title: The transcriptional regulatory protein, YB-1, promotes single-stranded regions in the DRA promoter.
abstract: YB-1 is a member of a newly defined family of DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, the Y box factors. These proteins have been shown to affect gene expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels. Recently, we showed that YB-1 represses interferon-gamma-induced transcription of class II human major histocompatibility (MHC) genes (1). Studies in this report characterize the DNA binding properties of purified, recombinant YB-1 on the MHC class II DRA promoter. The generation of YB-1-specific antibodies further permitted an analysis of the DNA binding properties of endogenous YB-1. YB-1 specifically binds single-stranded templates of the DRA promoter with greater affinity than double-stranded templates. The single-stranded DNA binding sites of YB-1 were mapped to the X box, whereas the double-stranded binding sites were mapped to the Y box of the DRA promoter, by methylation interference analysis. Most significantly, YB-1 can induce or stabilize single-stranded regions in the X and Y elements of the DRA promoter, as revealed by mung bean nuclease analysis. In concert with the findings that YB-1 represses DRA transcription, this study of YB-1 binding properties suggests a model of repression in which YB-1 binding results in single-stranded regions within the promoter, thus preventing loading and/or function of other DRA-specific transactivating factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology-Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7295.
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: MacDonald
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itoh-Lindstrom
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ting
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D015342:DNA Probes; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059805:HLA-DR alpha-Chains; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051839:NFI Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051840:Y-Box-Binding Protein 1
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D015342:DNA Probes; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059805:HLA-DR alpha-Chains; D051839:NFI Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051840:Y-Box-Binding Protein 1; C070856:YBX1 protein, human