title: Mutational analysis of the DNA-binding domain of the CYS3 regulatory protein of Neurospora crassa.
abstract: cys-3, the major sulfur regulatory gene of Neurospora crassa, activates the expression of a set of unlinked structural genes which encode sulfur catabolic-related enzymes during conditions of sulfur limitation. The cys-3 gene encodes a regulatory protein of 236 amino acid residues with a leucine zipper and an upstream basic region (the b-zip region) which together may constitute a DNA-binding domain. The b-zip region was expressed in Escherichia coli to examine its DNA-binding activity. The b-zip domain protein binds to the promoter region of the cys-3 gene itself and of cys-14, the sulfate permease II structural gene. A series of CYS3 mutant proteins obtained by site-directed mutagenesis were expressed and tested for function, dimer formation, and DNA-binding activity. The results demonstrate that the b-zip region of cys-3 is critical for both its function in vivo and specific DNA-binding in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kanaan
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Marzluf
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016350:Leucine Zippers; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009492:Neurospora crassa / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins