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Kim JH, Nagaraja R, Ogurtsov AY, Noskov VN, Liskovykh M, Lee HS, Hori Y, Kobayashi T, Hunter K, Schlessinger D, Kouprina N, Shabalina SA, Larionov V. Comparative analysis and classification of highly divergent mouse rDNA units based on their intergenic spacer (IGS) variability. NAR Genom Bioinform 2024; 6:lqae070. [PMID: 38881577 PMCID: PMC11177557 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqae070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeat units are organized into tandem clusters in eukaryotic cells. In mice, these clusters are located on at least eight chromosomes and show extensive variation in the number of repeats between mouse genomes. To analyze intra- and inter-genomic variation of mouse rDNA repeats, we selectively isolated 25 individual rDNA units using Transformation-Associated Recombination (TAR) cloning. Long-read sequencing and subsequent comparative sequence analysis revealed that each full-length unit comprises an intergenic spacer (IGS) and a ∼13.4 kb long transcribed region encoding the three rRNAs, but with substantial variability in rDNA unit size, ranging from ∼35 to ∼46 kb. Within the transcribed regions of rDNA units, we found 209 variants, 70 of which are in external transcribed spacers (ETSs); but the rDNA size differences are driven primarily by IGS size heterogeneity, due to indels containing repetitive elements and some functional signals such as enhancers. Further evolutionary analysis categorized rDNA units into distinct clusters with characteristic IGS lengths; numbers of enhancers; and presence/absence of two common SNPs in promoter regions, one of which is located within promoter (p)RNA and may influence pRNA folding stability. These characteristic features of IGSs also correlated significantly with 5'ETS variant patterns described previously and associated with differential expression of rDNA units. Our results suggest that variant rDNA units are differentially regulated and open a route to investigate the role of rDNA variation on nucleolar formation and possible associations with pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Hyun Kim
- National Cancer Institute, Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ramaiah Nagaraja
- National Institute of Aging, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alexey Y Ogurtsov
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vladimir N Noskov
- National Cancer Institute, Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mikhail Liskovykh
- National Cancer Institute, Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Hee-Sheung Lee
- National Cancer Institute, Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yutaro Hori
- The University of Tokyo, Laboratory of Genome Regeneration, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Takehiko Kobayashi
- The University of Tokyo, Laboratory of Genome Regeneration, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - Kent Hunter
- National Cancer Institute, Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David Schlessinger
- National Institute of Aging, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Natalay Kouprina
- National Cancer Institute, Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Svetlana A Shabalina
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Vladimir Larionov
- National Cancer Institute, Developmental Therapeutics Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA
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The Ribosomal Gene Loci-The Power behind the Throne. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12050763. [PMID: 34069807 PMCID: PMC8157237 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleoli form around actively transcribed ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes (rDNA), and the morphology and location of nucleolus-associated genomic domains (NADs) are linked to the RNA Polymerase I (Pol I) transcription status. The number of rDNA repeats (and the proportion of actively transcribed rRNA genes) is variable between cell types, individuals and disease state. Substantial changes in nucleolar morphology and size accompanied by concomitant changes in the Pol I transcription rate have long been documented during normal cell cycle progression, development and malignant transformation. This demonstrates how dynamic the nucleolar structure can be. Here, we will discuss how the structure of the rDNA loci, the nucleolus and the rate of Pol I transcription are important for dynamic regulation of global gene expression and genome stability, e.g., through the modulation of long-range genomic interactions with the suppressive NAD environment. These observations support an emerging paradigm whereby the rDNA repeats and the nucleolus play a key regulatory role in cellular homeostasis during normal development as well as disease, independent of their role in determining ribosome capacity and cellular growth rates.
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Matyášek R, Kuderová A, Kutílková E, Kučera M, Kovařík A. Intragenomic heterogeneity of intergenic ribosomal DNA spacers in Cucurbita moschata is determined by DNA minisatellites with variable potential to form non-canonical DNA conformations. DNA Res 2019; 26:273-286. [PMID: 31231763 PMCID: PMC6589552 DOI: 10.1093/dnares/dsz008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The intergenic spacer (IGS) of rDNA is frequently built of long blocks of tandem repeats. To estimate the intragenomic variability of such knotty regions, we employed PacBio sequencing of the Cucurbita moschata genome, in which thousands of rDNA copies are distributed across a number of loci. The rRNA coding regions are highly conserved, indicating intensive interlocus homogenization and/or high selection pressure. However, the IGS exhibits high intragenomic structural diversity. Two repeated blocks, R1 (300-1250 bp) and R2 (290-643 bp), account for most of the IGS variation. They exhibit minisatellite-like features built of multiple periodically spaced short GC-rich sequence motifs with the potential to adopt non-canonical DNA conformations, G-quadruplex-folded and left-handed Z-DNA. The mutual arrangement of these motifs can be used to classify IGS variants into five structural families. Subtle polymorphisms exist within each family due to a variable number of repeats, suggesting the coexistence of an enormous number of IGS variants. The substantial length and structural heterogeneity of IGS minisatellites suggests that the tempo of their divergence exceeds the tempo of the homogenization of rDNA arrays. As frequently occurring among plants, we hypothesize that their instability may influence transcription regulation and/or destabilize rDNA units, possibly spreading them across the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Matyášek
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Kuderová
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Kutílková
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marek Kučera
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Aleš Kovařík
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Agrawal S, Ganley ARD. The conservation landscape of the human ribosomal RNA gene repeats. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0207531. [PMID: 30517151 PMCID: PMC6281188 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribosomal RNA gene repeats (rDNA) encode ribosomal RNA, a major component of ribosomes. Ribosome biogenesis is central to cellular metabolic regulation, and several diseases are associated with rDNA dysfunction, notably cancer, However, its highly repetitive nature has severely limited characterization of the elements responsible for rDNA function. Here we make use of phylogenetic footprinting to provide a comprehensive list of novel, potentially functional elements in the human rDNA. Complete rDNA sequences for six non-human primate species were constructed using de novo whole genome assemblies. These new sequences were used to determine the conservation profile of the human rDNA, revealing 49 conserved regions in the rDNA intergenic spacer (IGS). To provide insights into the potential roles of these conserved regions, the conservation profile was integrated with functional genomics datasets. We find two major zones that contain conserved elements characterised by enrichment of transcription-associated chromatin factors, and transcription. Conservation of some IGS transcripts in the apes underpins the potential functional significance of these transcripts and the elements controlling their expression. Our results characterize the conservation landscape of the human IGS and suggest that noncoding transcription and chromatin elements are conserved and important features of this unique genomic region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saumya Agrawal
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Austen R. D. Ganley
- Institute of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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5
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Bughio F, Maggert KA. The peculiar genetics of the ribosomal DNA blurs the boundaries of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Chromosome Res 2018; 27:19-30. [PMID: 30511202 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-018-9591-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Our goal is to draw a line-hypothetical in its totality but experimentally supported at each individual step-connecting the ribosomal DNA and the phenomenon of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of induced phenotypes. The reasonableness of this hypothesis is offset by its implication, that many (or most) (or all) of the cases of induced-and-inherited phenotypes that are seen to persist for generations are instead unmapped induced polymorphisms in the ribosomal DNA, and thus are the consequence of the peculiar and enduringly fascinating genetics of the highly transcribed repeat DNA structure at that locus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farah Bughio
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Keith A Maggert
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
- University of Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.
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Zhao Z, Sentürk N, Song C, Grummt I. lncRNA PAPAS tethered to the rDNA enhancer recruits hypophosphorylated CHD4/NuRD to repress rRNA synthesis at elevated temperatures. Genes Dev 2018; 32:836-848. [PMID: 29907651 PMCID: PMC6049515 DOI: 10.1101/gad.311688.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Attenuation of pre-rRNA synthesis in response to elevated temperature is accompanied by increased levels of PAPAS ("promoter and pre-rRNA antisense"), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that is transcribed in an orientation antisense to pre-rRNA. Here we show that PAPAS interacts directly with DNA, forming a DNA-RNA triplex structure that tethers PAPAS to a stretch of purines within the enhancer region, thereby guiding associated CHD4/NuRD (nucleosome remodeling and deacetylation) to the rDNA promoter. Protein-RNA interaction experiments combined with RNA secondary structure mapping revealed that the N-terminal part of CHD4 interacts with an unstructured A-rich region in PAPAS. Deletion or mutation of this sequence abolishes the interaction with CHD4. Stress-dependent up-regulation of PAPAS is accompanied by dephosphorylation of CHD4 at three serine residues, which enhances the interaction of CHD4/NuRD with RNA and reinforces repression of rDNA transcription. The results emphasize the function of lncRNAs in guiding chromatin remodeling complexes to specific genomic loci and uncover a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism of CHD4/NuRD-mediated transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongliang Zhao
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research Center, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum-Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nevcin Sentürk
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research Center, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum-Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Chenlin Song
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research Center, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum-Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ingrid Grummt
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research Center, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum-Zentrum für Molekulare Biologie der Universität Heidelberg Alliance, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Kakou B, Angers B, Glémet H. Extensive length variation in the ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer of yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Genome 2016; 59:149-58. [PMID: 26841134 DOI: 10.1139/gen-2015-0114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The intergenic spacer (IGS) is located between ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene copies. Within the IGS, regulatory elements for rRNA gene transcription are found, as well as a varying number of other repetitive elements that are at the root of IGS length heterogeneity. This heterogeneity has been shown to have a functional significance through its effect on growth rate. Here, we present the structural organization of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) IGS based on its entire sequence, as well as the IGS length variation within a natural population. Yellow perch IGS structure has four discrete regions containing tandem repeat elements. For three of these regions, no specific length class was detected as allele size was seemingly normally distributed. However, for one repeat region, PCR amplification uncovered the presence of two distinctive IGS variants representing a length difference of 1116 bp. This repeat region was also devoid of any CpG sites despite a high GC content. Balanced selection may be holding the alleles in the population and would account for the high diversity of length variants observed for adjacent regions. Our study is an important precursor for further work aiming to assess the role of IGS length variation in influencing growth rate in fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bidénam Kakou
- a Département des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada
| | - Bernard Angers
- b Department of Biological Sciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada.,c GRIL - Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie et en environnement aquatique
| | - Hélène Glémet
- a Département des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC G9A 5H7, Canada.,c GRIL - Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie et en environnement aquatique
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Matyášek R, Dobešová E, Húska D, Ježková I, Soltis PS, Soltis DE, Kovařík A. Interpopulation hybridization generates meiotically stable rDNA epigenetic variants in allotetraploid Tragopogon mirus. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2016; 85:362-377. [PMID: 26711705 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.13110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Revised: 12/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Uniparental silencing of 35S rRNA genes (rDNA), known as nucleolar dominance (ND), is common in interspecific hybrids. Allotetraploid Tragopogon mirus composed of Tragopogon dubius (d) and Tragopogon porrifolius (p) genomes shows highly variable ND. To examine the molecular basis of such variation, we studied the genetic and epigenetic features of rDNA homeologs in several lines derived from recently and independently formed natural populations. Inbred lines derived from T. mirus with a dominant d-rDNA homeolog transmitted this expression pattern over generations, which may explain why it is prevalent among natural populations. In contrast, lines derived from the p-rDNA dominant progenitor were meiotically unstable, frequently switching to co-dominance. Interpopulation crosses between progenitors displaying reciprocal ND resulted in d-rDNA dominance, indicating immediate suppression of p-homeologs in F1 hybrids. Original p-rDNA dominance was not restored in later generations, even in those segregants that inherited the corresponding parental rDNA genotype, thus indicating the generation of additional p-rDNA and d-rDNA epigenetic variants. Despite preserved intergenic spacer (IGS) structure, they showed altered cytosine methylation and chromatin condensation patterns, and a correlation between expression, hypomethylation of RNA Pol I promoters and chromatin decondensation was apparent. Reversion of such epigenetic variants occurred rarely, resulting in co-dominance maintained in individuals with distinct genotypes. Generally, interpopulation crosses may generate epialleles that are not present in natural populations, underlying epigenetic dynamics in young allopolyploids. We hypothesize that highly expressed variants with distinct IGS features may induce heritable epigenetic reprogramming of the partner rDNA arrays, harmonizing the expression of thousands of genes in allopolyploids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Matyášek
- Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Dobešová
- Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Dalibor Húska
- Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ivana Ježková
- Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Pamela S Soltis
- Florida Museum of National History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Douglas E Soltis
- Florida Museum of National History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Aleš Kovařík
- Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics, Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v.i., Brno, Czech Republic
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Inácio V, Rocheta M, Morais-Cecílio L. Molecular organization of the 25S-18S rDNA IGS of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus suber: a comparative analysis. PLoS One 2014; 9:e98678. [PMID: 24893289 PMCID: PMC4043768 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2013] [Accepted: 05/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The 35S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) units, repeated in tandem at one or more chromosomal loci, are separated by an intergenic spacer (IGS) containing functional elements involved in the regulation of transcription of downstream rRNA genes. In the present work, we have compared the IGS molecular organizations in two divergent species of Fagaceae, Fagus sylvatica and Quercus suber, aiming to comprehend the evolution of the IGS sequences within the family. Self- and cross-hybridization FISH was done on representative species of the Fagaceae. The IGS length variability and the methylation level of 18 and 25S rRNA genes were assessed in representatives of three genera of this family: Fagus, Quercus and Castanea. The intergenic spacers in Beech and Cork Oak showed similar overall organizations comprising putative functional elements needed for rRNA gene activity and containing a non-transcribed spacer (NTS), a promoter region, and a 5′-external transcribed spacer. In the NTS: the sub-repeats structure in Beech is more organized than in Cork Oak, sharing some short motifs which results in the lowest sequence similarity of the entire IGS; the AT-rich region differed in both spacers by a GC-rich block inserted in Cork Oak. The 5′-ETS is the region with the higher similarity, having nonetheless different lengths. FISH with the NTS-5′-ETS revealed fainter signals in cross-hybridization in agreement with the divergence between genera. The diversity of IGS lengths revealed variants from ∼2 kb in Fagus, and Quercus up to 5.3 kb in Castanea, and a lack of correlation between the number of variants and the number of rDNA loci in several species. Methylation of 25S Bam HI site was confirmed in all species and detected for the first time in the 18S of Q. suber and Q. faginea. These results provide important clues for the evolutionary trends of the rDNA 25S-18S IGS in the Fagaceae family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Inácio
- Centre for Botany Applied to Agriculture (CBAA), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida Rocheta
- Centre for Botany Applied to Agriculture (CBAA), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Leonor Morais-Cecílio
- Centre for Botany Applied to Agriculture (CBAA), Instituto Superior de Agronomia, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
- * E-mail:
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Shiao YH, Leighty RM, Wang C, Ge X, Crawford EB, Spurrier JM, McCann SD, Fields JR, Fornwald L, Riffle L, Driver C, Quiñones OA, Wilson RE, Kasprzak KS, Travlos GS, Alvord WG, Anderson LM. Ontogeny-driven rDNA rearrangement, methylation, and transcription, and paternal influence. PLoS One 2011; 6:e22266. [PMID: 21765958 PMCID: PMC3134480 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0022266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2011] [Accepted: 06/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene rearrangement occurs during development in some cell types and this genome dynamics is modulated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including growth stimulants and nutrients. This raises a possibility that such structural change in the genome and its subsequent epigenetic modifications may also take place during mammalian ontogeny, a process undergoing finely orchestrated cell division and differentiation. We tested this hypothesis by comparing single nucleotide polymorphism-defined haplotype frequencies and DNA methylation of the rDNA multicopy gene between two mouse ontogenic stages and among three adult tissues of individual mice. Possible influences to the genetic and epigenetic dynamics by paternal exposures were also examined for Cr(III) and acid saline extrinsic factors. Variables derived from litters, individuals, and duplicate assays in large mouse populations were examined using linear mixed-effects model. We report here that active rDNA rearrangement, represented by changes of haplotype frequencies, arises during ontogenic progression from day 8 embryos to 6-week adult mice as well as in different tissue lineages and is modifiable by paternal exposures. The rDNA methylation levels were also altered in concordance with this ontogenic progression and were associated with rDNA haplotypes. Sperm showed highest level of methylation, followed by lungs and livers, and preferentially selected haplotypes that are positively associated with methylation. Livers, maintaining lower levels of rDNA methylation compared with lungs, expressed more rRNA transcript. In vitro transcription demonstrated haplotype-dependent rRNA expression. Thus, the genome is also dynamic during mammalian ontogeny and its rearrangement may trigger epigenetic changes and subsequent transcriptional controls, that are further influenced by paternal exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yih-Horng Shiao
- Laboratory of Comparative Carcinogenesis, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, Maryland, United States of America.
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11
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Ambrose CD, Crease TJ. Evolution of the nuclear ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer in four species of the Daphnia pulex complex. BMC Genet 2011; 12:13. [PMID: 21261945 PMCID: PMC3036644 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2156-12-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2010] [Accepted: 01/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Concerted evolution refers to the pattern in which copies of multigene families show high intraspecific sequence homogeneity but high interspecific sequence diversity. Sequence homogeneity of these copies depends on relative rates of mutation and recombination, including gene conversion and unequal crossing over, between misaligned copies. The internally repetitive intergenic spacer (IGS) is located between the genes for the 28S and 18S ribosomal RNAs. To identify patterns of recombination and/or homogenization within IGS repeat arrays, and to identify regions of the IGS that are under functional constraint, we analyzed 13 complete IGS sequences from 10 individuals representing four species in the Daphnia pulex complex. Results Gene conversion and unequal crossing over between misaligned IGS repeats generates variation in copy number between arrays, as has been observed in previous studies. Moreover, terminal repeats are rarely involved in these events. Despite the occurrence of recombination, orthologous repeats in different species are more similar to one another than are paralogous repeats within species that diverged less than 4 million years ago. Patterns consistent with concerted evolution of these repeats were observed between species that diverged 8-10 million years ago. Sequence homogeneity varies along the IGS; the most homogeneous regions are downstream of the 28S rRNA gene and in the region containing the core promoter. The inadvertent inclusion of interspecific hybrids in our analysis uncovered evidence of both inter- and intrachromosomal recombination in the nonrepetitive regions of the IGS. Conclusions Our analysis of variation in ribosomal IGS from Daphnia shows that levels of homogeneity within and between species result from the interaction between rates of recombination and selective constraint. Consequently, different regions of the IGS are on substantially different evolutionary trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl D Ambrose
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
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Bauer N, Horvat T, Birus I, Vicić V, Zoldos V. Nucleotide sequence, structural organization and length heterogeneity of ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer in Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. and Q. robur L. Mol Genet Genomics 2008; 281:207-21. [PMID: 19052776 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-008-0404-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2008] [Accepted: 11/08/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
18S-5.8S-26S rDNA family comprises tandemly arranged, repeating units separated by an intergenic spacer (IGS) that contains transcription initiation/termination signals and usually repeating elements. In this study, we performed for the first time thorough sequence analysis of rDNA IGS region in two dominant European oaks, Quercus petraea and Q. robur, in order to investigate (1) if IGS sequence composition allows discrimination between these two species, and (2) if there is an rDNA length heterogeneity arising from IGS sequence. Two spacer length variants (slvs), 2 and 4 kb in length, were found in the genomes of both species. Inter-comparison of both slvs revealed no species-specificity in sequence or structural organization. Both slvs could be divided into four subregions; (1) the subrepeat region containing three repeated elements, (2) the AT-rich region containing matrix attachment sites and putative origin of replication, (3) the promoter region containing putative transcription initiation site and (4) the 5'ETS region. In the 4-kb slvs all four subregions are extended, and the subrepeat, AT-rich and promoter regions are duplicated. This is unique compared to other known IGS sequences where the variation in number of subrepeats is responsible for slvs creation. We also propose a possible evolutionary scenario to explain the formation of the subrepeat region in oak IGS. Results obtained in this work add to the previous picture of low-genetic differentiation of the two oaks and provide important data for further analyses of the function of IGS in control of rRNA gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasa Bauer
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac, Zagreb, Croatia
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Netchvolodov KK, Boiko AV, Ryskov AP, Kupriyanova NS. Evolutionary divergence of the pre-promotor region of ribosomal DNA in the great apes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 17:378-91. [PMID: 17343212 DOI: 10.1080/10425170600752643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The human ribosomal intergenic spacer (rIGS) differs considerably on nucleotide sequence and regulatory elements positioning from their counterparts in the mouse, rat and Xenopus laevis. In the present study, we have PCR amplified, cloned and sequenced the rIGS fragments of about 4.5 kb length, located approximately 2 kb upstream of the rRNA transcription start point for the great apes, Pan paniscus, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla and Pongo pygmaeus. Alignment of the primates' orthologic nucleotide sequences reveals high extent of similarity, with the exception of highly repetitious region between the two Alu repeats, nearest to the onset of transcription. Data obtained have been analyzed for further understanding of the evolution of repetitive sequences. We have also shown, that MARs/SARs distribution patterns in the pre-promoter rIGSs of the great apes and the mouse are surprisingly similar in spite of an absence of similarity in the primary structure and regulatory elements organization in the region under study.
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14
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Verca MSB, Weber P, Mayer C, Graf C, Refojo D, Kühn R, Grummt I, Lutz B. Development of a species-specific RNA polymerase I-based shRNA expression vector. Nucleic Acids Res 2006; 35:e10. [PMID: 17158154 PMCID: PMC1802596 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkl1045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) can be induced in vitro either by application of synthetic short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), or by intracellular expression of siRNAs or short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) from transfected vectors. The most widely used promoters for siRNA/shRNA expression are based on polymerase III (Pol III)-dependent transcription. We developed an alternative vector for siRNA/shRNA expression, using a mouse RNA polymerase I (Pol I) promoter. Pol I-dependent transcription serves in cells for production of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and as such, is ubiquitously and stably active in different cell types. As Pol I-dependent transcription is highly species-specific, Pol I-based system provides an important biosafety advantage with respect to silencing of genes with unknown functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. S. Brenz Verca
- Max Planck Institute of PsychiatryKraepelinstrasse 2-10, D-80804 Munich, Germany
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +49 6131 3925912; Fax: +49 6131 3923536;
| | - Peter Weber
- Max Planck Institute of PsychiatryKraepelinstrasse 2-10, D-80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Christine Mayer
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research CenterIm Neuenheimer Feld 581, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Cornelia Graf
- Max Planck Institute of PsychiatryKraepelinstrasse 2-10, D-80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Damián Refojo
- Max Planck Institute of PsychiatryKraepelinstrasse 2-10, D-80804 Munich, Germany
| | - Ralf Kühn
- Institute for Developmental Genetics/GSFIngolstädter Landstrasse 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Ingrid Grummt
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research CenterIm Neuenheimer Feld 581, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Beat Lutz
- Max Planck Institute of PsychiatryKraepelinstrasse 2-10, D-80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Physiological Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University MainzDuesbergweg 6, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +49 6131 3925912; Fax: +49 6131 3923536;
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15
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Flowers JM, Burton RS. Ribosomal RNA gene silencing in interpopulation hybrids of Tigriopus californicus: nucleolar dominance in the absence of intergenic spacer subrepeats. Genetics 2006; 173:1479-86. [PMID: 16648582 PMCID: PMC1526681 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.106.058719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A common feature of interspecific animal and plant hybrids is the uniparental silencing of ribosomal RNA gene transcription, or nucleolar dominance. A leading explanation for the genetic basis of nucleolar dominance in animal hybrids is the enhancer-imbalance model. The model proposes that limiting transcription factors are titrated by a greater number of enhancer-bearing subrepeat elements in the intergenic spacer (IGS) of the dominant cluster of genes. The importance of subrepeats for nucleolar dominance has repeatedly been supported in competition assays between Xenopus laevis and X. borealis minigene constructs injected into oocytes. However, a more general test of the importance of IGS subrepeats for nuclear dominance in vivo has not been conducted. In this report, rRNA gene expression was examined in interpopulation hybrids of the marine copepod Tigriopus californicus. This species offers a rare opportunity to test the role of IGS subrepeats in nucleolar dominance because the internal subrepeat structure, found in the IGS of virtually all animal and plant species, is absent in T. californicus. Our results clearly establish that nucleolar dominance occurs in F1 and F2 interpopulation hybrids of this species. In the F2 generation, nucleolar dominance appears to break down in some hybrids in a fashion that is inconsistent with a transcription factor titration model. These results are significant because they indicate that nucleolar dominance can be established and maintained without enhancer-bearing repeat elements in the IGS. This challenges the generality of the enhancer-imbalance model for nucleolar dominance and suggests that dominance of rRNA transcription in animals may be determined by epigenetic factors as has been established in plants.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Nucleolus/genetics
- Cell Nucleolus/metabolism
- Chimera/genetics
- Chimera/metabolism
- Copepoda/genetics
- Copepoda/metabolism
- Crosses, Genetic
- DNA, Ribosomal/chemistry
- DNA, Ribosomal/metabolism
- DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics
- DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/metabolism
- Gene Silencing
- Genes, rRNA
- Genetic Variation
- Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
- RNA, Ribosomal/chemistry
- RNA, Ribosomal/genetics
- RNA, Ribosomal/metabolism
- Temperature
- Transcription, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Flowers
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Marine Biology Research Division, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
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16
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Kalogeraki VS, Tornaletti S, Cooper PK, Hanawalt PC. Comparative TFIIS-mediated transcript cleavage by mammalian RNA polymerase II arrested at a lesion in different transcription systems. DNA Repair (Amst) 2006; 4:1075-87. [PMID: 16046193 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2005.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2005] [Revised: 05/17/2005] [Accepted: 05/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Upon prolonged arrest at a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD), RNAPII can reverse-translocate, misaligning the 3'-end of the RNA from its active site. Transcription factor SII (TFIIS) is required for cleavage of the disengaged 3'-end and restoration of its correct positioning. We have previously shown in vitro that when RNAPII is arrested at a CPD, TFIIS-induced cleavage results in shortened transcripts. Here, we hypothesized that the pattern of transcript cleavage does not depend solely upon TFIIS itself, but also on some other general transcription factors (GTFs) and/or their effects on RNAPII. To test this hypothesis we compared three in vitro transcription systems which differ with respect to the mode of initiation and the requirement for GTFs. The first consisted of RNAPII and GTFs from rat liver, and required a eukaryotic promoter for initiation. The other two supported transcription in the absence of any GTFs or promoter sequences. In each case, a CPD on the transcribed strand was a complete block for RNAPII translocation. However, the effect of TFIIS on transcript cleavage varied. In the promoter-initiated system, distinct transcripts up to about 20 nucleotides shorter than the uncleaved original one were produced. In the other two systems, the transcripts were degraded nearly completely. Introduction of GTFs partially interfered with cleavage, but failed to reproduce the pattern of transcript lengths observed with the promoter-initiated system. Our results suggest that the extent of TFIIS-mediated transcript cleavage is a well-orchestrated process, depending upon other factors (or their effects on RNAPII), in addition to TFIIS itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia S Kalogeraki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, 371 Serra MAll, Stanford, CA 94305-5020, USA
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17
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Mais C, Wright JE, Prieto JL, Raggett SL, McStay B. UBF-binding site arrays form pseudo-NORs and sequester the RNA polymerase I transcription machinery. Genes Dev 2005; 19:50-64. [PMID: 15598984 PMCID: PMC540225 DOI: 10.1101/gad.310705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2004] [Accepted: 10/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Human ribosomal genes (rDNA) are located in nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) on the short arms of acrocentric chromosomes. Metaphase NORs that were transcriptionally active in the previous cell cycle appear as prominent chromosomal features termed secondary constrictions that are achromatic in chromosome banding and positive in silver staining. The architectural RNA polymerase I (pol I) transcription factor UBF binds extensively across rDNA throughout the cell cycle. To determine if UBF binding underpins NOR structure, we integrated large arrays of heterologous UBF-binding sequences at ectopic sites on human chromosomes. These arrays efficiently recruit UBF even to sites outside the nucleolus and, during metaphase, form novel silver stainable secondary constrictions, termed pseudo-NORs, morphologically similar to NORs. We demonstrate for the first time that in addition to UBF the other components of the pol I machinery are found associated with sequences across the entire human rDNA repeat. Remarkably, a significant fraction of these same pol I factors are sequestered by pseudo-NORs independent of both transcription and nucleoli. Because of the heterologous nature of the sequence employed, we infer that sequestration is mediated primarily by protein-protein interactions with UBF. These results suggest that extensive binding of UBF is responsible for formation and maintenance of the secondary constriction at active NORs. Furthermore, we propose that UBF mediates recruitment of the pol I machinery to nucleoli independently of promoter elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Mais
- Biomedical Research Centre, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 9SY Scotland, United Kingdom
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18
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Grozdanov P, Georgiev O, Karagyozov L. Complete sequence of the 45-kb mouse ribosomal DNA repeat: analysis of the intergenic spacer. Genomics 2004; 82:637-43. [PMID: 14611805 DOI: 10.1016/s0888-7543(03)00199-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
DNA from a single bacterial artificial chromosome clone was used to sequence the mouse ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer from the 3' end of the 45S pre-RNA to the spacer promoter (Accession No. AF441733). This made possible the assembly of a complete mouse ribosomal DNA repeat unit (45309 bp long, TPA Accession No. BK000964). Analysis of the intergenic spacer (IGS) showed a high density of simple sequence repeats and transposable elements. The IGS contains two long sequence blocks, which are repeated tandemly. Some of the sequences in these blocks are also present in other parts of the IGS. A difference in the mutation rate along the mouse IGS was observed. The significance of sequence motifs in the IGS for transcription enhancement, transcription termination, origin of replication, and nucleolar organization is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petar Grozdanov
- Cell Biology Department, Institute of Molecular Biology, Acad. G Bonchev Street, Building 21, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
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19
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Liu N, Zhang L. Identification of two new cytochrome P450 genes and their 5'-flanking regions from the housefly, Musca domestica. INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2002; 32:755-764. [PMID: 12044492 DOI: 10.1016/s0965-1748(01)00158-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Two new cytochrome P450 cDNAs, named CYP28B1 and CYP4G13v2, and their 5'-flanking regions were cloned and sequenced from a housefly strain, ALHF. The cDNA sequences of CYP28B1 and CYP4G13v2 have open reading frames of 1449 and 1653 nucleotides encoding proteins of 483 and 551 amino acid residues, respectively. Sequence analysis shows that both CYP28B1 and CYP4G13v2 putative P450 proteins contain: (1) a highly hydrophobic N terminus; (2) a P450 protein signature motif, FXXGXRXCXG, known as the important ligand for heme binding; (3) a motif, YXXAXXXEXXR, which is a conserved P450 sequence coinciding with Helix K; and (4) a typical aromatic sequence, A(1)XXPXXA(2)XPXBA(3), which is conserved within most P450s. The 5'-flanking regions of CYP28B1 (>2kb) and CYP4G13v2 (>1 kb) were isolated from adaptor-ligated ALHF genomic DNA libraries. The transcription start points of CYP28B1 and CYP4G13v2 were mapped to 176 and 163 nucleotides upstream of the ATG translation start codon within the conserved arthropod promoter elements of TCATT and ACAGT, respectively. Possible regulatory binding sites for general transcription factors, Sp1 and AP1, were mapped in the 5' promoter regions of CYP28B1 whereas TFIID and Oct-1 were mapped in CYP4G13v2. Five conserved cis-acting elements for tissue- or cell-specific transcription regulatory factors were identified in the promoter regions of both P450 genes. A structure of five 153-nucleotide (nt) highly identical repeats and two partial repeat sequences were found in the promoter region of CYP28B1. The homologous (90% identity) sequences of the 153-nt repeat were also found in the promoter region of CYP4G13v2. The homologous sequences of the repeat in other insect P450 gene promoter regions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nannan Liu
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, 301 Funchess Hall, Auburn University, 36849, Auburn, AL, USA.
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20
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21
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Reed KM, Phillips RB. Structure and organization of the rDNA intergenic spacer in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Chromosome Res 2000; 8:5-16. [PMID: 10730584 DOI: 10.1023/a:1009214800251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
A total-genomic cosmid library was created to isolate complete copies of the rDNA cistron of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in order to study the structure and organization of the intergenic spacer (IGS) in this species. A total of 60 rDNA-positive clones (average inserts > 25 kb) was recovered by screening the library with a rDNA-specific probe. Positive clones were assayed for the presence of the two internal rDNA spacers (ITS-1 and ITS-2) and the entire IGS fragment was successfully amplified from 42 clones by PCR. Length of the IGS fragments ranged from 9.4 to 17.8 kb. Comparative restriction mapping of the IGS-PCR products of several clones indicated two regions of extensive length variation surrounding a central region with sequence conservation. DNA sequence analysis was used to investigate the molecular basis of the IGS length variation and focused on identifying the region responsible for this variation. Over 9 kb of DNA sequence was obtained for one clone (A1) with a total IGS length of approximately 12.4 kb. Sequence of a conserved central region contained two open reading frames and a number of short direct repeats. Length variation in the IGS was determined by RFLP to result from differences in the number of copies of repetitive DNA sequences. These included an 89-bp tandem repeat (alpha repeats), an 82-bp element (beta repeats), a 168-177-bp element (chi repeats), and a 179-201-bp element (delta repeats). Overall nucleotide composition of the IGS was biased towards A and T (%GC = 47.4). Maintenance of discrete rDNA-length variants in lake trout suggests that the rate of gene conversion is insufficient to produce homogeneous copies across the genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- K M Reed
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 53211, USA.
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22
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Jacobs H, Puglisi A, Rajewsky K, Fukita Y. Tuning somatic hypermutation by transcription. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 1999; 246:149-58; discussion 159. [PMID: 10396051 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-60162-0_19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The dependence of somatic hypermutation on transcription was studied in three mutant immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) insertion mice in which a targeted non-functional VHB1-8 passenger transgene was either placed under the transcriptional control of a truncated DQ52 promoter (p delta), its own RNA polymerase II dependent IgH promoter (pII) or a RNA polymerase I dependent promoter (pI). The relative mutation-frequency of the VHB1-8 passenger transgene in memory B cells of p delta, pI and pII mice (7%, 60% and 100%) correlated with the relative levels of transgene-specific pre-mRNA expressed in germinal center B cells isolated from the mutant mice (8%, 72% and 100%, respectively). These data indicate that the mutation load of rearranged Ig genes can be tuned by transcription. The question, whether somatic hypermutation requires transcription per se or a specific component of the RNA polymerase II complex, is under investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Jacobs
- Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland
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23
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Liu CJ, Wang H, Lengyel P. The interferon-inducible nucleolar p204 protein binds the ribosomal RNA-specific UBF1 transcription factor and inhibits ribosomal RNA transcription. EMBO J 1999; 18:2845-54. [PMID: 10329630 PMCID: PMC1171365 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/18.10.2845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
p204, a member of the interferon-inducible p200 family of murine proteins, is primarily nucleolar. We generated cell lines in which p204 was inducible by muristerone. This induction resulted in retardation of cell proliferation and inhibition of rRNA transcription in vivo. Interferon treatment, resulting in p204 induction and retardation of proliferation, also caused inhibition of rRNA transcription in vivo. p204 also inhibited rRNA transcription in vitro. This inhibition was overcome by addition of UBF1, the rRNA-specific transcription factor. A direct interaction between p204 and UBF1 was revealed in vitro in pull-down assays, and in vivo by co-immunoprecipitation from cell extracts. UBF1 bound strongly to at least two regions of p204: the N-terminal segment linked to the conserved 200 amino acid a segment, and the conserved 200 amino acid b segment. Cleavage of the a or b segments into two segments (encoded by single exons) resulted in a strong decrease or loss of binding. The inhibition of rRNA transcription by p204 may be due to the inhibition by p204 of the specific DNA binding of UBF1. This was revealed in electrophoretic mobility shift, magnetic bead and footprinting assays. Thus, p204 serves as a mediator of the inhibition of rRNA transcription by interferon.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Liu
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, PO Box 208024, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8024, USA
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24
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Reeder RH. Regulation of RNA polymerase I transcription in yeast and vertebrates. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1999; 62:293-327. [PMID: 9932458 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60511-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
This article focuses on what is currently known about the regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase I (pol I) in eukaryotic organisms at opposite ends of the evolutionary spectrum--a yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and vertebrates, including mice, frogs, and man. Contemporary studies that have defined the DNA sequence elements are described, as well as the majority of the basal transcription factors essential for pol I transcription. Situations in which pol I transcription is known to be regulated are reviewed and possible regulatory mechanisms are critically discussed. Some aspects of basal pol I transcription machinery appear to have been conserved from fungi to vertebrates, but other aspects have evolved, perhaps to meet the needs of a metazoan organism. Different parts of the pol I transcription machinery are regulatory targets depending on different physiological stimuli. This suggests that multiple signaling pathways may also be involved. The involvement of ribosomal genes and their transcripts in events such as mitosis, cancer, and aging is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R H Reeder
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
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25
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Grummt I. Regulation of mammalian ribosomal gene transcription by RNA polymerase I. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1999; 62:109-54. [PMID: 9932453 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60506-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
All cells, from prokaryotes to vertebrates, synthesize vast amounts of ribosomal RNA to produce the several million new ribosomes per generation that are required to maintain the protein synthetic capacity of the daughter cells. Ribosomal gene (rDNA) transcription is governed by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) assisted by a dedicated set of transcription factors that mediate the specificity of transcription and are the targets of the pleiotrophic pathways the cell uses to adapt rRNA synthesis to cell growth. In the past few years we have begun to understand the specific functions of individual factors involved in rDNA transcription and to elucidate on a molecular level how transcriptional regulation is achieved. This article reviews our present knowledge of the molecular mechanism of rDNA transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Grummt
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
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26
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Abstract
Induction of the tumor suppressor protein p53 restricts cellular proliferation. Since actively growing cells require the ongoing synthesis of ribosomal RNA to sustain cellular biosynthesis, we studied the effect of p53 on ribosomal gene transcription by RNA polymerase I (Pol I). We have measured rDNA transcriptional activity in different cell lines which either lack or overexpress p53 and demonstrate that wild-type but not mutant p53 inhibits cellular pre-rRNA synthesis. Conversely, pre-rRNA levels are elevated both in cells which express mutant p53 and in fibroblasts from p53 knock-out mice. Transient transfection assays with a set of rDNA deletion mutants demonstrate that intergenic spacer sequences are dispensable and the minimal rDNA promoter is sufficient for p53-mediated repression of Pol I transcription. However, in a cell-free transcription system, recombinant p53 does not inhibit rDNA transcription, indicating that p53 does not directly interfere with the basal Pol I transcriptional machinery. Thus, repression of Pol I transcription by p53 may be a consequence of p53-induced growth arrest.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Budde
- Division of Molecular Biology of the Cell II, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg
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27
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Sullivan GJ, McStay B. Dimerization and HMG box domains 1-3 present in Xenopus UBF are sufficient for its role in transcriptional enhancement. Nucleic Acids Res 1998; 26:3555-61. [PMID: 9671818 PMCID: PMC147741 DOI: 10.1093/nar/26.15.3555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription of Xenopus ribosomal genes by RNA polymerase I is directed by a stable transcription complex that forms on the gene promoter. This complex is comprised of the HMG box factor UBF and the TBP-containing complex Rib1. Repeated sequence elements found upstream of the ribosomal gene promoter act as RNA polymerase I-specific trans-criptional enhancers. These enhancers function by increasing the probability of a stable transcription complex forming on the adjacent promoter. UBF is required for enhancer function. This role in enhancement is distinct from that at the promoter and does not involve translocation of UBF from enhancer repeats to the promoter. Here we utilize an in vitro system to demonstrate that a combination of the dimerization domain of UBF and HMG boxes 1-3 are sufficient to specify its role in enhancement. We also demonstrate that the acidic C-terminus of UBF is primarilyresponsible for its observed interaction with Rib1. Thus, we have uncoupled the Rib1 interaction and enhancer functions of UBF and can conclude that direct interaction with Rib1 is not a prerequisite for the enhancer function of UBF.
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Affiliation(s)
- G J Sullivan
- Biomedical Research Centre, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK
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28
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Fukita Y, Jacobs H, Rajewsky K. Somatic hypermutation in the heavy chain locus correlates with transcription. Immunity 1998; 9:105-14. [PMID: 9697840 DOI: 10.1016/s1074-7613(00)80592-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Three mutant immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) insertion mice were generated in which a targeted nonfunctional IgH passenger transgene was either devoid of promoter (pdelta) or was placed under the transcriptional control of either its own RNA polymerase II-dependent IgH promoter (pII) or a RNA polymerase I-dependent promoter (pI). While the transgene mutation-frequency (0.85%) in memory B cells of pI mice was reduced compared to that in pII mice (1.4%), the distribution and the base exchange pattern of point mutations were comparable. In pdelta mice, the mutation frequency was drastically reduced (0.09%). The mutation frequencies correlated with the levels of transgene-specific pre-mRNA expressed in germinal center B cells isolated from the mutant mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Fukita
- Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany
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29
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Liu Z, Zhao A, Chen L, Pape L. Activated levels of rRNA synthesis in fission yeast are driven by an intergenic rDNA region positioned over 2500 nucleotides upstream of the initiation site. Nucleic Acids Res 1997; 25:659-67. [PMID: 9016610 PMCID: PMC146475 DOI: 10.1093/nar/25.3.659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerase I-catalyzed synthesis of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe approximately 37S pre-rRNAs was shown to be sensitive to regulatory sequences located several kilobases upstream of the initiation site for the rRNA gene. An in vitro transcription system for RNA polymerase I-catalyzed RNA synthesis was established that supports correct and activated transcription from templates bearing a full S. pombe rRNA gene promoter. A 780 bp region starting at -2560 significantly stimulates transcription of ac is-located rDNA promoter and competes with an rDNA promoter in trans, thus displaying some of the activities of rDNA transcriptional enhancers in vitro. Deletion of a 30 bp enhancer-homologous domain in this 780 bp far upstream region blocked its cis-stimulatory effect. The sequence of the S. pombe 3.5 kb intergenic spacer was determined and its organization differs from that of vertebrate, Drosophila, Acanthamoeba and plant intergenic rDNA spacers: it does not contain multiple, imperfect copies of the rRNA gene promoter nor repetitive elements of 140 bp, as are found in vertebrate rDNA enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Liu
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
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30
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McStay B, Sullivan GJ, Cairns C. The Xenopus RNA polymerase I transcription factor, UBF, has a role in transcriptional enhancement distinct from that at the promoter. EMBO J 1997; 16:396-405. [PMID: 9029158 PMCID: PMC1169644 DOI: 10.1093/emboj/16.2.396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Repeated sequence elements found upstream of the ribosomal gene promoter in Xenopus function as RNA polymerase I-specific transcriptional enhancers. Here we describe an in vitro system in which these enhancers function in many respects as in vivo. The principal requirement for enhancer function in vitro is the presence of a high concentration of upstream binding factor (UBF). This system is utilized to demonstrate that enhancers function by increasing the probability of a stable transcription complex forming on the adjacent promoter. Species differences in UBF are utilized to demonstrate that enhancers do not act by recruiting UBF to the promoter, rather UBF performs its own distinct role at the enhancers. UBF function in enhancement differs from that at the promoter, as it is flexible with respect to both the species of UBF and the enhancer element employed. Additionally, we identify a potential role for the mammalian UBF splice variant, UBF2, in enhancer function. We demonstrate that the TATA box binding protein (TBP)-containing component of Xenopus RNA polymerase I transcription, Rib1, can interact with an enhancer-UBF complex. This suggests a model in which enhancers act by recruiting Rib1 to the promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- B McStay
- Biomedical Research Centre, University of Dundee, UK
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31
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Mougey EB, Pape LK, Sollner-Webb B. Virtually the entire Xenopus laevis rDNA multikilobase intergenic spacer serves to stimulate polymerase I transcription. J Biol Chem 1996; 271:27138-45. [PMID: 8900206 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.271.43.27138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The promoter-distal half of the spacer separating the tandem Xenopus laevis rRNA genes consists of "0" and "1" repetitive elements that have been considered unimportant in polymerase I transcriptional activation. Utilizing oocyte microinjection, we now demonstrate that the 0/1 region, as well as its component 0 and 1 repeats, substantially stimulate transcription from a ribosomal promoter in cis and inhibit transcription when located in trans. Both the cis and trans responses increase linearly with increasing numbers of 0 or 1 repeats until saturation is approached. The 0/1 block and its component elements stimulate transcription in both orientations, over distances, and when placed downstream of the initiation site, properties for which the 60/81-base pair (bp) repeats have been defined as polymerase I enhancers. In their natural promoter-distal rDNA location, the 0/1 repeats can stimulate transcription from the rRNA gene promoter, above the level afforded by the intervening 60/81-bp repeats and spacer promoter. In addition, as with the 60/81-bp repeats, the 0/1 repeats bind a factor in common with the rDNA promoter. Thus, the entire X. laevis rDNA intergenic spacer (the 0 repeats, 1 repeats, spacer promoter repeats, and 60/81-bp repeats) acts together to enhance ribosomal transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- E B Mougey
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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32
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Osheim YN, Mougey EB, Windle J, Anderson M, O'Reilly M, Miller OL, Beyer A, Sollner-Webb B. Metazoan rDNA enhancer acts by making more genes transcriptionally active. J Cell Biol 1996; 133:943-54. [PMID: 8655586 PMCID: PMC2120851 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.133.5.943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers could, in principle, function by increasing the rate of reinitiation on individual adjacent active promoters or by increasing the probability that an adjacent promoter is activated for transcription. We have addressed this issue for the repetitive metazoan rDNA enhancer by microinjecting Xenopus oocytes with enhancer-less and enhancer-bearing genes and determining by EM the frequency that each gene type forms active transcription units and their transcript density. We use conditions where transcription requires the normal rDNA promoter and is stimulated 30-50-fold by the enhancer. (In contrast, at saturating template conditions as used in previous EM studies, an aberrant mode of transcription is activated that is not affected by the rDNA enhancer or by the generally recognized rDNA promoter). The active transcription units on enhancer-less genes are found to be as densely packed with nascent transcripts and polymerases as those on enhancer-bearing genes and on the endogenous rRNA genes. Significantly, the enhancer-bearing genes are approximately 30-50-fold more likely to form such active transcription units than enhancer-less genes, consistent with their amounts of transcript. Complementary studies confirm that the enhancer does not affect elongation rate, the stability of the transcription complex, or transcript half-life. These data demonstrate that the repetitive metazoan rDNA enhancer causes more genes to be actively transcribed and does not alter the reinitiation rate on individual active genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y N Osheim
- Department of Microbiology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, 22908, USA
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33
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Gögel E, Längst G, Grummt I, Kunkel E, Grummt F. Mapping of replication initiation sites in the mouse ribosomal gene cluster. Chromosoma 1996; 104:511-8. [PMID: 8625739 DOI: 10.1007/bf00352115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
We have used nascent strand determination analysis to map start sites of DNA replication in the mouse ribosomal gene cluster in which individual copies of the ribosomal genes are separated by intergenic spacer regions. One origin of bidirectional replication (OBR) was localized within a 3 kb region centered about 1.6 kb upstream of the rDNA transcription start site. At least one additional initiation site is situated near the 3' end of the transcription unit. Adjacent to the OBR at the transcription start site are located two amplification-promoting sequences, i.e., APS1 and APS2. Nuclease-hypersensitive sites were identified in both of the two APSs as well as in the OBR region, thus indicating that these sequences have an altered chromatin structure. In the OBR an intrinsically bent region, a purine-rich element and other prospective initiation zone components are found.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Gögel
- Institut für Biochemie, Universität Würzburg, Biozentrum, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany
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34
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Yang Q, Radebaugh CA, Kubaska W, Geiss GK, Paule MR. Acanthamoeba castellanii contains a ribosomal RNA enhancer binding protein which stimulates TIF-IB binding and transcription under stringent conditions. Nucleic Acids Res 1995; 23:4345-52. [PMID: 7501455 PMCID: PMC307389 DOI: 10.1093/nar/23.21.4345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The intergenic spacer (IGS) of Acanthamoeba castellanii rRNA genes contains repeated elements which are weak enhancers for transcription by RNA polymerase I. A protein, EBF, was identified and partially purified which binds to the enhancers and to several other sequences within the IGS, but not to other DNA fragments, including the rRNA core promoter. No consensus binding sequence could be discerned in these fragments and bound factor is in rapid equilibrium with unbound. EBF has functional characteristics similar to vertebrate upstream binding factors (UBF). Not only does it bind to the enhancer and other IGS elements, but it also stimulates binding of TIF-IB, the fundamental transcription initiation factor, to the core promoter and stimulates transcription from the promoter. Attempts to identify polypeptides with epitopes similar to rat or Xenopus laevis UBF suggest that structurally the protein from A.castellanii is not closely related to vertebrate UBF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA
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35
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Dammann R, Lucchini R, Koller T, Sogo JM. Transcription in the yeast rRNA gene locus: distribution of the active gene copies and chromatin structure of their flanking regulatory sequences. Mol Cell Biol 1995; 15:5294-303. [PMID: 7565678 PMCID: PMC230777 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.15.10.5294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In growing yeast cells, about half of the 150 tandemly repeated rRNA genes are transcriptionally active and devoid of nucleosomes. By using the intercalating drug psoralen as a tool to mark accessible sites along chromatin DNA in vivo, we found that the active rRNA gene copies are rather randomly distributed along the ribosomal rRNA gene locus. Moreover, results from the analysis of a single, tagged transcription unit in the tandem array are not consistent with the presence of a specific subset of active genes that is stably maintained throughout cell divisions. In the rRNA intergenic spacers of yeast cells, an enhancer is located at the 3' end of each transcription unit, 2 kb upstream of the next promoter. Analysis of the chromatin structure along the tandem array revealed a structural link between transcription units and adjacent, 3' flanking enhancer sequences: each transcriptionally active gene is flanked by a nonnucleosomal enhancer, whereas inactive, nucleosome-packed gene copies are followed by enhancers regularly packaged in nucleosomes. From the fact that nucleosome-free enhancers were also detected in an RNA polymerase I mutant strain, we interpret these open chromatin structures as being the result of specific protein-DNA interactions that can occur before the onset of transcription. In contrast, in this mutant strain, all of the rRNA coding sequences are packaged in nucleosomal arrays. This finding indicates that the establishment of the open chromatin conformation on the activated gene copies requires elongating RNA polymerase I molecules advancing through the template.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Dammann
- Institute of Cell Biology, Eidgenössiche Technische Hochschule-Hönggerberg, Zürich, Switzerland
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36
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Paalman MH, Henderson SL, Sollner-Webb B. Stimulation of the mouse rRNA gene promoter by a distal spacer promoter. Mol Cell Biol 1995; 15:4648-56. [PMID: 7623857 PMCID: PMC230706 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.15.8.4648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
We show that the mouse ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacer promoter acts in vivo to stimulate transcription from a downstream rRNA gene promoter. This augmentation of mammalian RNA polymerase I transcription is observed in transient-transfection experiments with three different rodent cell lines, under noncompetitive as well as competitive transcription conditions, over a wide range of template concentrations, whether or not the enhancer repeats alone stimulate or repress expression from the downstream gene promoter. Stimulation of gene promoter transcription by the spacer promoter requires the rDNA enhancer sequences to be present between the spacer promoter and gene promoter and to be oriented as in native rDNA. Stimulation also requires that the spacer promoter be oriented toward the enhancer and gene promoter. However, stimulation does not correlate with transcription from the spacer promoter because the level of stimulation is not altered by either insertion of a functional mouse RNA polymerase I transcriptional terminator between the spacer promoter and enhancer or replacement with a much more active heterologous polymerase I promoter. Further analysis with a series of mutated spacer promoters indicates that the stimulatory activity does not reside in the major promoter domains but requires the central region of the promoter that has been correlated with enhancer responsiveness in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Paalman
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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37
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Affiliation(s)
- S T Jacob
- Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Biology, Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL 60064
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38
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Moss T, Stefanovsky VY. Promotion and regulation of ribosomal transcription in eukaryotes by RNA polymerase I. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1995; 50:25-66. [PMID: 7754036 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60810-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- T Moss
- Cancer Research Centre, Laval University, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Canada
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39
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Yang Q, Zwick MG, Paule MR. Sequence organization of the Acanthamoeba rRNA intergenic spacer: identification of transcriptional enhancers. Nucleic Acids Res 1994; 22:4798-805. [PMID: 7984432 PMCID: PMC308533 DOI: 10.1093/nar/22.22.4798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary sequence of the entire 2330 bp intergenic spacer of the A.castellanii ribosomal RNA gene was determined. Repeated sequence elements averaging 140 bp were identified and found to bind a protein required for optimum initiation at the core promoter. These repeated elements were shown to stimulate rRNA transcription by RNA polymerase I in vitro. The repeats inhibited transcription when placed in trans, and stimulated transcription when in cis, in either orientation, but only when upstream of the core promoter. Thus, these repeated elements have characteristics similar to polymerase I enhancers found in higher eukaryotes. The number of rRNA repeats in Acanthamoeba cells was determined to be 24 per haploid genome, the lowest number so far identified in any eukaryote. However, because Acanthamoeba is polyploid, each cell contains approximately 600 rRNA genes.
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MESH Headings
- Acanthamoeba/genetics
- Animals
- Base Composition
- Base Sequence
- Cloning, Molecular
- DNA, Protozoan/genetics
- DNA, Protozoan/metabolism
- DNA, Ribosomal/genetics
- DNA, Ribosomal/metabolism
- Enhancer Elements, Genetic/genetics
- Gene Dosage
- Genes, Protozoan/genetics
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- RNA, Protozoan/genetics
- RNA, Ribosomal/genetics
- Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid/genetics
- Sequence Alignment
- Sequence Analysis, DNA
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- Transcription, Genetic/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523
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40
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Copenhaver GP, Putnam CD, Denton ML, Pikaard CS. The RNA polymerase I transcription factor UBF is a sequence-tolerant HMG-box protein that can recognize structured nucleic acids. Nucleic Acids Res 1994; 22:2651-7. [PMID: 8041627 PMCID: PMC308223 DOI: 10.1093/nar/22.13.2651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Upstream Binding Factor (UBF) is important for activation of ribosomal RNA transcription and belongs to a family of proteins containing nucleic acid binding domains, termed HMG-boxes, with similarity to High Mobility Group (HMG) chromosomal proteins. Proteins in this family can be sequence-specific or highly sequence-tolerant binding proteins. We show that Xenopus UBF can be classified among the sequence-tolerant class. Methylation interference assays using enhancer DNA probes failed to reveal any critical nucleotides required for UBF binding. Selection by UBF of optimal binding sites among a population of enhancer oligonucleotides with randomized sequences also failed to reveal any consensus sequence. The minor groove specific drugs chromomycin A3, distamycin A and actinomycin D competed against UBF for enhancer binding, suggesting that UBF, like other HMG-box proteins, probably interacts with the minor groove. UBF also shares with other HMG box proteins the ability to bind synthetic cruciform DNA. However, UBF appears different from other HMG-box proteins in that it can bind both RNA (tRNA) and DNA. The sequence-tolerant nature of UBF-nucleic acid interactions may accommodate the rapid evolution of ribosomal RNA gene sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- G P Copenhaver
- Biology Department, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130
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41
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Pikaard CS. Ribosomal gene promoter domains can function as artificial enhancers of RNA polymerase I transcription, supporting a promoter origin for natural enhancers in Xenopus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1994; 91:464-8. [PMID: 8290549 PMCID: PMC42969 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.91.2.464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhancers of RNA polymerase I transcription in higher eukaryotes are repetitive elements within the intergenic spacers of rRNA genes. In Xenopus and mouse, enhancers and the gene promoter bind the activator protein, upstream binding factor, and in Xenopus, enhancers also share sequence similarity with an upstream domain of the promoter. This upstream promoter domain can act as an efficient enhancer when polymerized and cloned adjacent to a ribosomal gene promoter injected into oocytes. A core promoter domain lacking similarity with spacer sequences in Xenopus laevis but analogous to a repeated sequence in Xenopus borealis can also function as an enhancer. These data demonstrate functional relatedness between the promoter and enhancers, supporting the hypothesis that enhancers could have evolved from duplicated promoter domains that bind essential transcription factors. The ability of upstream binding factor to bind enhancers inactivated by mutation suggests that upstream binding factor binding alone cannot explain enhancer function.
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Affiliation(s)
- C S Pikaard
- Biology Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
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42
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Doelling JH, Gaudino RJ, Pikaard CS. Functional analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana rRNA gene and spacer promoters in vivo and by transient expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1993; 90:7528-32. [PMID: 8356050 PMCID: PMC47175 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.90.16.7528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In eukaryotes, RNA polymerase I transcription is controlled by DNA elements located within the spacers that separate the tandemly arranged rRNA genes. Unlike rRNA coding sequences, the intergenic spacers evolve rapidly and have little sequence similarity even among closely related species. Nonetheless, the arrangement of functional elements, such as spacer promoters and enhancers, is thought to be highly conserved. Here, we identify spacer promoters in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, thereby demonstrating their existence in both the plant and animal kingdoms. We also use an Arabidopsis transient expression system to perform transcriptional analysis of the ribosomal gene promoter. Spacer promoters share sequence similarity with the gene promoter from -91 to +22 relative to the transcription start site, +1. Deletion analysis shows that sequences required for RNA polymerase I transcription reside within these boundaries. Spacer sequences upstream of the gene promoter have only a small positive effect on transcription in transfected protoplasts but can increase transcription from a Xenopus ribosomal gene promoter in injected frog oocytes. This trans-kingdom enhancer effect further suggests that the functional elements within eukaryotic ribosomal genes are highly conserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Doelling
- Biology Department, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
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43
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44
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Cooperative binding of the Xenopus RNA polymerase I transcription factor xUBF to repetitive ribosomal gene enhancers. Mol Cell Biol 1992. [PMID: 1406673 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.12.11.4970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Upstream binding factor (UBF) is a DNA-binding transcription factor implicated in ribosomal gene promoter and enhancer function in vertebrates. UBF is unusual in that it has multiple DNA-binding domains with homology to high-mobility-group (HMG) nonhistone chromosomal proteins 1 and 2. However, a recognizable DNA consensus sequence for UBF binding is lacking. In this study, we have used gel retardation and DNase I footprinting to examine Xenopus UBF (xUBF) binding to Xenopus laevis ribosomal gene enhancers. We show that UBF has a minimum requirement for about 60 bp of DNA, the size of the short enhancer variant in X. laevis. Stronger UBF binding occurs on the longer enhancer variant (81 bp) and on multiple enhancers linked head to tail. In vivo, Xenopus ribosomal gene enhancers exist in blocks of 10 alternating 60- and 81-bp repeats within the intergenic spacer. In vitro, UBF binds cooperatively to probes with 10 enhancers, with five intermediate complexes observed in titration experiments. This suggests that, on average, one UBF dimer binds every two enhancers. A single UBF dimer can produce a DNase I footprint ranging in size from approximately 30 to about 115 bp on enhancer probes of different lengths. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that multiple DNA-binding domains or subdomains within UBF bind independently, forming more-stable interactions on longer probes.
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45
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Putnam CD, Pikaard CS. Cooperative binding of the Xenopus RNA polymerase I transcription factor xUBF to repetitive ribosomal gene enhancers. Mol Cell Biol 1992; 12:4970-80. [PMID: 1406673 PMCID: PMC360429 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.12.11.4970-4980.1992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Upstream binding factor (UBF) is a DNA-binding transcription factor implicated in ribosomal gene promoter and enhancer function in vertebrates. UBF is unusual in that it has multiple DNA-binding domains with homology to high-mobility-group (HMG) nonhistone chromosomal proteins 1 and 2. However, a recognizable DNA consensus sequence for UBF binding is lacking. In this study, we have used gel retardation and DNase I footprinting to examine Xenopus UBF (xUBF) binding to Xenopus laevis ribosomal gene enhancers. We show that UBF has a minimum requirement for about 60 bp of DNA, the size of the short enhancer variant in X. laevis. Stronger UBF binding occurs on the longer enhancer variant (81 bp) and on multiple enhancers linked head to tail. In vivo, Xenopus ribosomal gene enhancers exist in blocks of 10 alternating 60- and 81-bp repeats within the intergenic spacer. In vitro, UBF binds cooperatively to probes with 10 enhancers, with five intermediate complexes observed in titration experiments. This suggests that, on average, one UBF dimer binds every two enhancers. A single UBF dimer can produce a DNase I footprint ranging in size from approximately 30 to about 115 bp on enhancer probes of different lengths. This observation is consistent with the hypothesis that multiple DNA-binding domains or subdomains within UBF bind independently, forming more-stable interactions on longer probes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C D Putnam
- Biology Department, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130
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46
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Iida CT, Paule MR. Purification of components required for accurate transcription of ribosomal RNA from Acanthamoeba castellanii. Nucleic Acids Res 1992; 20:3211-21. [PMID: 1620619 PMCID: PMC312461 DOI: 10.1093/nar/20.12.3211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The components required for specific transcription of ribosomal RNA were isolated from logarithmically growing Acanthamoeba castellanii. The transcription initiation factor fraction, TIF, and RNA polymerase I were extracted from whole cells at 0.35 M KCl. The extract was fractionated with polyethylenimine, then chromatographed on phosphocellulose (P11) which resulted in the separation of TIF from RNA polymerase I. The fractions containing TIF were further chromatographed on DEAE cellulose (DE52), Heparin Affigel, and Matrex green agarose, followed by sedimentation through glycerol gradients. TIF was purified approximately 17,000-fold, and shown to have a native molecular weight of 289 kD, and to bind specifically to rRNA promoter sequences by DNase I footprinting. The addition of homogeneous RNA polymerase I to this complex permitted the initiation of specific transcription in vitro. The phosphocellulose fractions containing RNA polymerase I were chromatographed on DEAE cellulose, Heparin-Sepharose, DEAE-Sephadex, and sedimented through sucrose gradients. Polymerase I was purified to apparent homogeneity with a yield of 8.1% and a specific activity of 315. It contained one fewer subunit than previously reported. DNase I protection experiments demonstrated that in both partially purified and homogeneous fractions, RNA polymerase I was capable of stable binding to the TIF-rDNA complex, and correctly initiating transcription on rDNA templates.
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Affiliation(s)
- C T Iida
- Department of Biochemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523
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47
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Kwon OY, Ishikawa H. Unique structure in the intergenic and 5' external transcribed spacer of the ribosomal RNA gene from the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1992; 206:935-40. [PMID: 1606971 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1992.tb17003.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
We analyzed the DNA sequence of the 5' external transcribed spacer (ETS) and part of the intergenic transcribed spacer (IGS) of the aphid ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA). The 5' ETS of aphid rDNA consists of 843 nucleotides with a G/C content of 69 mol/100 mol, far higher than that of any other known 5' ETS for insect rDNA. The IGS of aphid rDNA contained a characteristic array of repeated sequences of 247 nucleotides. The repeated sequences were identical. It was shown that the number of the repeating sequence is heterogeneous.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Y Kwon
- Zoological Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan
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48
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Baldridge GD, Fallon AM. Primary structure of the ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer from the mosquito, Aedes albopictus. DNA Cell Biol 1992; 11:51-9. [PMID: 1739434 DOI: 10.1089/dna.1992.11.51] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
We have determined the primary structure of a 4.7-kb portion of the ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer from cultured cells of the mosquito, Aedes albopictus. Immediately upstream from the 18S rRNA gene was a 753-bp sequence containing two regions similar to known RNA polymerase I promoters, each preceded by potential transcription termination signals. Upstream from this putative promoter region was a 3.15-kb tandem array of 17 direct repeats with a consensus sequence length of 201 bp. The 201-bp repeats contained imperfect antisense duplications of 11-bp core domain regions in the putative RNA polymerase I promoters, and sequences of possible significance in recombination. Farthest upstream of the 18S rRNA gene was an 803-bp region containing two copies each of 34-, 48-, and 64-bp elements separated by apparently unique sequence. This first detailed structural analysis of a ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer from a member of the lower Diptera has revealed features similar to those described for the higher Diptera as well as conserved motifs presumably critical to rRNA transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- G D Baldridge
- Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108
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49
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Deen PM, Roubos EW, Martens GJ. Presence of Vi-transposon-like elements in the proopiomelanocortin gene A of Xenopus laevis does not affect gene activity. MOLECULAR & GENERAL GENETICS : MGG 1991; 230:491-3. [PMID: 1662768 DOI: 10.1007/bf00280307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Restriction mapping of the two proopiomelanocortin (POMC) genes of the South African clawed toad Xenopus laevis revealed that POMC gene A is much larger than POMC gene B. Here we report that this size difference is mainly due to the presence of four vitellogenin (Vi)-transposon-like elements in POMC gene A, while Vi elements are absent from POMC gene B. Alignment of these elements with other Vi elements revealed a consensus sequence of 463 bp, which is bounded by a 16 bp inverted repeat and flanked by a 3 bp direct repeat. Since the amounts of mRNA produced by both POMC genes in the pars intermedia of the Xenopus pituitary are similar, the presence of the Vi-transposon-like elements in POMC gene A apparently has no effect on POMC gene expression at transcriptional or post-transcriptional levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Deen
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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50
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McStay B, Frazier MW, Reeder RH. xUBF contains a novel dimerization domain essential for RNA polymerase I transcription. Genes Dev 1991; 5:1957-68. [PMID: 1936987 DOI: 10.1101/gad.5.11.1957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Xenopus laevis upstream binding factor (xUBF) is an RNA polymerase I transcription factor that is required for formation of the stable initiation complex. The 701-amino-acid protein contains three regions of homology to the chromosomal protein HMG1 (the HMG boxes), which act in comparative independence to cause DNA binding. DNA binding is augmented by a 102-residue amino-terminal domain that causes xUBF to form dimers. The dimerization domain is bipartite in structure, consisting of two regions with the potential to form amphipathic helices, separated by a gap of at least 22 amino acids. The carboxyl half of xUBF is relatively dispensable for transcription (including an 87-residue acidic tail). However, either altering the number of HMG boxes or interfering with dimerization eliminates transcription. The gap region of the dimerization domain is dispensable for dimerization but is absolutely required for transcription. This suggests that the gap region has a critical function in transcription distinct from any effect on dimerization or DNA binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- B McStay
- Basic Sciences Division, Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98104
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