisera specific to various polypeptide domains corresponding to the v-ets oncogene of the avian leukemia virus E26].

We prepared antisera to three distinct portions of the v-ets oncogene of the avian leukemia virus E26. An antiserum directed against the middle v-ets-encoded domain identifies in different chicken cell lines and normal tissues a c-ets-encoded protein of Mr 54,000 (P54c-ets) and three proteins of Mr 60,000 62,000 and 64,000 partially related to P54c-ets. Antisera directed against the aminoterminal v-ets-encoded domain failed to precipitate P54c-ets or P60/P64. Thus, the E26 specific v-ets oncogene displays a complex structure that includes several distinct portions, the genetic origin of which could be different.

Animals↗

A plasmid vector allowing positive selection of recombinant plasmids in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

A new plasmid, pSP2, was constructed as a cloning vector for use in Streptococcus pneumoniae. It allows direct selection of recombinant plasmids, even for DNA fragments not homologous to the S. pneumoniae chromosome, as based on the failure to maintain long inverted repeats (LIRs) hyphen-free in bacterial plasmids. Plasmid pSP2 contains a 1.4-kb BamHI fragment ("hyphen") flanked by 1.9-kb LIRs. The removal of the 1.4-kb BamHI fragment followed by ligation creates a plasmid containing a 1.9-kb insert-free LIR; plasmids with such non-hyphenated LIRs were not established when transferred into S. pneumoniae. Replacement of the original 1.4-kb insert by other restriction fragments restored plasmid viability. Investigation of plasmid transfer by transformation suggests that intrastrand synapsis between the LIRs could occur, thus facilitating plasmid establishment (a process we call self-facilitation). Such an intrastrand synapsis could also account for rare occurrences of insert-inversion noticed upon transfer as well as for the formation of palindrome-deleted derivatives at low frequency. Plasmid pSP2 carries two selectable genes, tet and ermC, and can be used for cloning of fragments produced by a variety of restriction enzymes (BamHI, Bg/II, Bc/I or Sau3A, and Sa/I or XhoI).

Chromosome Mapping↗