title: Identification of a novel tissue-specific transcriptional activator FESTA as a protein that interacts with the transcription elongation factor S-II.
abstract: Transcription elongation factor S-II was originally purified as a specific stimulator of transcription by RNA polymerase II. Recent studies suggest that S-II participates in gene-specific transcriptional activation in vivo, despite the fact that it directly binds RNA polymerase II and does not recognize specific DNA sequences. In this study, under the hypothesis that S-II requires co-factors to regulate the expression of specific-genes in vivo, we searched for factors that directly interact with S-II using a yeast two-hybrid system, and isolated a novel nuclear protein, FESTA. FESTA is expressed specifically in kidney and spleen, supporting our notion that S-II participates in gene-specific regulation. Two mRNA isoforms of FESTA encoding proteins with different sizes were identified and named FESTA-S and FESTA-L. FESTA contains a serine-rich region and a C-terminal tail that are highly similar to those of the ELL-associated factor EAF1. Reporter gene assays indicated that both GAL4-FESTA-S and GAL4-FESTA-L fusion proteins have trans-activating ability. Furthermore, deletion of the C-terminal tail of FESTA dramatically reduced its trans-activating ability and abolished its interaction with S-II. This study is the first report of a transcriptional activator that directly interacts with S-II and contains a transcriptional activation domain that cooperates with S-II via direct interaction.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033.
authors.forename: Kayoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saso
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Shunji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Natori
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekimizu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D013045:Species Specificity; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D035165:Transcription Factors, General / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques
chemical_list: C483108:FESTA protein, mouse; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015534:Trans-Activators; D035165:Transcription Factors, General; D035602:Transcriptional Elongation Factors; C018648:transcription factor S-II; D012319:RNA Polymerase II