Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P23193 (transcription elongation factor)
 739 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The human cyclin T1 (hCycT1) protein from the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) binds the transactivator Tat and the transactivation response (TAR) RNA stem loop from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV). This complex activates the elongation of viral transcription. To create effective inhibitors of Tat and thus HIV replication, we constructed mutant hCycT1 proteins that are defective in binding its kinase partner, Cdk9, or TAR. Although these mutant hCycT1 proteins did not increase Tat transactivation in murine cells, their dominant-negative effects were small in human cells. Higher inhibitory effects were obtained when hCycT1 was fused with the mutant Cdk9 protein. Since the autophosphorylation of the C terminus of Cdk9 is required for the formation of the stable complex between P-TEFb, Tat, and TAR, these serines and threonines were changed to glutamate in a kinase-inactive Cdk9 protein. This chimera inhibited Tat transactivation and HIV gene expression in human cells. Therefore, this dominant-negative kinase-inactive mutant Cdk9.hCycT1 chimera could be used for antiviral gene therapy.
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PMID:Optimized chimeras between kinase-inactive mutant Cdk9 and truncated cyclin T1 proteins efficiently inhibit Tat transactivation and human immunodeficiency virus gene expression. 1236 30

Positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) regulates eukaryotic gene expression at the level of elongation, and is itself controlled by the reversible association of 7SK RNA and an RNA-binding protein, HEXIM1 or HEXIM2. To further understand how P-TEFb is regulated, we analyzed the stoichiometry of all the known components of the large, inactive P-TEFb complex. Mutational analyses of a putative coiled coil region in the carboxyl-terminal portion of HEXIM1 revealed that the protein is a dimer in solution and remains a dimer after binding to 7SK. Although a HEXIM1 dimer contains two potential RNA binding motifs and ultimately recruits two P-TEFb molecules, it associates with only one molecule of RNA. The first 172 nucleotides of the 330-nucleotide 7SK are sufficient to bind HEXIM1 or HEXIM2, and then recruit and inhibit P-TEFb. Deletion of the first 121 amino acids of HEXIM1 allowed it to inhibit P-TEFb partially in the absence of 7SK RNA. Mutation of a conserved tyrosine (Tyr(271) in HEXIM1) to alanine or glutamate or mutation of a conserved phenylalanine (Phe(208)) to alanine, aspartate, or lysine, resulted in loss of inhibition of P-TEFb, but did not affect formation of the 7SK.HEXIM.P-TEFb complex. Analysis of T-loop phosphorylation in Cdk9 indicated that phosphorylation of Thr(186), but not Ser(175), was essential for kinase activity and for recruitment of P-TEFb to the 7SK.HEXIM complex. A model illustrates what is currently known about how HEXIM proteins, 7SK, and P-TEFb assemble to maintain an activated kinase in a readily available, but inactive form.
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PMID:Analysis of the large inactive P-TEFb complex indicates that it contains one 7SK molecule, a dimer of HEXIM1 or HEXIM2, and two P-TEFb molecules containing Cdk9 phosphorylated at threonine 186. 1596 33

The eukaryotic transcription elongation factor DSIF [DRB (5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole) sensitivity-inducing factor] is composed of two subunits, hSpt4 and hSpt5, which are homologous to the yeast factors Spt4 and Spt5. DSIF is involved in regulating the processivity of RNA polymerase II and plays an essential role in transcriptional activation of eukaryotes. At several eukaryotic promoters, DSIF, together with NELF (negative elongation factor), leads to promoter-proximal pausing of RNA polymerase II. In the present paper we describe the crystal structure of hSpt4 in complex with the dimerization region of hSpt5 (amino acids 176-273) at a resolution of 1.55 A (1 A=0.1 nm). The heterodimer shows high structural similarity to its homologue from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Furthermore, hSpt5-NGN is structurally similar to the NTD (N-terminal domain) of the bacterial transcription factor NusG. A homologue for hSpt4 has not yet been found in bacteria. However, the archaeal transcription factor RpoE" appears to be distantly related. Although a comparison of the NusG-NTD of Escherichia coli with hSpt5 revealed a similarity of the three-dimensional structures, interaction of E. coli NusG-NTD with hSpt4 could not be observed by NMR titration experiments. A conserved glutamate residue, which was shown to be crucial for dimerization in yeast, is also involved in the human heterodimer, but is substituted for a glutamine residue in Escherichia coli NusG. However, exchanging the glutamine for glutamate proved not to be sufficient to induce hSpt4 binding.
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PMID:Crystal structure of the human transcription elongation factor DSIF hSpt4 subunit in complex with the hSpt5 dimerization interface. 1986 Jul 41