title: The yeast alpha 1 and MCM1 proteins bind a single strand of their duplex DNA recognition site.
abstract: The yeast cell type regulator alpha 1 cooperates with a constitutive factor, MCM1 protein, to recognize the promoter and activate transcription of several alpha-specific genes. I show here that the alpha 1 and MCM1 proteins bind specifically to one of the two strands of their recognition sequence. This single-strand-binding activity shares several characteristics with the duplex-binding properties of these proteins: (i) the MCM1 protein binds alone to single-stranded and duplex sequences of both the alpha-specific (P'Q) and a-specific (P) binding sites; (ii) the alpha 1 protein requires both the MCM1 protein and the Q sequence to bind either single-stranded or duplex DNA; (iii) the alpha 1 protein stimulates binding of the MCM1 protein to both single-stranded and duplex DNAs; and (iv) the affinities of the proteins for single-stranded and duplex DNAs are comparable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, New York 14627.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Grayhack
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D007700:Kinetics; D000072235:Mating Factor; D026341:Minichromosome Maintenance 1 Protein; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D026341:Minichromosome Maintenance 1 Protein; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010455:Peptides; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000072235:Mating Factor