Properties of the transcriptional enhancer in Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomeres

Identification of high affinity Tbf1p-binding sites within the budding yeast genome

The yeast TBF1 gene is essential for mitotic growth and encodes a protein that binds the human telomere repeats in vitro, although its cellular function is unknown. The sequence of the DNA-binding domain of Tbf1p is more closely related to that of the human telomeric proteins TRF1 and TRF2 than to any yeast protein sequence, yet the functional homologue of TRF1 and TRF2 is thought to be Rap1p. In this study we show that the Tbf1p DNA-binding domain can target the Gal4 transactivation domain to a (TTAGGG)(n) sequence inserted in the yeast genome, supporting the model that Tbf1p binds this sub-telomeric repeat motif in vivo. Immunofluorescence of Tbf1p shows a spotty pattern throughout the interphase nucleus and along synapsed chromosomes in meiosis, suggesting that Tbf1p binds internal chromosomal sites in addition to sub-telomeric regions. PCR-assisted binding site selection was used to define a consensus for high affinity Tbf1p-binding sites. Compilation of 50 selected oligonucleotides identified the consensus TAGGGTTGG. Five potential Tbf1p-binding sites resulting from a search of the total yeast genome were tested directly in gel shift assays and shown to bind Tbf1p efficiently in vitro, thus confirming this as a valid consensus for Tbf1p recognition.

Structural and functional heterogeneity of Rap1p complexes with telomeric and UASrpg-like DNA sequences

Rap1p binds to a variety of related DNA sequences. We studied complexes of Rap1p and its DNA-binding domain with two of these sequences, the UASrpg sequence (5'-ACACCCATACATTT-3') and the Saccharomyces cerevisiae telomeric consensus (5'-ACACCCACACACCC-3'). When cloned in front of a minimal CYC1 promoter, the two sequences differed in their transcriptional potential. Whereas UASrpg or telomeric single binding sites activated transcription with approximately the same strength, adjacent UASrpg sequences showed higher synergistic activity and orientation-dependence than telomeric sequences. We also found different sequence requirements for Rap1p binding in vitro to both sequences, since a single base-pair that severely reduced binding of Rap1p to UASrpg sequences had very little effect on the telomeric sequence. The Rap1p binding domain distorted DNA molecules encompassing the UASrpg sequence or the telomeric-like sequence, as revealed by both KMnO4 hypersensitivity and by hydroxyl radical foot-printing analysis. We propose that Rap1p is able to form structurally and functionally different complexes, depending on the type of DNA sequence the complex is assembled from. This functional and structural heterogeneity may be responsible for the multiple functions that Rap1p binding sites appear to have in vivo.

The yeast telomere length regulator TEL2 encodes a protein that binds to telomeric DNA

TEL2 is required for telomere length regulation and viability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To investigate the mechanism by which Tel2p regulates telomere length, the majority (65%) of the TEL2 ORF was fused to the 3'-end of the gene for maltose binding protein, expressed in bacteria and the purified protein used in DNA binding studies. Rap1p, the major yeast telomere binding protein, recognizes a 13 bp duplex site 5'-GGTGTGTGGGTGT-3' in yeast telomeric DNA with high affinity. Gel shift experiments revealed that the MBP-Tel2p fusion binds the double-stranded yeast telomeric Rap1p site in a sequence-specific manner. Analysis of mutated sites showed that MBP-Tel2p could bind 5'-GTGTGTGG-3' within this 13 bp site. Methylation interference analysis revealed that Tel2p contacts the 5'-terminal guanine in the major groove. MBP-Tel2p did not bind duplex telomeric DNA repeats from vertebrates, Tetrahymena or Oxytricha. These results suggest that Tel2p is a DNA binding protein that recognizes yeast telomeric DNA.

Protein-DNA interactions in soluble telosomes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Telomeric DNA in Saccharomyces is organized into a non-nucleosomal chromatin structure called the telosome that can be released from chromosome ends in soluble form by nuclease digestion (Wright, J. H., Gottschling, D. E. and Zakian, V. A. (1992) Genes Dev. 6, 197-210). The protein-DNA interactions of soluble telosomes were investigated by monitoring isolated telomeric DNA fragments for the retention of bound protein using both gel mobility shift and nitrocellulose filter-binding assays. Telosomal proteins remained associated with telomeric DNA at concentrations of ethidium bromide that dissociated nucleosomes. The protein-DNA interactions in the yeast telosome were also disrupted by much lower salt concentrations than those known to disrupt either the interactions of ciliate terminus-binding proteins with telomeric DNA or the interactions of histones with DNA in nucleosomes. Taken together, these data corroborate previously published nuclease mapping data indicating that telosomes are distinct in structure from conventional nucleosomes. These data also indicate that yeast do not possess telomere binding proteins similar to those detected in ciliates that remain tightly bound to telomeric DNA even in high salt. In addition, the characteristic gel mobility shift of soluble telosomes could be mimicked by complexes formed in vitro with yeast telomeric DNA and recombinant Rap1p suggesting that Rap1p, a known component of soluble yeast telosomes (Wright, J. H., Gottschling, D. E. and Zakian, V. A. (1992) Genes Dev. 6, 197-210; Conrad, M. N., Wright, J. H., Wolf, A. J. and Zakian, V. A. (1990) Cell 63, 739-750), is likely to be the major structural protein bound directly to yeast telomeric DNA.

Regulation of HIS4 expression by the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SIN4 transcriptional regulator

The yeast SIN4 gene functions in the transcriptional activation and repression of diverse yeast genes. Previous experiments suggest a sin4 mutation affects chromatin structure and thus alters transcriptional regulation. In this report we show that SIN4 is required for full expression of the HIS4, Ty1, and MAT alpha genes, in addition to the previously described SIN4-dependence of CTS1 expression. All of these genes contain within their promoters a binding site for the Rap1p transcriptional regulator. However, SIN4 does not play a direct role either in transcriptional activation or repression by Rap1p. The HIS4 gene can be activated by either of two pathways, the basal or the inducible pathway, and experiments are described that show that a sin4 mutation affects both pathways. It was shown previously that mutation of the Rap1p binding site in the HIS4 promoter causes a similar effect on HIS4 expression and that this promoter mutation also causes a change in chromatin structure. The SNF2/SWI2 gene is also required for full HIS4 expression, and we show that a sin4 snf2 double mutant is not synergistic compared to either single mutant. We show that nucleosomes are positioned at the HIS4 promoter and that this positioning is disrupted in a snf2 mutant but not in a sin4 mutant. These findings suggest that SIN4 plays a distinct role in transcriptional regulation.

Transcription factors are required for the meiotic recombination hotspot at the HIS4 locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The full activity of a recombination initiation site located 5' of HIS4 requires the binding of the transcription factors RAP1, BAS1, and BAS2. Two RAP1 binding sites can substitute for the wild-type initiation site. A 51-bp region of telomeric DNA inserted upstream of either HIS4 or ARG4 very strongly stimulates recombination. We suggest that the ability of transcription factors to induce recombination is a consequence of an altered chromatin structure that favors the entry of proteins that initiate recombination, rather than an effect of these factors on transcription.

Characterization of a herpes simplex virus sequence which binds a cellular protein as either a single-stranded or double-stranded DNA or RNA

Earlier we reported that herpes simplex virus 1 DNA contains a sequence which binds a host protein in a sequence-specific manner as either a single-stranded or a double-stranded DNA or RNA and that this sequence is located in a transcriptional unit whose RNA traverses the origin of viral DNA replication (OriSRNA) (R.J. Roller, L. McCormick, and B. Roizman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:6518-6522, 1989). The protein reacts with both DNA and RNA in band-shift assays and protects the single-stranded RNA sequence from digestion by RNase. We report that the minimal cognate sequence required for these interactions consisted of [N(GTGGGTGGG)2(N less than or equal to 10)]. The ninemer repeat sequence was located at nucleotides -1 to -18 relative to the transcription initiation of the major species of OriSRNA. The activity of the cognate sequence required at least three guanines between thymines and tolerates the insertion of additional thymines, but it was inactivated by the insertion of adenines or by the substitution of some of the guanines with cytosines in one repeat. Replacement of the 10 3' nucleotides has no effect on binding activity, whereas deletion of these sequences abolished it. Among the related sequences with no demonstrable binding activity were some telomeric sequences which interact with known cognate proteins. The electrophoretic mobility of the herpes simplex virus cognate sequences in nondenaturing gels suggests that they may be able to form higher-order structures, but the conditions under which they were formed were different from the optimal conditions for binding the protein. UV light cross-linking studies of labeled RNA-protein complexes following digestion with RNases indicated that the electrophoretic mobility of the protective activity corresponded to that of a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 100,000.

Saccharomyces telomeres assume a non-nucleosomal chromatin structure

The chromatin structures of the telomeric and subtelomeric regions on chromosomal DNA molecules in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were analyzed using micrococcal nuclease and DNAse I. The subtelomeric repeats X and Y' were assembled in nucleosomes. However, the terminal tracts of C1-3A repeats were protein protected in a particle larger than a nucleosome herein called a telosome. The proximal boundary of the telosome was a DNase I hypersensitive site. This boundary between the telosome and adjacent nucleosomes was completely accessible to Escherichia coli dam methylase when this enzyme was expressed in yeast, whereas a site 250 bp internal to the telomeric repeats was relatively inaccessible. Telosomes could be cleaved from chromosome ends with nuclease and solubilized as protein-DNA complexes. Immunoprecipitation of chromosomal telosomes with antiserum to the RAP1 protein indicated that RAP1 was one component of isolated telosomes. Thus, the termini of chromosomal DNA molecules in yeast are assembled in a non-nucleosomal structure encompassing the entire terminal C1-3A tract. This structure is separated from adjacent nucleosomes by a region of DNA that is highly accessible to enzymes.

Effects of excess centromeres and excess telomeres on chromosome loss rates

The linear chromosomes of eukaryotes contain specialized structures to ensure their faithful replication and segregation to daughter cells. Two of these structures, centromeres and telomeres, are limited, respectively, to one and two copies per chromosome. It is possible that the proteins that interact with centromere and telomere DNA sequences are present in limiting amounts and could be competed away from the chromosomal copies of these elements by additional copies introduced on plasmids. We have introduced excess centromeres and telomeres into Saccharomyces cerevisiae and quantitated their effects on the rates of loss of chromosome III and chromosome VII by fluctuation analysis. We show that (i) 600 new telomeres have no effect on chromosome loss; (ii) an average of 25 extra centromere DNA sequences increase the rate of chromosome III loss from 0.4 x 10(-4) events per cell division to 1.3 x 10(-3) events per cell division; (iii) centromere DNA (CEN) sequences on circular vectors destabilize chromosomes more effectively than do CEN sequences on 15-kb linear vectors, and transcribed CEN sequences have no effect on chromosome stability. We discuss the different effects of extra centromere and telomere DNA sequences on chromosome stability in terms of how the cell recognizes these two chromosomal structures.

Effects of excess centromeres and excess telomeres on chromosome loss rates

The linear chromosomes of eukaryotes contain specialized structures to ensure their faithful replication and segregation to daughter cells. Two of these structures, centromeres and telomeres, are limited, respectively, to one and two copies per chromosome. It is possible that the proteins that interact with centromere and telomere DNA sequences are present in limiting amounts and could be competed away from the chromosomal copies of these elements by additional copies introduced on plasmids. We have introduced excess centromeres and telomeres into Saccharomyces cerevisiae and quantitated their effects on the rates of loss of chromosome III and chromosome VII by fluctuation analysis. We show that (i) 600 new telomeres have no effect on chromosome loss; (ii) an average of 25 extra centromere DNA sequences increase the rate of chromosome III loss from 0.4 x 10(-4) events per cell division to 1.3 x 10(-3) events per cell division; (iii) centromere DNA (CEN) sequences on circular vectors destabilize chromosomes more effectively than do CEN sequences on 15-kb linear vectors, and transcribed CEN sequences have no effect on chromosome stability. We discuss the different effects of extra centromere and telomere DNA sequences on chromosome stability in terms of how the cell recognizes these two chromosomal structures.

Association of RAP1 binding sites with stringent control of ribosomal protein gene transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An amino acid limitation in bacteria elicits a global response, called stringent control, that leads to reduced synthesis of rRNA and ribosomal proteins and increased expression of amino acid biosynthetic operons. We have used the antimetabolite 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole to cause histidine limitation as a means to elicit the stringent response in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fusions of the yeast ribosomal protein genes RPL16A, CRY1, RPS16A, and RPL25 with the Escherichia coli lacZ gene were used to show that the expression of these genes is reduced by a factor of 2 to 5 during histidine-limited exponential growth and that this regulation occurs at the level of transcription. Stringent regulation of the four yeast ribosomal protein genes was shown to be associated with a nucleotide sequence, known as the UASrpg (upstream activating sequence for ribosomal protein genes), that binds the transcriptional regulatory protein RAP1. The RAP1 binding sites also appeared to mediate the greater ribosomal protein gene expression observed in cells growing exponentially than in cells in stationary phase. Although expression of the ribosomal protein genes was reduced in response to histidine limitation, the level of RAP1 DNA-binding activity in cell extracts was unaffected. Yeast strains bearing a mutation in any one of the genes GCN1 to GCN4 are defective in derepression of amino acid biosynthetic genes in 10 different pathways under conditions of histidine limitation. These Gcn- mutants showed wild-type regulation of ribosomal protein gene expression, which suggests that separate regulatory pathways exist in S. cerevisiae for the derepression of amino acid biosynthetic genes and the repression of ribosomal protein genes in response to amino acid starvation.

Association of RAP1 binding sites with stringent control of ribosomal protein gene transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

An amino acid limitation in bacteria elicits a global response, called stringent control, that leads to reduced synthesis of rRNA and ribosomal proteins and increased expression of amino acid biosynthetic operons. We have used the antimetabolite 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole to cause histidine limitation as a means to elicit the stringent response in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Fusions of the yeast ribosomal protein genes RPL16A, CRY1, RPS16A, and RPL25 with the Escherichia coli lacZ gene were used to show that the expression of these genes is reduced by a factor of 2 to 5 during histidine-limited exponential growth and that this regulation occurs at the level of transcription. Stringent regulation of the four yeast ribosomal protein genes was shown to be associated with a nucleotide sequence, known as the UASrpg (upstream activating sequence for ribosomal protein genes), that binds the transcriptional regulatory protein RAP1. The RAP1 binding sites also appeared to mediate the greater ribosomal protein gene expression observed in cells growing exponentially than in cells in stationary phase. Although expression of the ribosomal protein genes was reduced in response to histidine limitation, the level of RAP1 DNA-binding activity in cell extracts was unaffected. Yeast strains bearing a mutation in any one of the genes GCN1 to GCN4 are defective in derepression of amino acid biosynthetic genes in 10 different pathways under conditions of histidine limitation. These Gcn- mutants showed wild-type regulation of ribosomal protein gene expression, which suggests that separate regulatory pathways exist in S. cerevisiae for the derepression of amino acid biosynthetic genes and the repression of ribosomal protein genes in response to amino acid starvation.

Position effect at S. cerevisiae telomeres: reversible repression of Pol II transcription

S. cerevisiae chromosomes end with the telomeric repeat (TG1-3)n. When any of four Pol II genes was placed immediately adjacent to the telomeric repeats, expression of the gene was reversibly repressed as demonstrated by phenotype and mRNA analyses. For example, cells bearing a telomere-linked copy of ADE2 produced predominantly red colonies (a phenotype characteristic of ade2- cells) containing white sectors (characteristic of ADE2+ cells). Repression was due to proximity to the telomere itself since an 81 bp tract of (TG1-3)n positioned downstream of URA3 when URA3 was approximately 20 kb from the end of chromosome VII did not alter expression of the gene. However, this internal tract of (TG1-3)n could spontaneously become telomeric, in which case expression of the URA3 gene was repressed. These data demonstrate that yeast telomeres exert a position effect on the transcription of nearby genes, an effect that is under epigenetic control.