Partially phosphorylated Pho4 activates transcription of a subset of phosphate-responsive genes.
A cell's ability to generate different responses to different levels of stimulus is an important component of an adaptive environmental response. Transcriptional responses are frequently controlled by transcription factors regulated by phosphorylation. We demonstrate that differential phosphorylation of the budding yeast transcription factor Pho4 contributes to differential gene expression. When yeast cells are grown in high-phosphate growth medium, Pho4 is phosphorylated on four critical residues by the cyclin-CDK complex Pho80-Pho85 and is inactivated. When yeast cells are starved for phosphate, Pho4 is dephosphorylated and fully active. In intermediate-phosphate conditions, a form of Pho4 preferentially phosphorylated on one of the four sites accumulates and activates transcription of a subset of phosphate-responsive genes. This Pho4 phosphoform binds differentially to phosphate-responsive promoters and helps to trigger differential gene expression. Our results demonstrate that three transcriptional outputs can be generated by a pathway whose regulation is controlled by one kinase, Pho80-Pho85, and one transcription factor, Pho4. Differential phosphorylation of Pho4 by Pho80-Pho85 produces phosphorylated forms of Pho4 that differ in their ability to activate transcription, contributing to multiple outputs.
Springer
Michael
M
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Wykoff
Dennis D
DD
Miller
Nicole
N
O'Shea
Erin K
EK
D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D016213:Cyclins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008954:Models, Biological; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010710:Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D010748:Phosphopeptides / Q000737:chemistry; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D003470:Culture Media; D016213:Cyclins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C060292:PHO4 protein, S cerevisiae; C066824:PHO80 protein, S cerevisiae; D010710:Phosphates; D010748:Phosphopeptides; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; C058605:PHO85 protein, S cerevisiae