title: GAL11P: a yeast mutation that potentiates the effect of weak GAL4-derived activators.
abstract: A mutant yeast in which a weak GAL4-derived activator functions as a strong activator bears a single mis-sense mutation in GAL11 (a.k.a. SPT13). The first 74 amino acids of GAL4, including the zinc-dependent DNA binding region, attached to an acidic activating sequence, are sufficient to respond both to GAL11 and to our mutant GAL11P (potentiator). PPR1, a yeast activator with a similar zinc finger sequence, also responds to GAL11 and to GAL11P, whereas regulators bearing unrelated DNA binding motifs do not. GAL11 itself works as a strong activator when tethered to DNA by fusion to the bacterial LexA protein, and deletion of GAL11 is known to cause a 5- to 10-fold reduction in GAL4 activity. We suggest that a complex of GAL4 and GAL11 constitutes a particularly strong activator; evidence that the putative GAL4-GAL11 complex ordinarily forms preferentially on DNA suggests a biological rationale for GAL11 action.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
authors: H J
authors: HJ
authors: Himmelfarb
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Pearlberg
authors: D H
authors: DH
authors: Last
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Ptashne
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D056892:Mediator Complex; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009154:Mutation; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016385:TATA Box; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016335:Zinc Fingers; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C058337:GAL11 protein, S cerevisiae; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D056892:Mediator Complex; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D001616:beta-Galactosidase