title: The T protein encoded by Brachyury is a tissue-specific transcription factor.
abstract: The mouse Brachyury (T) gene is required for differentiation of the notochord and formation of mesoderm during posterior development. Homozygous embryos lacking T activity do not develop a trunk and tail and die in utero. The T gene is specifically expressed in notochord and early mesoderm cells in the embryo. recent data have demonstrated that the T protein is localized in the cell nucleus and specifically binds to a palindrome of 20 bp (the T site) in vitro. We show that the T protein activates expression of a reporter gene in HeLa cells through binding to the T site. Thus T is a novel tissue-specific transcription factor. It consists of a large N-terminal DNA binding domain (amino acids 1-229) and two pairs of transactivation and repression domains in the C-terminal protein half. T can also transactivate transcription through variously oriented and spaced T sites, a fact that may be relevant in the search for genes controlled by T protein and important in mesoderm development.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Abteilung Biochemie, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kispert
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koschorz
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Herrmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005326:Fetal Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D000098908:Brachyury Protein
chemical_list: D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D004247:DNA; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005326:Fetal Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000098908:Brachyury Protein; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae