Regulation of transcription by DNA-bound non-histone nuclear proteins.
Purified non-histone proteins from mouse mammary cells bind specifically to homologous DNA or chromatin. Complexes of non-histone protein with DNA or chromatin, isolated on agarose columns, were transcribed with both Escherichia coli RNA polymerase and RNA polymerase B from calf thymus. The fact that complexing of DNA with non-histone proteins increases transcription by E. coli RNA polymerase but not by RNA polymerase B suggests different mechanisms of transcription by these two enzymes. Similar experiments with mouse and Drosophila chromatin indicate that non-histone proteins specifically stimulate the transcription of mouse chromatin by RNA polymerase B. Non-histone proteins stimulate the transcription of mouse mammary tumor virus sequences in chromatin by RNA polymerase B but not by E. coli RNA polymerase. We conclude that those non-histone proteins bound specifically to chromatin are able to activate the transcription of specific genes by eukaryotic RNA polymerase.
D000818:Animals; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000378:metabolism; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D012367:RNA, Viral