title: Identification and characterization of Drosophila relatives of the yeast transcriptional activator SNF2/SWI2.
abstract: The Drosophila brahma (brm) gene encodes an activator of homeotic genes that is highly related to the yeast transcriptional activator SWI2 (SNF2), a potential helicase. To determine whether brm is a functional homolog of SWI2 or merely a member of a family of SWI2-related genes, we searched for additional Drosophila genes related to SWI2 and examined their function in yeast cells. In addition to brm, we identified one other Drosophila relative of SWI2: the closely related ISWI gene. The 1,027-residue ISWI protein contains the DNA-dependent ATPase domain characteristic of the SWI2 protein family but lacks the three other domains common to brm and SWI2. In contrast, the ISWI protein is highly related (70% identical) to the human hSNF2L protein over its entire length, suggesting that they may be functional homologs. The DNA-dependent ATPase domains of brm and SWI2, but not ISWI, are functionally interchangeable; a chimeric SWI2-brm protein partially rescued the slow growth of swi2- cells and supported transcriptional activation mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor in vivo in yeast cells. These findings indicate that brm is the closest Drosophila relative of SWI2 and suggest that brm and SWI2 play similar roles in transcriptional activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz 95064.
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Elfring
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deuring
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: McCallum
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tamkun
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004265:DNA Helicases; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C086468:ISWI protein; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; C086469:brm protein, Drosophila; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases; C499333:SNF2 protein, S cerevisiae; D004265:DNA Helicases