The Saccharomyces cerevisiae DAL80 repressor protein binds to multiple copies of GATAA-containing sequences (URSGATA)

TorC1 and nitrogen catabolite repression control of integrated GABA shunt and retrograde pathway gene expression

Despite our detailed understanding of how the lower GABA shunt and retrograde genes are regulated, there is a paucity of validated information concerning control of GAD1, the glutamate decarboxylase gene which catalyzes the first reaction of the GABA shunt. Further, integration of glutamate degradation via the GABA shunt has not been investigated. Here, we show that while GAD1 shares a response to rapamycin-inhibition of the TorC1 kinase, it does so independently of the Gln3 and Gat1 NCR-sensitive transcriptional activators that mediate transcription of the lower GABA shunt genes. We also show that GABA shunt gene expression increases dramatically in response to nickel ions. The α-ketoglutarate needed for the GABA shunt to cycle, thereby producing reduced pyridine nucleotides, derives from the retrograde pathway as shown by a similar high increase in the retrograde reporter, CIT2 when nickel is present in the medium. These observations demonstrate high integration of the GABA shunt, retrograde, peroxisomal glyoxylate cycle, and β-oxidation pathways.

Functional characterization and comparative analysis of gene repression-mediating domains interacting with yeast pleiotropic corepressors Sin3, Cyc8 and Tup1

Transcriptional corepressors Sin3, Cyc8 and Tup1 are important for downregulation of gene expression by recruiting various histone deacetylases once they gain access to defined genomic locations by interaction with pathway-specific repressor proteins. In this work we systematically investigated whether 17 yeast repressor proteins (Cti6, Dal80, Fkh1, Gal80, Mig1, Mot3, Nrg1, Opi1, Rdr1, Rox1, Sko1, Ume6, Ure2, Xbp1, Yhp1, Yox1 and Whi5) representing several unrelated regulatory pathways are able to bind to Sin3, Cyc8 and Tup1. Our results show that paired amphipathic helices 1 and 2 (PAH1 and PAH2) of Sin3 are functionally redundant for some regulatory pathways. WD40 domains of Tup1 proved to be sufficient for interaction with repressor proteins. Using length variants of selected repressors, we mapped corepressor interaction domains (CIDs) in vitro and assayed gene repression in vivo. Systematic comparison of CID minimal sequences allowed us to define several related positional patterns of hydrophobic amino acids some of which could be confirmed as functionally supported by site-directed mutagenesis. Although structural predictions indicated that certain CIDs may be α-helical, most repression domains appear to be randomly structured and must be considered as intrinsically disordered regions (IDR) adopting a defined conformation only by interaction with a corepressor.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe Grx4, Fep1, and Php4: In silico analysis and expression response to different iron concentrations

Due to iron's essential role in cellular metabolism, most organisms must maintain their homeostasis. In this regard, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe (sp) uses two transcription factors to regulate intracellular iron levels: spFep1 under iron-rich conditions and spPhp4 under iron-deficient conditions, which are controlled by spGrx4. However, bioinformatics analysis to understand the role of the spGrx4/spFep1/spPhp4 axis in maintaining iron homeostasis in S. pombe is still lacking. Our study aimed to perform bioinformatics analysis on S. pombe proteins and their sequence homologs in Aspergillus flavus (af), Saccharomyces cerevisiae (sc), and Homo sapiens (hs) to understand the role of spGrx4, spFep1, and spPhp4 in maintaining iron homeostasis. The three genes' expression patterns were also examined at various iron concentrations. A multiple sequence alignment analysis of spGrx4 and its sequence homologs revealed a conserved cysteine residue in each PF00085 domain. Blast results showed that hsGLRX3 is most similar to spGrx4. In addition, spFep1 is most closely related in sequence to scDal80, whereas scHap4 is most similar to spFep1. We also found two highly conserved motifs in spFep1 and its sequence homologs that are significant for iron transport systems because they contain residues involved in iron homeostasis. The scHap4 is most similar to spPhp4. Using STRING to analyze protein-protein interactions, we found that spGrx4 interacts strongly with spPhp4 and spFep1. Furthermore, spGrx4, spPhp4, and spFep1 interact with spPhp2, spPhp3, and spPhp5, indicating that the three proteins play cooperative roles in iron homeostasis. At the highest level of Fe, spgrx4 had the highest expression, followed by spfep1, while spphp4 had the lowest expression; a contrast occurred at the lowest level of Fe, where spgrx4 expression remained constant. Our findings support the notion that organisms develop diverse strategies to maintain iron homeostasis.

Nitrogen Catabolite Repression in members of Paracoccidioides complex

Paracoccidioides complex is a genus that comprises pathogenic fungi which are responsible by systemic disease Paracoccidioidomycosis. In host tissues, pathogenic fungi need to acquire nutrients in order to survive, making the uptake of nitrogen essential for their establishment and dissemination. Nitrogen utilization is employed by the alleviation of Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR) which ensures the use of non-preferential or alternative nitrogen sources when preferential sources are not available. NCR is controlled by GATA transcription factors which act through GATA binding sites on promoter regions in NCR-sensitive genes. This process is responsible for encoding proteins involved with the scavenge, uptake and catabolism of a wide variety of non-preferential nitrogen sources. In this work, we predict the existence of AreA GATA transcription factor and feature the zinc finger domain by three-dimensional structure in Paracoccidioides. Furthermore, we demonstrate the putative genes involved with NCR response by means of in silico analysis. The gene expression profile under NCR conditions was evaluated. Demonstrating that P. lutzii supported transcriptional regulation and alleviated NCR in non-preferential nitrogen-dependent medium. The elucidation of NCR in members of Paracoccidioides complex will provide new knowledge about survival, dissemination and virulence for these pathogens with regard to nitrogen-scavenging strategies in the interactions of host-pathogens.

Transcription-dependent spreading of the Dal80 yeast GATA factor across the body of highly expressed genes

GATA transcription factors are highly conserved among eukaryotes and play roles in transcription of genes implicated in cancer progression and hematopoiesis. However, although their consensus binding sites have been well defined in vitro, the in vivo selectivity for recognition by GATA factors remains poorly characterized. Using ChIP-Seq, we identified the Dal80 GATA factor targets in yeast. Our data reveal Dal80 binding to a large set of promoters, sometimes independently of GATA sites, correlating with nitrogen- and/or Dal80-sensitive gene expression. Strikingly, Dal80 was also detected across the body of promoter-bound genes, correlating with high expression. Mechanistic single-gene experiments showed that Dal80 spreading across gene bodies requires active transcription. Consistently, Dal80 co-immunoprecipitated with the initiating and post-initiation forms of RNA Polymerase II. Our work suggests that GATA factors could play dual, synergistic roles during transcription initiation and post-initiation steps, promoting efficient remodeling of the gene expression program in response to environmental changes.

GATA transcription factors are highly conserved among eukaryotes and play key roles in cancer progression and hematopoiesis. In budding yeast, four GATA transcription factors are involved in the response to the quality of nitrogen supply. Here, we have determined the whole genome binding profile of the Dal80 GATA factor, and revealed that it also associates with the body of promoter-bound genes. The observation that intragenic spreading correlates with high expression levels and exquisite Dal80 sensitivity suggests that GATA factors could play other, unexpected roles at post-initiation stages in eukaryotes.

Premature termination of GAT1 transcription explains paradoxical negative correlation between nitrogen-responsive mRNA, but constitutive low-level protein production

The first step in executing the genetic program of a cell is production of mRNA. In yeast, almost every gene is transcribed as multiple distinct isoforms, differing at their 5′ and/or 3′ termini. However, the implications and functional significance of the transcriptome-wide diversity of mRNA termini remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we show that the GAT1 gene, encoding a transcriptional activator of nitrogen-responsive catabolic genes, produces a variety of mRNAs differing in their 5′ and 3′ termini. Alternative transcription initiation leads to the constitutive, low level production of 2 full length proteins differing in their N-termini, whereas premature transcriptional termination generates a short, highly nitrogen catabolite repression- (NCR-) sensitive transcript that, as far as we can determine, is not translated under the growth conditions we used, but rather likely protects the cell from excess Gat1.

Mapping yeast transcriptional networks

The term “transcriptional network” refers to the mechanism(s) that underlies coordinated expression of genes, typically involving transcription factors (TFs) binding to the promoters of multiple genes, and individual genes controlled by multiple TFs. A multitude of studies in the last two decades have aimed to map and characterize transcriptional networks in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We review the methodologies and accomplishments of these studies, as well as challenges we now face. For most yeast TFs, data have been collected on their sequence preferences, in vivo promoter occupancy, and gene expression profiles in deletion mutants. These systematic studies have led to the identification of new regulators of numerous cellular functions and shed light on the overall organization of yeast gene regulation. However, many yeast TFs appear to be inactive under standard laboratory growth conditions, and many of the available data were collected using techniques that have since been improved. Perhaps as a consequence, comprehensive and accurate mapping among TF sequence preferences, promoter binding, and gene expression remains an open challenge. We propose that the time is ripe for renewed systematic efforts toward a complete mapping of yeast transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

The interplay between the GATA transcription factors AreA, the global nitrogen regulator and AreB in Fusarium fujikuroi

Nitrogen metabolite repression (NMR) in filamentous fungi is controlled by the GATA transcription factors AreA and AreB. While AreA mainly acts as a positive regulator of NMR-sensitive genes, the role of AreB is not well understood. We report the characterization of AreB and its interplay with AreA in the gibberellin-producing fungus Fusarium fujikuroi. The areB locus produces three different transcripts that each code for functional proteins fully complementing the areB deletion mutant that influence growth and secondary metabolism. However, under nitrogen repression, the AreB isoforms differ in subcellular localization indicating distinct functions under these conditions. In addition, AreA and two isoforms of AreB colocalize in the nucleus under low nitrogen, but their nuclear localization disappears under conditions of high nitrogen. Using a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) approach we showed for the first time that one of the AreB isoforms interacts with AreA when starved of nitrogen. Cross-species complementation revealed that some AreB functions are retained between F. fujikuroi and Aspergillus nidulans while others have diverged. By comparison to other fungi where AreB was postulated to function as a negative counterpart of AreA, AreB can act as both repressor and activator of transcription in F. fujikuroi.

Constitutive and nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive production of Gat1 isoforms

Nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive transcription is activated by Gln3 and Gat1. In nitrogen excess, Gln3 and Gat1 are cytoplasmic, and transcription is minimal. In poor nitrogen, Gln3 and Gat1 become nuclear and activate transcription. A long standing paradox has surrounded Gat1 production. Gat1 was first reported as an NCR-regulated activity mediating NCR-sensitive transcription in gln3 deletion strains. Upon cloning, GAT1 transcription was, as predicted, NCR-sensitive and Gln3- and Gat1-activated. In contrast, Western blots of Gat1-Myc(13) exhibited two constitutively produced species. Investigating this paradox, we demonstrate that wild type Gat1 isoforms (IsoA and IsoB) are initiated at Gat1 methionines 40, 95, and/or 102, but not at methionine 1. Their low level production is the same in rich and poor nitrogen conditions. When the Myc(13) tag is placed after Gat1 Ser-233, four N-terminal Gat1 isoforms (IsoC-F) are also initiated at methionines 40, 95, and/or 102. However, their production is highly NCR-sensitive, being greater in proline than glutamine medium. Surprisingly, all Gat1 isoforms produced in sufficient quantities to be confidently analyzed (IsoA, IsoC, and IsoD) require Gln3 and UASGATA promoter elements, both requirements typical of NCR-sensitive transcription. These data demonstrate that regulated Gat1 production is more complex than previously recognized, with wild type versus truncated Gat1 proteins failing to be regulated in parallel. This is the first reported instance of Gln3 UASGATA-dependent protein production failing to derepress in nitrogen poor conditions. A Gat1-lacZ ORF swap experiment indicated sequence(s) responsible for the nonparallel production are downstream of Gat1 leucine 61.

Impact of chromosomal inversions on the yeast DAL cluster

Chromosomal rearrangements occur readily in nature and are a major reshaping force during genome evolution. Such large scale modifications are usually deleterious causing several fitness defects, but sometimes can confer an advantage and become adaptive. For example the DAL metabolic cluster in yeast was assembled in recent evolutionary times in the Hemiascomycetes lineage, through a set of rearrangements that brought together the genes involved in the allantoin degradation pathway. In eukaryotes, the existence of physical clustering of genes with related functions supports the notion that neighbouring ORFs tend to be co-expressed and that the order of genes along the chromosomes may have biological significance, rather than being random as previously believed. In this study, we investigate the phenotypic effect that inversions have on the DAL gene cluster, expressed during nitrogen starvation. In all Saccharomyces "sensu stricto" species the order of the DAL cluster is conserved, while in the "sensu lato" species Naumovia castellii, which grows significantly worse than S. cerevisiae on allantoin, the cluster includes two nested inversions encompassing three DAL genes. We constructed several inverted and non-inverted S. cerevisiae strains possessing different inversions including those to mimic the configuration of the N. castellii DAL cluster. We showed that the inversion of DAL2 lower its own expression and reduces yeast fitness during nitrogen starvation. This rearrangement also altered the expression of the neighbouring genes DAL1 and DAL4. Moreover, we showed that the expression of the DAL4 anti-sense transcript (SUT614) does not change upon inversions of DAL2 and therefore is unlikely to be involved in its regulation. These results show that the order of the DAL cluster has an impact on the phenotype and gene expression, suggesting that these rearrangements may have been adaptive in the "sensu stricto" group in relation to the low availability of nitrogen in the environment.

Tri6 is a global transcription regulator in the phytopathogen Fusarium graminearum

In F. graminearum, the transcriptional regulator Tri6 is encoded within the trichothecene gene cluster and regulates genes involved in the biosynthesis of the secondary metabolite deoxynivalenol (DON). The Tri6 protein with its Cys₂His₂ zinc-finger may also conform to the class of global transcription regulators. This class of global transcriptional regulators mediate various environmental cues and generally responds to the demands of cellular metabolism. To address this issue directly, we sought to find gene targets of Tri6 in F. graminearum grown in optimal nutrient conditions. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by Illumina sequencing (ChIP-Seq) revealed that in addition to identifying six genes within the trichothecene gene cluster, Tri1, Tri3, Tri6, Tri7, Tri12 and Tri14, the ChIP-Seq also identified 192 additional targets potentially regulated by Tri6. Functional classification revealed that, among the annotated genes, ∼40% are associated with cellular metabolism and transport and the rest of the target genes fall into the category of signal transduction and gene expression regulation. ChIP-Seq data also revealed Tri6 has the highest affinity toward its own promoter, suggesting that this gene could be subject to self-regulation. Electro mobility shift assays (EMSA) performed on the promoter of Tri6 with purified Tri6 protein identified a minimum binding motif of GTGA repeats as a consensus sequence. Finally, expression profiling of F. graminearum grown under nitrogen-limiting conditions revealed that 49 out of 198 target genes are differentially regulated by Tri6. The identification of potential new targets together with deciphering novel binding sites for Tri6, casts new light into the role of this transcriptional regulator in the overall growth and development of F. graminearum.

Our knowledge of mechanisms involved in the activation and biosynthesis of DON comes largely from in vitro culture studies. Cumulated knowledge suggests that the physiological status of the fungus and the availability of nutrients are the main determining factors for DON production. Integration of various environmental cues to coordinate expression of secondary metabolic genes is thought to be mediated by a combination of global and pathway-specific transcription factors. While the global transcriptional factors respond to broad range of environmental cues such as the availability of carbon and nitrogen, the pathway-specific transcriptional factors regulate genes within a gene cluster. In F. graminearum, the transcriptional regulator Tri6 is encoded within the trichothecene gene cluster and regulates genes involved in the synthesis and transport of DON. In this report, we utilized ChIP-Seq to demonstrate that Tri6 can potentially bind to promoters and regulate genes not involved in the synthesis of DON and furthermore, many of these non-trichothecene genes are involved in various aspects of cellular metabolism, including transport and energy. Expression profiling revealed that many of the target genes are differentially regulated by Tri6, thus validating our hypothesis that Tri6 is a global regulator involved in cellular metabolism.

The yeast GATA factor Gat1 occupies a central position in nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive gene activation

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells are able to adapt their metabolism according to the quality of the nitrogen sources available in the environment. Nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR) restrains the yeast's capacity to use poor nitrogen sources when rich ones are available. NCR-sensitive expression is modulated by the synchronized action of four DNA-binding GATA factors. Although the first identified GATA factor, Gln3, was considered the major activator of NCR-sensitive gene expression, our work positions Gat1 as a key factor for the integrated control of NCR in yeast for the following reasons: (i) Gat1 appeared to be the limiting factor for NCR gene expression, (ii) GAT1 expression was regulated by the four GATA factors in response to nitrogen availability, (iii) the two negative GATA factors Dal80 and Gzf3 interfered with Gat1 binding to DNA, and (iv) Gln3 binding to some NCR promoters required Gat1. Our study also provides mechanistic insights into the mode of action of the two negative GATA factors. Gzf3 interfered with Gat1 by nuclear sequestration and by competition at its own promoter. Dal80-dependent repression of NCR-sensitive gene expression occurred at three possible levels: Dal80 represses GAT1 expression, it competes with Gat1 for binding, and it directly represses NCR gene transcription.

Nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive transcription as a readout of Tor pathway regulation: the genetic background, reporter gene and GATA factor assayed determine the outcomes

Nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive genes, whose expression is highly repressed when provided with excess nitrogen and derepressed when nitrogen is limited or cells are treated with rapamycin, are routinely used as reporters in mechanistic studies of the Tor signal transduction pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two GATA factors, Gln3 and Gat1, are responsible for NCR-sensitive transcription, but recent evidence demonstrates that Tor pathway regulation of NCR-sensitive transcription bifurcates at the level of GATA factor localization. Gln3 requires Sit4 phosphatase for nuclear localization and NCR-sensitive transcription while Gat1 does not. In this article, we demonstrate that the extent to which Sit4 plays a role in NCR-sensitive transcription depends upon whether or not (i) Gzf3, a GATA repressor homologous to Dal80, is active in the genetic background assayed; (ii) Gat1 is able to activate transcription of the assayed gene in the absence of Gln3 in that genetic background; and (iii) the gene chosen as a reporter is able to be transcribed by Gln3 or Gat1 in the absence of the other GATA factor. Together, the data indicate that in the absence of these three pieces of information, overall NCR-sensitive gene transcription data are unreliable as Tor pathway readouts.

Functional characterization of variations on regulatory motifs

Transcription factors (TFs) regulate gene expression through specific interactions with short promoter elements. The same regulatory protein may recognize a variety of related sequences. Moreover, once they are detected it is hard to predict whether highly similar sequence motifs will be recognized by the same TF and regulate similar gene expression patterns, or serve as binding sites for distinct regulatory factors. We developed computational measures to assess the functional implications of variations on regulatory motifs and to compare the functions of related sites. We have developed computational means for estimating the functional outcome of substituting a single position within a binding site and applied them to a collection of putative regulatory motifs. We predict the effects of nucleotide variations within motifs on gene expression patterns. In cases where such predictions could be compared to suitable published experimental evidence, we found very good agreement. We further accumulated statistics from multiple substitutions across various binding sites in an attempt to deduce general properties that characterize nucleotide substitutions that are more likely to alter expression. We found that substitutions involving Adenine are more likely to retain the expression pattern and that substitutions involving Guanine are more likely to alter expression compared to the rest of the substitutions. Our results should facilitate the prediction of the expression outcomes of binding site variations. One typical important implication is expected to be the ability to predict the phenotypic effect of variation in regulatory motifs in promoters.

Architecture of the sporulation-specific Cdc14 promoter from the oomycete Phytophthora infestans

The Cdc14 gene of Phytophthora infestans is transcribed specifically during sporulation, with no mRNA detectable in vegetative hyphae, and is required for sporangium development. To unravel the mechanisms regulating its transcription, mutated Cdc14 promoters plus chimeras of selected Cdc14 sequences and a minimal promoter were tested in stable transformants. This revealed that a tandem repeat of three copies of the motif CTYAAC, located between 67 and 90 nucleotides (nt) upstream of the major transcription start site, is sufficient to determine sporulation-specific expression. All three repeats need to be present for activity, suggesting that they bind a transcription factor through a cooperative mechanism. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that the CTYAAC repeats are specifically bound by a protein in nuclear extracts. Evidence was also obtained for a second region within the promoter that activates Cdc14 transcription during sporulation which does not involve those repeats. The CTYAAC motif also affects the specificity of transcription initiation. Wild-type Cdc14 is transcribed from a major start site and minor site(s) located about 100 nt upstream of the major site. However, stepwise mutations through the CTYAAC triad caused a graded shift to the upstream sites, as did mutating bases surrounding the major start site; transcripts initiated from the upstream site remained sporulation specific. Replacing the Cdc14 initiation region with the Inr-like region of the constitutive Piexo1 gene had no apparent effect on the pattern of transcription. Therefore, this study reports the first motif determining sporulation-induced transcription in oomycetes and helps define oomycete core promoters.

Global transcriptional and physiological responses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to ammonium, L-alanine, or L-glutamine limitation

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encounters a range of nitrogen sources at various concentrations in its environment. The impact of these two parameters on transcription and metabolism was studied by growing S. cerevisiae in chemostat cultures with l-glutamine, l-alanine, or l-ammonium in limitation and by growing cells in an excess of ammonium. Cells grown in l-alanine-limited cultures had higher biomass yield per nitrogen mole (19%) than those from ammonium-limited cultures. Whole-genome transcript profiles were analyzed with a genome-scale metabolic model that suggested increased anabolic activity in l-alanine-limited cells. The changes in these cells were found to be focused around pyruvate, acetyl coenzyme A, glyoxylate, and alpha-ketoglutarate via increased levels of ALT1, DAL7, PYC1, GDH2, and ADH5 and decreased levels of GDH3, CIT2, and ACS1 transcripts. The transcript profiles were then clustered. Approximately 1,400 transcripts showed altered levels when amino acid-grown cells were compared to those from ammonium. Another 400 genes had low transcript levels when ammonium was in excess. Overrepresentation of the GATAAG element in their promoters suggests that nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR) may be responsible for this regulation. Ninety-one genes had transcript levels on both l-glutamine and ammonium that were decreased compared to those on l-alanine, independent of the concentration. The GATAAG element in these genes suggests two groups of NCR-responsive genes, those that respond to high levels of nitrogen and those that respond to levels below 30 muM. In conclusion, our results reveal that the nitrogen source has substantial influence on the transcriptome of yeasts and that transcriptional changes may be correlated to physiology via a metabolic model.

Heterologous expression implicates a GATA factor in regulation of nitrogen metabolic genes and ion homeostasis in the halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii

The yeast Debaryomyces hansenii has a remarkable capacity to proliferate in salty and alkaline environments such as seawater. A screen for D. hansenii genes able to confer increased tolerance to high pH when overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yielded a single gene, named here DhGZF3, encoding a putative negative GATA transcription factor related to S. cerevisiae Dal80 and Gzf3. Overexpression of this gene in wild-type S. cerevisiae increased caffeine and rapamycin tolerance, blocked growth in low glucose concentrations and nonfermentable carbon sources, and resulted in lithium- and sodium-sensitive cells. Sensitivity to salt could be attributed to a reduced cation efflux, most likely because of a decrease in expression of the ENA1 Na(+)-ATPase gene. Overexpression of DhGZF3 did not affect cell growth in a gat1 mutant but was lethal in the absence of Gln3. These are positive factors that oppose both Gzf3 and Dal80. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of wild-type cells overexpressing DhGZF3 shows decreased expression of a number of genes that are usually induced in poor nitrogen sources. In addition, the entire pathway leading to Lys biosynthesis was repressed, probably as a result of a decrease in the expression of the specific Lys14 transcription factor. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that DhGzf3 can play a role as a negative GATA transcription factor when expressed in S. cerevisiae and that it most probably represents the only member of this family in D. hansenii. These findings also point to the GATA transcription factors as relevant elements for alkaline-pH tolerance.

Network motifs: structure does not determine function

Background

A number of publications have recently examined the occurrence and properties of the feed-forward motif in a variety of networks, including those that are of interest in genome biology, such as gene networks. The present work looks in some detail at the dynamics of the bi-fan motif, using systems of ordinary differential equations to model the populations of transcription factors, mRNA and protein, with the aim of extending our understanding of what appear to be important building blocks of gene network structure.

Results

We develop an ordinary differential equation model of the bi-fan motif and analyse variants of the motif corresponding to its behaviour under various conditions. In particular, we examine the effects of different steady and pulsed inputs to five variants of the bifan motif, based on evidence in the literature of bifan motifs found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (commonly known as baker's yeast). Using this model, we characterize the dynamical behaviour of the bi-fan motif for a wide range of biologically plausible parameters and configurations. We find that there is no characteristic behaviour for the motif, and with the correct choice of parameters and of internal structure, very different, indeed even opposite behaviours may be obtained.

Conclusion

Even with this relatively simple model, the bi-fan motif can exhibit a wide range of dynamical responses. This suggests that it is difficult to gain significant insights into biological function simply by considering the connection architecture of a gene network, or its decomposition into simple structural motifs. It is necessary to supplement such structural information by kinetic parameters, or dynamic time series experimental data, both of which are currently difficult to obtain.

PhyloGibbs: a Gibbs sampling motif finder that incorporates phylogeny

A central problem in the bioinformatics of gene regulation is to find the binding sites for regulatory proteins. One of the most promising approaches toward identifying these short and fuzzy sequence patterns is the comparative analysis of orthologous intergenic regions of related species. This analysis is complicated by various factors. First, one needs to take the phylogenetic relationship between the species into account in order to distinguish conservation that is due to the occurrence of functional sites from spurious conservation that is due to evolutionary proximity. Second, one has to deal with the complexities of multiple alignments of orthologous intergenic regions, and one has to consider the possibility that functional sites may occur outside of conserved segments. Here we present a new motif sampling algorithm, PhyloGibbs, that runs on arbitrary collections of multiple local sequence alignments of orthologous sequences. The algorithm searches over all ways in which an arbitrary number of binding sites for an arbitrary number of transcription factors (TFs) can be assigned to the multiple sequence alignments. These binding site configurations are scored by a Bayesian probabilistic model that treats aligned sequences by a model for the evolution of binding sites and "background" intergenic DNA. This model takes the phylogenetic relationship between the species in the alignment explicitly into account. The algorithm uses simulated annealing and Monte Carlo Markov-chain sampling to rigorously assign posterior probabilities to all the binding sites that it reports. In tests on synthetic data and real data from five Saccharomyces species our algorithm performs significantly better than four other motif-finding algorithms, including algorithms that also take phylogeny into account. Our results also show that, in contrast to the other algorithms, PhyloGibbs can make realistic estimates of the reliability of its predictions. Our tests suggest that, running on the five-species multiple alignment of a single gene's upstream region, PhyloGibbs on average recovers over 50% of all binding sites in S. cerevisiae at a specificity of about 50%, and 33% of all binding sites at a specificity of about 85%. We also tested PhyloGibbs on collections of multiple alignments of intergenic regions that were recently annotated, based on ChIP-on-chip data, to contain binding sites for the same TF. We compared PhyloGibbs's results with the previous analysis of these data using six other motif-finding algorithms. For 16 of 21 TFs for which all other motif-finding methods failed to find a significant motif, PhyloGibbs did recover a motif that matches the literature consensus. In 11 cases where there was disagreement in the results we compiled lists of known target genes from the literature, and found that running PhyloGibbs on their regulatory regions yielded a binding motif matching the literature consensus in all but one of the cases. Interestingly, these literature gene lists had little overlap with the targets annotated based on the ChIP-on-chip data. The PhyloGibbs code can be downloaded from http://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/~nimwegen/cgi-bin/phylogibbs.cgi or http://www.imsc.res.in/~rsidd/phylogibbs. The full set of predicted sites from our tests on yeast are available at http://www.swissregulon.unibas.ch.

Swi/SNF-GCN5-dependent chromatin remodelling determines induced expression of GDH3, one of the paralogous genes responsible for ammonium assimilation and glutamate biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

It is accepted that Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome arose from complete duplication of eight ancestral chromosomes; functionally normal ploidy was recovered because of the massive loss of 90% of duplicated genes. There is evidence that indicates that part of this selective conservation of gene pairs is compelling to yeast facultative metabolism. As an example, the duplicated NADP-glutamate dehydrogenase pathway has been maintained because of the differential expression of the paralogous GDH1 and GDH3 genes, and the biochemical specialization of the enzymes they encode. The present work has been aimed to the understanding of the regulatory mechanisms that modulate GDH3 transcriptional activation. Our results show that GDH3 expression is repressed in glucose-grown cultures, as opposed to what has been observed for GDH1, and induced under respiratory conditions, or under stationary phase. Although GDH3 pertains to the nitrogen metabolic network, and its expression is Gln3p-regulated, complete derepression is ultimately determined by the carbon source through the action of the SAGA and SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes. GDH3 carbon-mediated regulation is over-imposed to that exerted by the nitrogen source, highlighting the fact that operation of facultative metabolism requires strict control of enzymes, like Gdh3p, involved in biosynthetic pathways that use tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates.

Transcriptional regulatory code of a eukaryotic genome

DNA-binding transcriptional regulators interpret the genome's regulatory code by binding to specific sequences to induce or repress gene expression. Comparative genomics has recently been used to identify potential cis-regulatory sequences within the yeast genome on the basis of phylogenetic conservation, but this information alone does not reveal if or when transcriptional regulators occupy these binding sites. We have constructed an initial map of yeast's transcriptional regulatory code by identifying the sequence elements that are bound by regulators under various conditions and that are conserved among Saccharomyces species. The organization of regulatory elements in promoters and the environment-dependent use of these elements by regulators are discussed. We find that environment-specific use of regulatory elements predicts mechanistic models for the function of a large population of yeast's transcriptional regulators.

NPR1 kinase and RSP5-BUL1/2 ubiquitin ligase control GLN3-dependent transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The GATA transcription factors GLN3 and GAT1 activate nitrogen-regulated genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. NPR1 is a protein kinase that controls post-Golgi sorting of amino acid permeases. In the presence of a good nitrogen source, TOR (target of rapamycin) maintains GLN3 and NPR1 phosphorylated and inactive by inhibiting the type 2A-related phosphatase SIT4. We identified NPR1 as a regulator of GLN3. Specifically, loss of NPR1 causes nuclear translocation and activation of GLN3, but not GAT1, in nitrogen-rich conditions. NPR1-mediated inhibition of GLN3 is independent of the phosphatase SIT4. We also demonstrate that the E3/E4 ubiquitin-protein ligase proteins RSP5 and BUL1/2 are required for GLN3 activation under poor nitrogen conditions. Thus, NPR1 and BUL1/2 antagonistically control GLN3-dependent transcription, suggesting a role for regulated ubiquitination in the control of nutrient-responsive transcription.

Lessons from the genome sequence of Neurospora crassa: tracing the path from genomic blueprint to multicellular organism

We present an analysis of over 1,100 of the approximately 10,000 predicted proteins encoded by the genome sequence of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. Seven major areas of Neurospora genomics and biology are covered. First, the basic features of the genome, including the automated assembly, gene calls, and global gene analyses are summarized. The second section covers components of the centromere and kinetochore complexes, chromatin assembly and modification, and transcription and translation initiation factors. The third area discusses genome defense mechanisms, including repeat induced point mutation, quelling and meiotic silencing, and DNA repair and recombination. In the fourth section, topics relevant to metabolism and transport include extracellular digestion; membrane transporters; aspects of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen, and lipid metabolism; the mitochondrion and energy metabolism; the proteasome; and protein glycosylation, secretion, and endocytosis. Environmental sensing is the focus of the fifth section with a treatment of two-component systems; GTP-binding proteins; mitogen-activated protein, p21-activated, and germinal center kinases; calcium signaling; protein phosphatases; photobiology; circadian rhythms; and heat shock and stress responses. The sixth area of analysis is growth and development; it encompasses cell wall synthesis, proteins important for hyphal polarity, cytoskeletal components, the cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase machinery, macroconidiation, meiosis, and the sexual cycle. The seventh section covers topics relevant to animal and plant pathogenesis and human disease. The results demonstrate that a large proportion of Neurospora genes do not have homologues in the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The group of unshared genes includes potential new targets for antifungals as well as loci implicated in human and plant physiology and disease.

N-acetylglucosamine-inducible CaGAP1 encodes a general amino acid permease which co-ordinates external nitrogen source response and morphogenesis in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is able to grow in a variety of reversible morphological forms (yeast, pseudohyphal and hyphal) in response to various environmental signals, noteworthy among them being N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). The gene CaGAP1, homologous to GAP1, which encodes the general amino acid permease from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was isolated on the basis of its induction by GlcNAc through differential screening of a C. albicans genomic library. The gene could functionally complement an S. cerevisiae gap1 mutant by rendering it susceptible to the toxic amino acid analogue mimosine in minimal proline media. As in S. cerevisiae, mutation of the CaGAP1 gene had an effect on citrulline uptake in C. albicans. Northern analysis showed that GlcNAc-induced expression of CaGAP1 was further enhanced in synthetic minimal media supplemented with single amino acids (glutamate, proline and glutamine) or urea (without amino acids) but repressed in minimal ammonium media. Induction of CaGAP1 expression by GlcNAc was nullified in C. albicans deleted for the transcription factor CPH1 and the hyphal regulator RAS1, indicating the involvement of Cph1p-dependent Ras1p signalling in CaGAP1 expression. A homozygous mutant of this gene showed defective hyphal formation in solid hyphal-inducing media and exhibited less hyphal clumps when induced by GlcNAc. Alteration of morphology and short filamentation under nitrogen-starvation conditions in the heterozygous mutant suggested that CaGAP1 affects morphogenesis in a dose-dependent manner.

The role of the GATA factors Gln3p, Nil1p, Dal80p and the Ure2p on ASP3 regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The role of Gln3p, Nil1p, Dal80p and Ure2p in the nitrogen regulation of ASP3, which codes for the periplasmic Saccharomyces cerevisiae asparaginase II, was investigated. Analysis of enzyme levels and mRNA(ASP3) in two wild-type strains and gln3, nil1, gln3nil1, gln3ure2, nil1ure2, nil1dal80, ure2, dal80 and ure2dal80 mutant cells allowed the study of the qualitative and quantitative regulatory role of the GATA factors and Ure2p on ASP3 expression. The simultaneous presence of Gln3p and Nil1p is a required condition for full gene transcription. Enzyme activity doubled upon nitrogen starvation of either ammonium-grown (possibly due to Nil2p/Deh1p derepression) or proline-grown (due to Dal80p derepression) cells. The ure2 mutation increased enzyme levels five-fold in fresh ammonium-grown cells and ten-fold in fresh proline-grown cells. The combined effects of the ure2 mutation and nitrogen starvation on ammonium- or proline-grown cells resulted in an overall 10-20-fold enzyme activity increase, respectively, in comparison with the wild-type cells.

Transmitting the signal of excess nitrogen in Saccharomyces cerevisiae from the Tor proteins to the GATA factors: connecting the dots

Major advances have recently occurred in our understanding of GATA factor-mediated, nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Under nitrogen-rich conditions, the GATA family transcriptional activators, Gln3 and Gat1, form complexes with Ure2, and are localized to the cytoplasm, which decreases NCR-sensitive expression. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, Gln3 and Gat1 are dephosphorylated, move from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, in wild-type but not rna1 and srp1 mutants, and increase expression of NCR-sensitive genes. 'Induction' of NCR-sensitive gene expression and dephosphorylation of Gln3 (and Ure2 in some laboratories) when cells are treated with rapamycin implicates the Tor1/2 signal transduction pathway in this regulation. Mks1 is posited to be a negative regulator of Ure2, positive regulator of retrograde gene expression and to be itself negatively regulated by Tap42. In addition to Tap42, phosphatases Sit4 and Pph3 are also argued by some to participate in the regulatory pathway. Although a treasure trove of information has recently become available, much remains unknown (and sometimes controversial) with respect to the precise biochemical functions and regulatory pathway connections of Tap42, Sit4, Pph3, Mks1 and Ure2, and how precisely Gln3 and Gat1 are prevented from entering the nucleus. The purpose of this review is to provide background information needed by students and investigators outside of the field to follow and evaluate the rapidly evolving literature in this exciting field.

Nitrogen regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Yeast cells can respond to growth on relatively poor nitrogen sources by increasing expression of the enzymes for the synthesis of glutamate and glutamine and by increasing the activities of permeases responsible for the uptake of amino acids for use as a source of nitrogen. These general responses to the quality of nitrogen source in the growth medium are collectively termed nitrogen regulation. In this review, we discuss the historical foundations of the study of nitrogen regulation as well as the current understanding of the regulatory networks that underlie nitrogen regulation. One focus of the review is the array of four GATA type transcription factors which are responsible for the regulation the expression of nitrogen-regulated genes. They are the activators Gln3p and Nil1p and their antagonists Nil2p and Dal80p. Our discussion includes consideration of the DNA elements which are the targets of the transcription factors and of the regulated translocation of Gln3p and Nil1p from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. A second focus of the review is the nitrogen regulation of the general amino acid permease, Gap1p, and the proline permease, Put4p, by ubiquitin mediated intracellular protein sorting in the secretory and endosomal pathways.

GDH1 expression is regulated by GLN3, GCN4, and HAP4 under respiratory growth

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, two NADP(+)-dependent glutamate dehydrogenase isoenzymes encoded by GDH1 and GDH3 catalyze the synthesis of glutamate from ammonium and alpha-ketoglutarate. In this work we analyzed GDH1 transcriptional regulation, in order to deepen the studies in regard to its physiological role. Our results indicate that: (i) GDH1 expression is strictly controlled in ethanol-grown cultures, constituting a fine-tuning mechanism that modulates the abundance of Gdh1p monomers under this condition, (ii) GDH1 expression is controlled by transcriptional activators that have been considered as exclusive of either nitrogen (Gln3p and Gcn4p) or carbon metabolism (HAP complex), and (iii) chromatin remodeling complexes play a role in GDH1 expression; ADA2 and ADA3 up-regulated GDH1 expression on ethanol, while that on glucose was ADA3-dependent. SPT3 and SNF2 activated GDH1 expression on either carbon source whereas GCN5 played no role in any condition tested. The above described combinatorial control results in a refined mechanism that coordinates carbon and nitrogen utilization.

The role of the yeast plasma membrane SPS nutrient sensor in the metabolic response to extracellular amino acids

In response to discrete environmental cues, Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells adjust patterns of gene expression and protein activity to optimize metabolism. Nutrient-sensing systems situated in the plasma membrane (PM) of yeast have only recently been discovered. Ssy1p is one of three identified components of the Ssy1p-Ptr3p-Ssy5 (SPS) sensor of extracellular amino acids. SPS sensor-initiated signals are known to modulate the expression of a number of amino acid and peptide transporter genes (i.e. AGP1, BAP2, BAP3, DIP5, GAP1, GNP1, TAT1, TAT2 and PTR2) and arginase (CAR1). To obtain a better understanding of how cells adjust metabolism in response to extracellular amino acids in the environment and to assess the consequences of loss of amino acid sensor function, we investigated the effects of leucine addition to wild-type and ssy1 null mutant cells using genome-wide transcription profile analysis. Our results indicate that the previously identified genes represent only a subset of the full spectrum of Ssy1p-dependent genes. The expression of several genes encoding enzymes in amino acid biosynthetic pathways, including the branched-chain, lysine and arginine, and the sulphur amino acid biosynthetic pathways, are modulated by Ssy1p. Additionally, the proper transcription of several nitrogen-regulated genes, including NIL1 and DAL80, encoding well-studied GATA transcription factors, is dependent upon Ssy1p. Finally, several genes were identified that require Ssy1p for wild-type expression independently of amino acid addition. These findings demonstrate that yeast cells require the SPS amino acid sensor component, Ssy1p, to adjust diverse cellular metabolic processes properly.

Gln3p nuclear localization and interaction with Ure2p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Gln3p is one of two well characterized GATA family transcriptional activation factors whose function is regulated by the nitrogen supply of the cell. When nitrogen is limiting, Gln3p and Gat1p are concentrated in the nucleus where they bind GATA sequences upstream of nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive genes and activate their transcription. Conversely, in excess nitrogen, these GATA sequences are unoccupied by Gln3p and Gat1p because these transcription activators are excluded from the nucleus. Ure2p binds to Gln3p and Gat1p and is required for NCR-sensitive transcription to be repressed and for nuclear exclusion of these transcription factors. Here we show the following. (i) Gln3p residues 344-365 are required for nuclear localization. (ii) Replacing Ser-344, Ser-347, and Ser-355 with alanines has minimal effects on GFP-Gln3p localization. However, replacing Gln3p Ser-344, Ser-347, and Ser-355 with aspartates results in significant loss of its ability to be concentrated in the nucleus. (iii) N and C termini of the Gln3p region required for it to complex with Ure2p and be excluded from the nucleus are between residues 1-103 and 301-365, respectively. (iv) N and C termini of the Ure2p region required for it to interact with Gln3p are situated between residues 101-151 and 330-346, respectively. (v) Loss of Ure2p residues participating in either dimer or prion formation diminishes its ability to carry out NCR-sensitive regulation of Gln3p activity.

Green fluorescent protein-Dal80p illuminates up to 16 distinct foci that colocalize with and exhibit the same behavior as chromosomal DNA proceeding through the cell cycle of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Four GATA family DNA binding proteins mediate nitrogen catabolite repression-sensitive transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Gln3p and Gat1p are transcriptional activators, while Dal80p and Deh1p repress Gln3p- and Gat1p-mediated transcription by competing with these activators for binding to DNA. Strong Dal80p binding to DNA is thought to result from C-terminal leucine zipper-mediated dimerization. Many Dal80p binding site-homologous sequences are relatively evenly distributed across the S. cerevisiae genome, raising the possibility that Dal80p might be able to "stain" DNA. We demonstrate that cells containing enhanced green fluorescent protein-Dal80p (EGFP-Dal80p) exhibit up to 16 fluorescent foci that colocalize with DAPI (4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole)-positive material and follow DNA movement through the cell cycle, suggesting that EGFP-Dal80p may indeed be useful for monitoring yeast chromosomes in live cells and in real time.

Functional domain mapping and subcellular distribution of Dal82p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Previous studies have shown that (i) Dal81p and Dal82p are required for allophanate-induced gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae; (ii) the cis-acting element mediating the induced transcriptional response to allophanate is a dodecanucleotide, UIS(ALL); and (iii) Dal82p binds specifically to UIS(ALL). Here we show that Dal82p is localized to the nucleus and parallels movement of the DNA through the cell cycle. Deletion analysis of DAL82 identified and localized three functional domains. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays identified a peptide (consisting of Dal82p amino acids 1-85) that is sufficient to bind a DNA fragment containing UIS(ALL). LexA-tethering experiments demonstrated that Dal82p is capable of mediating transcriptional activation. The activation domain consists of two parts: (i) an absolutely required core region (amino acids 66-99) and (ii) less well defined regions flanking residues 66-99 that are required for full wild-type levels of activation. The Dal82p C terminus contains a predicted coiled-coil motif that down-regulates Dal82p-mediated transcriptional activation.

Regulation of plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase in fungi and plants

The plasma membrane H+-ATPase from fungi and plants is a proton pump which plays a key role in the physiology of these organisms controlling essential functions such as nutrient uptake and intracellular pH regulation. In fungal and plant cells the activity of the proton pump is regulated by a large number of environmental factors at both transcriptional and post-translational levels. During the last years the powerful tools of molecular biology have been successfully used in fungi and plants allowing the cloning of a wide diversity of H+-ATPase genes and rapid progress on the molecular basis of reaction mechanism and regulation of the proton pump. This review focuses on recent results on regulation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase obtained by molecular approaches.

The role of ammonia metabolism in nitrogen catabolite repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is able to use a wide variety of nitrogen sources for growth. Not all nitrogen sources support growth equally well. In order to select the best out of a large diversity of available nitrogen sources, the yeast has developed molecular mechanisms. These mechanisms consist of a sensing mechanism and a regulatory mechanism which includes induction of needed systems, and repression of systems that are not beneficial. The first step in use of most nitrogen sources is its uptake via more or less specific permeases. Hence the first level of regulation is encountered at this level. The next step is the degradation of the nitrogen source to useful building blocks via the nitrogen metabolic pathways. These pathways can be divided into routes that lead to the degradation of the nitrogen source to ammonia and glutamate, and routes that lead to the synthesis of nitrogen containing compounds in which glutamate and glutamine are used as nitrogen donor. Glutamine is synthesized out of ammonia and glutamate. The expression of the specific degradation routes is also regulated depending on the availability of a particular nitrogen source. Ammonia plays a central role as intermediate between degradative and biosynthetic pathways. It not only functions as a metabolite in metabolic reactions but is also involved in regulation of metabolic pathways at several levels. This review describes the central role of ammonia in nitrogen metabolism. This role is illustrated at the level of enzyme activity, translation and transcription.

Overlapping positive and negative GATA factor binding sites mediate inducible DAL7 gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Allantoin pathway gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to two different environmental stimuli. The expression of these genes is induced in the presence of allantoin or its degradative metabolites and repressed when a good nitrogen source (e. g. asparagine or glutamine) is provided. Three types of cis-acting sites and trans-acting factors are required for allantoin pathway gene transcription as follows: (i) UAS(NTR) element associated with the transcriptional activators Gln3p and Gat1p, (ii) URS(GATA) element associated with the repressor Dal80p, and (iii) UIS(ALL) element associated with the Dal82 and Dal81 proteins required for inducer-dependent transcription. Most of the work leading to the above conclusions has employed inducer-independent allantoin pathway genes (e.g. DAL5 and DAL3). The purpose of this work is to extend our understanding of these elements and their roles to inducible allantoin pathway genes using the DAL7 (encoding malate synthase) as a model. We show that eight distinct cis-acting sites participate in the process as follows: a newly identified GC-rich element, two UAS(NTR), two UIS(ALL), and three URS(GATA) elements. The two GATA-containing UAS(NTR) elements are coincident with two of the three GATA sequences that make up the URS(GATA) elements. The remaining URS(GATA) GATA sequence, however, is not a UAS(NTR) element but appears to function only in repression. The data provide insights into how these cis- and trans-acting factors function together to accomplish the regulated expression of the DAL7 gene that is observed in vivo.

Nitrogen catabolite repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the expression of all known nitrogen catabolite pathways are regulated by four regulators known as Gln3, Gat1, Dal80, and Deh1. This is known as nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). They bind to motifs in the promoter region to the consensus sequence 5'GATAA 3'. Gln3 and Gat1 act positively on gene expression whereas Dal80 and Deh1 act negatively. Expression of nitrogen catabolite pathway genes known to be regulated by these four regulators are glutamine, glutamate, proline, urea, arginine. GABA, and allantonie. In addition, the expression of the genes encoding the general amino acid permease and the ammonium permease are also regulated by these four regulatory proteins. Another group of genes whose expression is also regulated by Gln3, Gat1, Dal80, and Deh1 are some proteases, CPS1, PRB1, LAP1, and PEP4, responsible for the degradation of proteins into amino acids thereby providing a nitrogen source to the cell. In this review, all known promoter sequences related to expression of nitrogen catabolite pathways are discussed as well as other regulatory proteins. Overview of metabolic pathways and promotors are presented.

Ssy1p and Ptr3p are plasma membrane components of a yeast system that senses extracellular amino acids

Mutations in SSY1 and PTR3 were identified in a genetic selection for components required for the proper uptake and compartmentalization of histidine in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ssy1p is a unique member of the amino acid permease gene family, and Ptr3p is predicted to be a hydrophilic protein that lacks known functional homologs. Both Ssy1p and Ptr3p have previously been implicated in relaying signals regarding the presence of extracellular amino acids. We have found that ssy1 and ptr3 mutants belong to the same epistasis group; single and ssy1 ptr3 double-mutant strains exhibit indistinguishable phenotypes. Mutations in these genes cause the nitrogen-regulated general amino acid permease gene (GAP1) to be abnormally expressed and block the nonspecific induction of arginase (CAR1) and the peptide transporter (PTR2). ssy1 and ptr3 mutations manifest identical differential effects on the functional expression of multiple specific amino acid transporters. ssy1 and ptr3 mutants have increased vacuolar pools of histidine and arginine and exhibit altered cell growth morphologies accompanied by exaggerated invasive growth. Subcellular fractionation experiments reveal that both Ssy1p and Ptr3p are localized to the plasma membrane (PM). Ssy1p requires the endoplasmic reticulum protein Shr3p, the amino acid permease-specific packaging chaperonin, to reach the PM, whereas Ptr3p does not. These findings suggest that Ssy1p and Ptr3p function in the PM as components of a sensor of extracellular amino acids.

Genome-wide transcriptional analysis in S. cerevisiae by mini-array membrane hybridization

Access to the powerful micro-array analytical methods used for genome-wide transcriptional analysis has so far been restricted by the high cost and/or lack of availability of the sophisticated instrumentation and materials needed to perform it. Mini-array membrane hybridization provides a less expensive alternative. The reliability of this technique, however, is not well documented and its reported use has, up to this point, been very limited. Our objective was to test whether or not mini-array membrane hybridization would reliably identify genes whose expression was controlled by a specific set of genetic and/or physiological signals. Our results demonstrate that mini-array hybridization can correctly identify genes whose expression is known to be controlled by the GATA-factor regulatory network in S. cerevisiae and in addition can reliably identify genes not previously reported to be associated with this nitrogen control system.

Control of expression of one-carbon metabolism genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by a tetrahydrofolate-responsive protein binding to a glycine regulatory region including a core 5'-CTTCTT-3' motif

Expression of yeast genes involved in one-carbon metabolism is controlled by glycine, by L-methionine, and by nitrogen sources. Here we report a novel control element containing a core CTTCTT motif mediating the glycine response, demonstrating that a protein binds this element, that binding is modulated by tetrahydrofolate, and that folate is required for the in vivo glycine response. In an heterologous CYC1 promoter the region needed for the glycine response of GCV2 (encoding the P-subunit of glycine decarboxylase) mediated repression that was relieved by glycine. It was also responsible for L-methionine control but not nitrogen repression. GCV1 and GCV3 have an homologous region in their promoters. The GCV1 region conferred a glycine response on an heterologous promoter acting as a repressor or activator depending on promoter context. A protein was identified that bound to the glycine regulatory regions of GCV1 and GCV2 only if the CTTCTT motif was intact. This protein protected a 17-base pair CATCN7CTTCTT region of GCV2 that is conserved between GCV1 and GCV2. Protein binding was increased by tetrahydrofolate, and use of a fol1 deletion mutant indicated the involvement of a folate in the in vivo glycine response. Tetrahydrofolate or a derivative may act as a ligand for the transcription factor controlling expression of one-carbon metabolism genes.

Control of nitrogen catabolite repression is not affected by the tRNAGln-CUU mutation, which results in constitutive pseudohyphal growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae responds to nitrogen availability in several ways. (i) The cell is able to distinguish good nitrogen sources from poor ones through a process designated nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). Good and poor nitrogen sources do not demonstrably affect the cell cycle other than to influence the cell's doubling time. (ii) Nitrogen starvation promotes the initiation of sporulation and pseudohyphal growth. (iii) Nitrogen starvation strongly affects the cell cycle; nitrogen-starved cells arrest in G1. A specific allele of the SUP70/CDC65 tRNAGln gene (sup70-65) has been reported to be defective in nitrogen signaling associated with pseudohyphal formation, sporulation, and NCR. Our data confirm that pseudohyphal growth occurs gratuitously in sup70-65 mutants cultured in nitrogen-rich medium at 30 degrees C. However, we find neither any defect in NCR in the sup70-65 mutant nor any alteration in the control of YVH1 expression, which has been previously shown to be specifically induced by nitrogen starvation.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae GATA factors Dal80p and Deh1p can form homo- and heterodimeric complexes

GATA family proteins Gln3p, Gat1p, Dal80p, and Deh1p mediate the regulation of nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Thus far, Gln3p, Dal80p, and Deh1p have been shown to bind to GATA sequences in NCR-sensitive promoters, in some cases to exactly the same GATA sequences. A minimal Gln3p binding site consists of a single GATA sequence, whereas a Dal80p binding site consists of two GATA sequences in specific orientation, 15 to 35 bp apart, suggesting that Dal80p may bind to DNA as a dimer. Additionally, both Dal80p and Deh1p are predicted to contain a leucine zipper motif near their C termini. Therefore, we tested whether they could form homo- and/or heterodimers in two-hybrid assays. We show that Dal80p-Dal80p, Dal80p-Dal80pLZ (leucine zipper), Dal80pLZ-Dal80pLZ, Dal80p-Deh1pLZ, Dal80pLZ-Deh1pLZ, and Deh1pLZ-Deh1pLZ complexes can form. Dal80p-Dal80p and Dal80pLZ-Dal80pLZ complexes yield 5- to 10-fold stronger signals than the other possible dimers. If Dal80p and Deh1p bind to DNA only after dimerization, then the difference in ability to form complexes could significantly affect their affinity for binding DNA and thus the degree of regulation exerted by each of the two factors.

Regulation of expression of GLT1, the gene encoding glutamate synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae glutamate synthase (GOGAT) is an oligomeric enzyme composed of three 199-kDa identical subunits encoded by GLT1. In this work, we analyzed GLT1 transcriptional regulation. GLT1-lacZ fusions were prepared and GLT1 expression was determined in a GDH1 wild-type strain and in a gdh1 mutant derivative grown in the presence of various nitrogen sources. Null mutants impaired in GCN4, GLN3, GAT1/NIL1, or UGA43/DAL80 were transformed with a GLT1-lacZ fusion to determine whether the above-mentioned transcriptional factors had a role in GLT1 expression. A collection of increasingly larger 5' deletion derivatives of the GLT1 promoter was constructed to identify DNA sequences that could be involved in GLT1 transcriptional regulation. The effect of the lack of GCN4, GLN3, or GAT1/NIL1 was also tested in the pertinent 5' deletion derivatives. Our results indicate that (i) GLT1 expression is negatively modulated by glutamate-mediated repression and positively regulated by Gln3p- and Gcn4p-dependent transcriptional activation; (ii) two cis-acting elements, a CGGN15CCG palindrome and an imperfect poly(dA-dT), are present and could play a role in GLT1 transcriptional activation; and (iii) GLT1 expression is moderately regulated by GCN4 under amino acid deprivation. Our results suggest that in a wild-type strain grown on ammonium, GOGAT constitutes an ancillary pathway for glutamate biosynthesis.

The minimal transactivation region of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gln3p is localized to 13 amino acids

Regulated nitrogen catabolic gene transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by four positive (Gln3p and Gat1p/Nil1p) and negative (Dal80p/Uga43p and Deh1p/Nil2p/GZF3p) regulators which function in opposition to one another. All four proteins contain GATA-type zinc finger domains, and three of them (Gln3p, Dal80p, and Deh1p) have been shown to bind to GATA sequences situated upstream of genes whose expression is sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). The positive regulators, Gln3p and Gat1p, are able to support transcriptional activation when tethered by LexAp to the promoter of a reporter gene whose upstream activation sequences have been replaced with one or more lexA operator sites. Existing data suggest that these four proteins regulate transcription by competing with one another for binding to the GATA sequences which mediate NCR-sensitive gene expression. We show that the minimal Gln3p domain mediating transcriptional activation consists of 13 amino acids with a predicted propensity to form an alpha-helix. Genetic analysis of this region (Gln3p residues 126 to 138, QQNGEIAQLWDFN) demonstrated that alanine may be substituted for the aromatic and acidic amino acids without destroying transcriptional activation potential. Similar substitution of alanine for the two hydrophobic amino acids, isoleucine and leucine, however, destroys activation, as does introduction of basic amino acids in place of the acidic residues or introduction of proline into the center of the sequence. A point mutation in the Gln3p activation region destroys its in vivo ability to support NCR-sensitive DAL5 expression. We find no convincing evidence that NCR regulates Gln3p function by modulating the functioning of its activation region.

Nitrogen GATA factors participate in transcriptional regulation of vacuolar protease genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The expression of most nitrogen catabolic genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is regulated at the level of transcription in response to the quality of nitrogen source available. This regulation is accomplished through four GATA-family transcription factors: two positively acting factors capable of transcriptional activation (Gln3p and Gat1p) and two negatively acting factors capable of down-regulating Gln3p- and/or Gat1p-dependent transcription (Dal80p and Deh1p). Current understanding of nitrogen-responsive transcriptional regulation is the result of extensive analysis of genes required for the catabolism of small molecules, e.g., amino acids, allantoin, or ammonia. However, cells contain another, equally important source of nitrogen, intracellular protein, which undergoes rapid turnover during special circumstances such as entry into stationary phase, and during sporulation. Here we show that the expression of some (CPS1, PEP4, PRB1, and LAP4) but not all (PRC1) vacuolar protease genes is nitrogen catabolite repression sensitive and is regulated by the GATA-family proteins Gln3p, Gat1p, and Dal80p. These observations extend the global participation of GATA-family transcription factors to include not only well-studied genes associated with the catabolism of small nitrogenous compounds but also genes whose products are responsible for the turnover of intracellular macromolecules. They also point to the usefulness of considering control of the nitrogen-responsive GATA factors when studying the regulation of the protein turnover machinery.

Cross regulation of four GATA factors that control nitrogen catabolic gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Nitrogen catabolic gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been reported to be regulated by three GATA family proteins, the positive regulators Gln3p and Gat1p/Nil1p and the negative regulator Dal80p/Uga43p. We show here that a fourth member of the yeast GATA family, the Dal80p homolog Deh1p, also negatively regulates expression of some, but not all, nitrogen catabolic genes, i.e., GAP1, DAL80, and UGA4 expression increases in a deh1 delta mutant. Consistent with Deh1p regulation of these genes is the observation that Deh1p forms specific DNA-protein complexes with GATAA-containing UGA4 and GAP1 promoter fragments in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Deh1p function is demonstrable, however, only when a repressive nitrogen source such as glutamine is present; deh1 delta mutants exhibit no detectable phenotype with a poor nitrogen source such as proline. Our experiments also demonstrate that GATA factor gene expression is highly regulated by the GATA factors themselves in an interdependent manner. DAL80 expression is Gln3p and Gat1p dependent and Dal80p regulated. Moreover, Gln3p and Dal80p bind to DAL80 promoter fragments. In turn, GAT1 expression is Gln3p dependent and Dal80p regulated but is not autogenously regulated like DAL80. DEH1 expression is largely Gln3p independent, modestly Gat1p dependent, and most highly regulated by Dal80p. Paradoxically, the high-level DEH1 expression observed in a dal80::hisG disruption mutant is highly sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression.

Role of GATA factor Nil2p in nitrogen regulation of gene expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have identified the product of the NIL2 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which contains a zinc finger region highly homologous to those of the GATA factors Gln3p and Nil1p as an antagonist of Nil1p and to a lesser extent of Gln3p. The expression of many nitrogen-regulated genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires activation by GATA factor Gln3p or Nil1p and is prevented by the presence of glutamine in the growth medium. Disruption of NIL2 results in a great increase in the expression of NIL1 and of GAP1, the structural gene for the general amino acid permease, in glutamine-grown cells in response to activation by Nil1p. The primary effect of the elimination of Nil2p appears to be an increase in the intracellular level of Nil1p, which in turn is responsible for increased expression of GAP1. Experiments using an artificial UAS (upstream activating site) consisting of three GATAAGATAAG sites revealed that Nil2p exerts its effect by competing primarily with Nil1p and less effectively with Gln3p for these sites. Apparently, the principal role of Nil2p is to prevent activation of transcription by Nil1p unless Nil1p has been converted to a more active state by the absence of glutamine and glutamate.