Delta, a transcription factor that binds to downstream elements in several polymerase II promoters, is a functionally versatile zinc finger protein.
The promoters of several eukaryotic genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II contain elements located downstream of the transcriptional start site. To gain insight into how these elements function in the formation of an active transcription complex, we have cloned and sequenced the cDNA that encodes delta, a protein that binds to critical downstream promoter elements in the mouse ribosomal protein rpL30 and rpL32 genes. Our results revealed that the delta protein contains four C-terminal zinc fingers, which are essential for its DNA binding capability and a very unusual N-terminal domain that includes stretches of 11 consecutive negatively charged amino acids and 12 consecutive histidines. The sequence of the delta protein was found to be essentially identical to a concurrently cloned human transcription factor that acts both positively and negatively in the context of immunoglobulin enhancers and a viral promoter. Our structural modeling of this protein indicates properties that could endow it with exquisite functional versatility.
Hariharan
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N
Institute for Cancer Research, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111.
Kelley
D E
DE
Perry
R P
RP
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D015870:Gene Expression; D005796:Genes; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016335:Zinc Fingers
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D012319:RNA Polymerase II