Characterization of C-terminal domains of Arabidopsis heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) and identification of a new signature combination of plant class A Hsfs with AHA and NES motifs essential for activator function and intracellular localization.
Heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) are the major regulators of the plant heat stress (hs) response. Sequencing of the Arabidopsis genome revealed the existence of 21 open-reading frames (ORFs) encoding putative Hsfs assigned to classes A-C. Here we present results of a functional genomics approach to the Arabidopsis Hsf family focused on the analysis of their C-terminal domains (CTDs) harboring conserved modules for their function as transcription factors and their intracellular localization. Using reporter assays in tobacco protoplasts and yeast as well as glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pull-down assays, we demonstrate that short peptide motifs enriched with aromatic and large hydrophobic amino acid (aa) residues embedded in an acidic surrounding (AHA motifs) are essential for transcriptional activity of class A Hsfs. In contrast to this, class B and C Hsfs lack AHA motifs and have no activator function on their own. We also provide evidence for the function of a leucine (Leu)-rich region centered around a conserved QMGPhiL motif at the very C-terminus as a nuclear export signal (NES) of class A Hsfs. Sequence comparison indicates that the combination of a C-terminal AHA motif with the consensus sequence FWxxF/L,F/I/L as well as the adjacent NES represents a signature domain for plant class A Hsfs, which allowed to identify more than 60 new Hsfs from the expressed sequence tag (EST) database.
Kotak
Sachin
S
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Biocenter N200, 3OG, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Marie-Curie-Str. 9, D-60439 Frankfurt, Germany.
Port
Markus
M
Ganguli
Arnab
A
Bicker
Frank
F
von Koskull-Döring
Pascal
P
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals / Q000378:metabolism; D020161:Physical Chromosome Mapping; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D015003:Yeasts / Q000235:genetics
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D019913:Nuclear Localization Signals; D010940:Plant Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors