Drosophila tissue-specific transcription factor NTF-1 contains a novel isoleucine-rich activation motif.
The Drosophila tissue-specific transcription factor NTF-1 provides a useful model system for studying the mechanisms by which promoter-selective factors control the development of a multicellular organism. A number of promoters that may be targets of NTF-1 regulation have been identified. For example, NTF-1 plays a critical role in the tissue-specific expression of the Drosophila Dopa decarboxylase gene. Additionally, by using in vitro assays, it has been possible to characterize the mechanism of NTF-1 activation, revealing its dependence on specific coactivators, or TAFs. Here, we report the use of both in vivo and in vitro assays to identify the functional domains of NTF-1. These consist of an unusually large, unique DNA-binding and dimerization domain, as well as a novel, isoleucine-rich activation domain. This 56-amino-acid activation region fails to interact with the putative Sp1 coactivator, dTAFII110, and thus appears to use a mechanism distinct from the glutamine-rich activation domain of Sp1. Additionally, NTF-1 appears to activate transcription in a species-specific manner, utilizing distinct domains in Drosophila and yeast.
Attardi
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LD
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
Tjian
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007532:Isoleucine / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D000596:Amino Acids; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C062330:grh protein, Drosophila; D007532:Isoleucine; D004247:DNA