title: Fos-Jun heterodimers and Jun homodimers bend DNA in opposite orientations: implications for transcription factor cooperativity.
abstract: Association of Fos and Jun with the AP-1 site results in a conformational change in the basic amino acid regions that constitute the DNA-binding domain. We show that Fos and Jun induce a corresponding alteration in the conformation of the DNA helix. Circular permutation analysis indicated that both Fos-Jun heterodimers and Jun homodimers induce flexure at the AP-1 site. Phasing analysis demonstrated that Fos-Jun heterodimers and Jun homodimers induce DNA bends that are directed in opposite orientations. Fos-Jun heterodimers bend DNA toward the major groove, whereas Jun homodimers bend DNA toward the minor groove. Fos and Jun peptides encompassing the dimerization and DNA-binding domains bend DNA in the same orientations as the full-length proteins. However, additional regions of both proteins influence the magnitude of the DNA bend angle. Thus, despite the amino acid sequence similarity in the basic region Fos-Jun heterodimers and Jun homodimers form topologically distinct DNA-protein complexes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Oncology and Virology, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Nutley, New Jersey 07110.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Kerppola
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Curran
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008961:Models, Structural; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA