Residues in the Swi5 zinc finger protein that mediate cooperative DNA binding with the Pho2 homeodomain protein.
The Swi5 zinc finger and the Pho2 homeodomain DNA-binding proteins bind cooperatively to the HO promoter. Pho2 (also known as Bas2 or Grf10) activates transcription of diverse genes, acting with multiple distinct DNA-binding proteins. We have performed a genetic screen to identify amino acid residues in Swi5 that are required for synergistic transcriptional activation of a reporter construct in vivo. Nine unique amino acid substitutions within a 24-amino-acid region of Swi5, upstream of the DNA-binding domain, reduce expression of promoters that require both Swi5 and Pho2 for activation. In vitro DNA binding experiments show that the mutant Swi5 proteins bind DNA normally, but some mutant Swi5 proteins (resulting from SWI5* mutations) show reduced cooperative DNA binding with Pho2. In vivo experiments show that these SWI5* mutations sharply reduce expression of promoters that require both SWI5 and PHO2, while expression of promoters that require SWI5 but are PHO2 independent is largely unaffected. This suggests that these SWI5* mutations do not affect the ability of Swi5 to bind DNA or activate transcription but specifically affect the region of Swi5 required for interaction with Pho2. Two-hybrid experiments show that amino acids 471 to 513 of Swi5 are necessary and sufficient for interaction with Pho2 and that the SWI5* point mutations cause a severe reduction in this two-hybrid interaction. Analysis of promoter activation by these mutants suggests that this small region of Swi5 has at least two distinct functions, conferring specificity for activation of the HO promoter and for interaction with Pho2.
Division of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA.
L T
LT
Bhoite
D J
DJ
Stillman
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000235:genetics*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000502:physiology*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015719:Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000502:physiology; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000235:genetics*
D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C051611:PHO2 protein, S cerevisiae; C080218:SWI5 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; C530845:HO protein, S cerevisiae; C037725:SCEI protein, S cerevisiae; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; D015719:Single-Strand Specific DNA and RNA Endonucleases