Biotin sensing: universal influence of biotin status on transcription.
Although the role of biotin in metabolic reactions has long been recognized, its influence on transcription has only recently been discovered. A key protein in biotin-mediated transcription regulation is the biotin protein ligase, the enzyme responsible for catalyzing covalent linkage of the vitamin to biotin-dependent carboxylases. In the biotin regulatory system of Escherichia coli, the best characterized of the biotin-sensing systems, the biotin protein ligase functions both as the biotinylating enzyme and as a transcription repressor. Detailed mechanistic studies of this system are reviewed. In addition, recent studies have revealed other biotin-sensing systems in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. These systems and the central role of the biotin protein ligase in each are also reviewed.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, College of Chemical and Life Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. dbeckett@umd.edu
Dorothy
D
Beckett
D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001710:Biotin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D001710:Biotin