Dual role of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae TEA/ATTS family transcription factor Tec1p in regulation of gene expression and cellular development.
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the transcription factors Tec1p and Ste12p are required for haploid invasive and diploid pseudohyphal growth. Tec1p and Ste12p have been postulated to regulate these developmental processes primarily by cooperative binding to filamentous and invasion-responsive elements (FREs), which are combined enhancer elements that consist of a Tec1p-binding site (TCS) and an Stel2p-binding site (PRE). They are present in the promoter regions of target genes, e.g., FLO11. Here, we show that Tec1p efficiently activates target gene expression and cellular development in the absence of Stel2p. We further demonstrate that TCS elements alone are sufficient to mediate Tec1p-driven gene expression by a mechanism termed TCS control that is operative even when Stel2p is absent. Mutational analysis of TEC1 revealed that TCS control, FLO11 expression, and haploid invasive growth require the C terminus of Tec1p. In contrast, the Ste12p-dependent FRE control mechanism is sufficiently executed by the N-terminal portion of Tec1p, which contains the TEA/ATTS DNA-binding domain. Our study suggests that regulation of haploid invasive and diploid pseudohyphal growth by Stel2p and Tec1p is not only executed by combinatorial control but involves additional control mechanisms in which Stel2p activates TEC1 expression via clustered PREs and where Tec1p regulates expression of target genes, e.g., FLO11, by TCS control.
Köhler
Tim
T
Institute for Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August University, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.
Wesche
Stefanie
S
Taheri
Naimeh
N
Braus
Gerhard H
GH
Mösch
Hans-Ulrich
HU
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C110690:FLO11 protein, S cerevisiae; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C489241:STE12 protein, S cerevisiae; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; C069926:TEC1 protein, S cerevisiae; D014157:Transcription Factors