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S J Elledge

Publications and source records attributed to S J Elledge.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Dominant genetics using a yeast genomic library under the control of a strong inducible promoter.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, numerous genes have been identified by selection from high-copy-number libraries based on "multicopy suppression" or other phenotypic consequences of overexpression. Although fruitful, this approach suffers from two major drawbacks. First, high copy number alone may not permit high-level expression of tightly regulated genes. Conversely, other genes expressed in proportion to dosage cannot be identified if their products are toxic at elevated levels. This work reports construction of a genomic DNA expression library for S. cerevisiae that circumvents both limitations by fusing randomly sheared genomic DNA to the strong, inducible yeast GAL1 promoter, which can be regulated by carbon source. The library obtained contains 5 x 10(7) independent recombinants, representing a breakpoint at every base in the yeast genome. This library was used to examine aberrant gene expression in S. cerevisiae. A screen for dominant activators of yeast mating response identified eight genes that activate the pathway in the absence of exogenous mating pheromone, including one previously unidentified gene. One activator was a truncated STE11 gene lacking approximately 1000 base pairs of amino-terminal coding sequence. In two different clones, the same GAL1 promoter-proximal ATG is in-frame with the coding sequence of STE11, suggesting that internal initiation of translation there results in production of a biologically active, truncated STE11 protein. Thus this library allows isolation based on dominant phenotypes of genes that might have been difficult or impossible to isolate from high-copy-number libraries.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

CDK2 encodes a 33-kDa cyclin A-associated protein kinase and is expressed before CDC2 in the cell cycle.

Critical cell cycle transitions are controlled by the coordinate actions of the p34cdc2 protein kinase and its regulatory subunits, cyclins. Recently we identified another human p34 homolog, cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) by complementation of a cdc28-4 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a lambda YES human cDNA expression library. CDK2 is 66% identical to CDC2Hs and 89% identical to the Xenopus Eg1 gene, forming a distinct subfamily of CDC2-related protein kinases. We have found that CDK2 encodes a 33-kDa cyclin A-associated protein kinase that contains phosphotyrosine, two characteristics it shares with CDC2Hs. However, we show that the subunit composition of these two protein kinase complexes can vary in different cell types, that they have different in vitro substrate preferences, and that CDK2 mRNA is observed much earlier than CDC2Hs mRNA when lymphocytes are stimulated to enter the cell cycle. We suggest that cells in different developmental or transformed states may have different mechanisms of cell cycle regulation.

CDC2 Protein Kinase↗
PubMed1992

Ribonucleotide reductase: regulation, regulation, regulation.

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) catalyses the rate limiting step in the production of deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA synthesis. It is composed of two dissimilar subunits, R1, the large subunit containing the allosteric regulatory sites, and R2, the small subunit containing a binuclear iron center and a tyrosyl free radical. Recent isolation of the mammalian and yeast RNR genes has shown that, in addition to the well documented allosteric regulation, the synthesis of the enzyme is also tightly regulated at the level of transcription. The mRNAs for both subunits are cell-cycle regulated and, in yeast, inducible by DNA damage. Yeast encode a second large subunit gene, RNR3, that is expressed only in the presence of DNA damage. This regulation is thought to provide a metabolic state that facilitates DNA replicational repair processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Isolation of crt mutants constitutive for transcription of the DNA damage inducible gene RNR3 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Ribonucleotide reductase is an essential enzyme that catalyzes the rate limiting step for production of the deoxyribonucleotides required for DNA synthesis. It is encoded by three genes, RNR1, RNR2 and RNR3, each of which is inducible by agents that damage DNA or block DNA replication. To probe the signaling pathway mediating this DNA damage response, we have designed a general selection system for isolating spontaneous trans-acting mutations that alter RNR3 expression using a chromosomal RNR3-URA3 transcriptional fusion and an RNR3-lacZ reporter plasmid. Using this system, we have isolated 202 independent trans-acting crt (constitutive RNR3 transcription) mutants that express high levels of RNR3 in the absence of DNA damaging agents. Of these, 200 are recessive and fall into 9 complementation groups. In some crt groups, the expression of RNR1 and RNR2 are also elevated, suggesting that all three RNR genes share a common regulatory pathway. Mutations in most CRT genes confer additional phenotypes, among these are clumpiness, hydroxyurea sensitivity, temperature sensitivity and slow growth. Five of the CRT genes have been identified as previously cloned genes; CRT4 is TUP1, CRT5 is POL1/CDC17, CRT6 is RNR2, CRT7 is RNR1, and CRT8 is SSN6. crt6-68 and crt7-240 are the first ts alleles of RNR2 and RNR1, respectively, and arrest with a large budded, cdc terminal phenotype at the nonpermissive temperature. The isolation of crt5-262, an additional cdc allele of POL1/CDC17, suggests for the first time that directly blocking DNA replication can provide a signal to induce the DNA damage response. crt2 mutants show a defect in basal level expression of RNR1-lacZ reporter constructs. These are the first mutants isolated in yeast that alter the regulation of DNA damage inducible genes and the identification of their functions sheds light on the DNA damage sensory network.

Alleles↗
PubMed1992

Isolation of temperature-sensitive diphtheria toxins in yeast and their effects on Drosophila cells.

We have isolated temperature-sensitive diphtheria toxins (DT-A(ts)) to develop a method that allows temporal impedement of cellular functions. Four DT-A(ts) genes were isolated in a mutagenesis screen using the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. When expressed in yeast, these DT-A(ts) arrest growth at 18 degrees C but not at 30 degrees C. Three DT-A(ts) were subsequently tested in the R1-R6 photoreceptor cells of transgenic fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster. The toxins show similar temperature dependence in both organisms, suggesting that they may be useful in a wide range of non-homeothermic species. DNA sequence analysis revealed that three of the four DT-A(ts) mutations are novel. Interestingly, the fourth DT-A(ts) carries the same point mutation as the extensively characterized CRM197, an ADP ribosyltransferase-defective form of diphtheria toxin.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Lambda YES: a multifunctional cDNA expression vector for the isolation of genes by complementation of yeast and Escherichia coli mutations.

This work describes a multifunctional phage lambda expression vector system, lambda YES, designed to facilitate gene isolation from eukaryotes by complementation of Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutations. lambda YES vectors have a selection for cDNA inserts using an oligo adaptor strategy and are capable of expressing genes in both E. coli and S. cerevisiae. They also allow conversion from phage lambda to plasmid clones by using the cre-lox site-specific recombination system, referred to here as automatic subcloning. A simple method has been developed for the conversion of any plasmid into a phage lambda cDNA cloning vector with automatic subcloning capability. cDNA libraries constructed in these vectors were used to isolate genes from humans and Arabidopsis thaliana by complementation of yeast and bacterial mutations, respectively.

Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte↗
PubMed1991

A new human p34 protein kinase, CDK2, identified by complementation of a cdc28 mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a homolog of Xenopus Eg1.

The onset of S-phase and M-phase in both Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires the function of the cdc2/CDC28 gene product, p34, a serine-threonine protein kinase. A human homolog, p34cdc2, was identified by functional complementation of the S.pombe cdc2 mutation (Lee and Nurse, 1987). Using a human cDNA expression library to search for suppressors of cdc28 mutations in S. cerevisiae, we have identified a second functional p34 homolog, CDK2 cell division kinase). This gene is expressed as a 2.1 kb transcript encoding a polypeptide of 298 amino acids. This protein retains nearly all of the amino acids highly conserved among previously identified p34 homologs from other species, but is considerably divergent from all previous p34cdc2 homologs, approximately 65% identity. This gene encodes the human homolog of the Xenopus Eg1 gene, sharing 89% amino acid identity, and defines a second sub-family of CDC2 homologs. A second chromosomal mutation which arose spontaneously was required to allow complementation of the cdc28-4 mutation by CDK2. This mutation blocked the ability of this strain to mate. These results suggest that the machinery controlling the human cell cycle is more complex than that for fission and budding yeast.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Gene targeting at the human CD4 locus by epitope addition.

Homologous recombination at the CD4 locus in a human T-cell line has been achieved by an approach called epitope addition. The endogenous CD4 gene provided transcription, translation, and leader sequences to a crippled introduced Thy-1 gene, resulting in the expression of murine Thy-1 epitopes on the surface of the human cells. Thy-1+ cells were selected using the Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorter (FACS). An estimated 700-fold enrichment for homologous versus nonhomologous integration events was obtained, such that 70% of cells scoring positive for Thy-1 were derived from gene targeting. Three of the Thy-1+ cell lines expressed protein only from the targeted allele; thus, these cells were functionally CD4-.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Two genes differentially regulated in the cell cycle and by DNA-damaging agents encode alternative regulatory subunits of ribonucleotide reductase.

Ribonucleotide reductase activity is essential for progression through the cell cycle, catalyzing the rate-limiting step for the production of deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA synthesis. The enzymatic activity of the enzyme fluctuates in the cell cycle with an activity maximum in S phase. We have identified and characterized two Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes encoding the regulatory subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, RNR1 and RNR3. They share approximately 80% amino acid identity with each other and 60% with the mammalian homolog, M1. Genetic disruption reveals that the RNR1 gene is essential for mitotic viability, whereas the RNR3 gene is not essential. A high-copy-number clone of RNR3 is able to suppress the lethality of rnr1 mutations. Analysis of mRNA levels in cell-cycle-synchronized cultures reveals that the RNR1 mRNA is tightly cell-cycle regulated, fluctuating 15- to 30-fold, and is coordinately regulated with the POL1 mRNA, being expressed in the late G1 and S phases of the cell cycle. Progression from the alpha-factor-induced G1 block to induction of RNR1 mRNA is blocked by cycloheximide, further defining the requirement for protein synthesis in the G1- to S-phase transition. Both RNR1 and RNR3 transcripts are inducible by treatments that damage DNA, such as 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and methylmethanesulfonate, or block DNA replication, such as hydroxyurea. RNR1 is inducible 3- to 5-fold, and RNR3 is inducible greater than 100-fold. When MATa cells are arrested in G1 by alpha-factor, RNR1 and RNR3 mRNA is still inducible by DNA damage, indicating that the observed induction can occur outside of S phase. Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase activity by hydroxyurea treatment results in arrest of the cell cycle in S phase as large budded, uninucleate cells. This specific cell-cycle arrest is independent of the RAD9 gene, defining a separate pathway for the coordination of DNA synthesis and cell-cycle progression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1989

Genetic selection for genes encoding sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins.

We describe a genetic selection method designed to facilitate the cloning of genes encoding sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. The strategy selects for clones expressing particular sequence-specific DNA-binding activities from a library of clones encoding other, nonspecific proteins. Specific DNA-binding sites have been placed near the start of transcription of the strong synthetic conII promoter to create promoters that can be repressed by the corresponding sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. Transcription from the conII derivatives in the absence of repression interferes with the phenotypic expression of an adjacent drug-resistance gene, aadA. Sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins are shown to repress these promoters and alleviate transcriptional interference of aadA, resulting in drug resistance in cells expressing the appropriate DNA-binding protein.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Position and density effects on repression by stationary and mobile DNA-binding proteins.

We have investigated the effects of two types of DNA-binding proteins on bacterial repression. First, the effects of operator positioning on repression by stationary DNA-binding proteins, the Lac repressor and the Trp repressor, were examined in vivo. Both operator number and positioning play a role in determining in vivo levels of repression. Operators located within a promoter are more efficient regulators than those positioned at the start of transcription. Second, we investigated the effects of DNA-binding protein density on repression using a mobile DNA-binding protein, Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. We employed a transcriptional interference assay using convergent transcriptional units. The strong synthetic promoter conI and its derivatives were observed to interfere with expression of the aadA gene, which confers spectinomycin resistance upon its host. Transcriptional interference by RNA polymerase occurred only in cis and had a strong dependence on polymerase density that was modulated by varying the promoter strengths. A change in the density of approximately fourfold completely abolished the observed transcriptional interference. Several models are discussed to explain the repression patterns observed for stationary and mobile DNA-binding proteins.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1989

DNA damage induction of ribonucleotide reductase.

RNR2 encodes the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step in the pathway for the production of deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA synthesis. RNR2 is a member of a group of genes whose activities are cell cycle regulated and that are transcriptionally induced in response to the stress of DNA damage. An RNR2-lacZ fusion was used to further characterize the regulation of RNR2 and the pathway responsible for its response to DNA damage. beta-Galactosidase activity in yeast strains containing the RNR2-lacZ fusion was inducible in response to DNA-damaging agents (UV light, 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide [4-NQO], and methyl methanesulfonate [MMS]) and agents that block DNA replication (hydroxyurea [HU] and methotrexate) but not heat shock. When MATa cells were arrested in G1 by alpha-factor, RNR2 mRNA was still inducible by DNA damage, indicating that the observed induction can occur outside of S phase. In addition, RNR2 induction was not blocked by the presence of cycloheximide and is therefore likely to be independent of protein synthesis. A mutation, rnr2-314, was found to confer hypersensitivity to HU and increased sensitivity to MMS. In rnr2-314 mutant strains, the DNA damage stress response was found to be partially constitutive as well as hypersensitive to induction by HU but not MMS. The induction properties of RNR2 were examined in a rad4-2 mutant background; in this genetic background, RNR2 was hypersensitive to induction by 4-NQO but not MMS. Induction of the RNR2-lacZ fusion in a RAD(+) strain in response to 4-NQO was not enhanced by the presence of an equal number of rad4-2 cells that lacked the fusion, implying that the DNA damage stress response in cell autonomous.

4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide↗
PubMed1989

Identification of the DNA damage-responsive element of RNR2 and evidence that four distinct cellular factors bind it.

The RNR2 gene encodes the small subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, the enzyme that catalyzes the first step in the pathway for the production of the deoxyribonucleotides needed for DNA synthesis. Transcription of this gene is induced approximately 20-fold in response to environmental stimuli that damage DNA or block DNA replication. Deletion and subcloning analysis identified two, and possibly three, upstream activating sequences (UAS) and one repressing (URS) element in the RNR2 regulatory region. A 42-base-pair (bp) fragment from this region was found to be necessary for proper regulation of RNR2 and to be capable of conferring DNA damage inducibility upon a heterologous promoter. This fragment contained both positively and negatively acting sequences. Four DNA-binding factors interacted with the RNR2 regulatory region. One factor was identified as the GRF1 protein, the product of the RAP1 gene. GRF1 bound to the UAS2 element of RNR2, which was found to be directly adjacent to the 42-bp fragment. UAS2 activity was repressed by the 42-bp fragment. Three other factors bound to the 42-bp fragment; one of these factors, RRF3, had a second binding site in the RNR2 promoter. These factors are likely to mediate the response of RNR2 to DNA damage.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1988

A family of versatile centromeric vectors designed for use in the sectoring-shuffle mutagenesis assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A simple assay called the sectoring shuffle was developed to monitor the mutational state of essential genes cloned into yeast centromeric plasmids. The essence of this assay is the creation of a conditional phenotype, colony color sectoring, for an essential gene in the absence of conditional thermosensitive or cold-sensitive alleles of that gene. This allows the quick determination of the mutational state of a cloned essential gene by observing its effect on the sectoring phenotype of the tester strain. During the course of this work we developed a family of 20 Escherichia coli-yeast shuttle vectors, pUN plasmids, containing ARS1 CEN4 and a variety of selectable markers as well as the SUP11 gene which can act as a color marker in the proper background. These vectors are compact and have been very useful for the sectoring-shuffle assay and for gene analysis in general. This paper describes these vectors, the sectoring shuffle and several applications of sectoring phenotypes.

Centromere↗
PubMed1985

umuDC and mucAB operons whose products are required for UV light- and chemical-induced mutagenesis: UmuD, MucA, and LexA proteins share homology.

The products of the Escherichia coli umuDC operon and its plasmid-borne analog, mucAB, are required for mutagenesis caused by UV light and by many chemicals. We have determined the nucleotide sequences of umuDC and mucAB and present comparisons of these sequences. The two operons are 52% homologous at the nucleotide level. Open reading frames corresponding in position and size to the umu and muc genes have been identified. The reading frames of umuD and umuC overlap by 1 base pair, and the reading frames of mucA and mucB overlap by 13 base pairs. The predicted amino acid sequences of the UmuD and MucA proteins are 41% homologous; those of the UmuC and MucB proteins are 55% homologous. Considerable homology has also been detected between UmuD, MucA, and the COOH-terminal domains of the LexA repressor and the repressors of phage lambda, 434, and P22. Complementation analyses reveal that MucA protein cannot substitute for UmuD in a umuD- umuC+ host and that MucB protein cannot substitute for UmuC in a umuD+ umuC- host. Potential regulatory sequences have been identified in umuDC and mucAB.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1985

Phasmid vectors for identification of genes by complementation of Escherichia coli mutants.

A bacteriophage lambda cloning vector was designed to facilitate the isolation of genes from procaryotic organisms by complementation of Escherichia coli mutants. This vector, lambda SE4, was constructed by attaching a very-low-copy-number replication system (from the plasmid NR1) and a spectinomycin resistance gene to the left arm of lambda 1059 (Karn et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 77:5172-5176, 1980). This phasmid cloning vector is capable of growing lytically as a phage in a nonimmune host or lysogenically as a phasmid in an immune host. This phasmid utilizes the Spi- selection for insertions of DNA into the vector and has the ability to accept 2- to 19-kilobase Sau3A1, BamHI, BglII, BclI, or XhoII fragments; recombinants lysogenize immune hosts as single-copy-number selectable plasmids at 100% frequency. An E. coli library was constructed by using the initial vector lambda SE4, and clones of a number of representative genes were identified. A typical clone, lambda ant+, was shown to be readily mutagenized by a mini-Tn10 transposon. A general method for transferring cloned DNA segments onto bacteriophage lambda was developed. The method involves the use of in vivo recombination with a selection and was used to construct two derivatives of lambda SE4. Possible uses of these vectors and of the method for transferring cloned DNA onto phage lambda are discussed.

Bacteriophage lambda↗