Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UNIPROT:P51532 (transcriptional activator)
6,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Identification of the environmental triggers involved in the expression of virulence genes is a fundamental objective in studies of bacterial pathogens. For uropathogens, urea, found in the urinary tract at concentrations of up to 500 mm, functions as an environmental signal. Urea freely diffuses into the bacterium Providencia stuartii and activates UreR, a member of the AraC family of transcriptional activators. Active UreR promotes transcription of virulence-associated urease genes and alerts the organisms of its immediate milieu. Thus, the UreR.urea complex has a dual role, acting as both a transcriptional activator as well as an environmental sensor. Here, we describe the molecular events associated with activation of gene expression by urea-bound UreR. The K(d) of the urea.UreR binding reaction was measured as 0.2 mm by fluorescence quenching assays, and the shape of the binding curve indicated a single specific urea-binding site on UreR. Histidine residues are critical for urea binding in urease, and therefore to identify the urea-binding site in UreR, five mutant UreR forms were generated with histidine to alanine substitutions. Two of the mutants (UreR(c)) exhibited a constitutive phenotype by both activating transcription and binding to DNA with an increased affinity in the absence of urea. The UreR(c) bound urea with an affinity similar to that of wild-type UreR. We concluded, therefore, that the mutations resulting in constitutive activity were not involved in the UreR.urea interaction. UreR was activated, then, either by binding urea or by histidine to alanine substitutions at one of two positions. Circular dichroism indicated little change in the structure of UreR when activated, and size-exclusion chromatography demonstrated that both rUreR and rUreR(c) were dimers in both the presence and absence of urea. Thus, the structural changes associated with activation are subtle.
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PMID:Urea-dependent signal transduction by the virulence regulator UreR. 1214 87

FOXJ2 is a fork head transcriptional activator, the expression of which starts very early in embryonic development and it is distributed widely in the adult. Here, we describe the characterization of domains that are important for its function. FOXJ2 is localized constitutively at the nucleus of the cell. Two tyrosine residues and a stretch of basic amino acid residues at the N and C-terminal ends of the fork head domain, respectively, are important for its nuclear targeting. These residues are conserved strongly among all members of the fork head family, suggesting that they could be involved in the nuclear translocation mechanism of all fork head factors. In addition to the AB domain, we have found, at least, two other transactivation domains: Domain I, at the N terminus, and the H/P domain, rich in histidine and proline residues. Although the AB domain shows the strongest transactivation capacity, all three domains are required for full FOXJ2 transcriptional activity. Furthermore, a fourth region rich in proline and glutamine residues and with no intrinsic transactivation function, the P/Q domain, appears to play an important role in the FOXJ2-mediated transactivation mechanism. Although FOXJ2 can be phosphorylated in two serine residues, this post-translational modification did not appear to be essential for transactivation. Finally, we have found that the W2 wing of the fork head domain of FOXJ2 is dispensable for specific DNA binding, although it could have a weak stabilizing role for the DNA-FOXJ2 complex.
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PMID:Functional domains of FOXJ2. 1278 65

A pheromone-induced mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway controls mating in fungi by regulating gene transcription. In the opportunistic fungus Pneumocystis carinii, we have identified a protein containing a high-mobility group (HMG) motif which is homologous to the transcriptional activators STE11 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and STE12 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In fungi, this transcriptional activator functions in sexual development, filamentous growth, and pathogenicity. The fungal pheromone-activated MAPK phosphorylates the transcriptional activator to allow binding to pheromone-response elements in the promoter regions of certain genes. We have previously identified a P. carinii MAPK, PCM, which has significant homology to fungal MAPKs involved in mating. As an initial step in understanding the downstream molecules which interact with the PCM kinase, we have cloned a STE11 homologue in P. carinii. PCSTE11 has an open-reading frame of 1.5 kb which encodes a protein of 501 amino acids with a molecular weight of 56 kDa. Greatest homology was to S. pombe STE11 (52%). We have expressed a His-tag fusion of PCSTE11 and purified the protein with nickel affinity resin. PCM phosphorylates the purified protein indicating that PCSTE11 is associated with the MAPK cascade in P. carinii.
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PMID:Pneumocystis carinii STE11, an HMG-box protein, is phosphorylated by the mitogen activated protein kinase PCM. 1290 53

Proteus mirabilis, a cause of catheter-associated urinary tract infection, relies on several virulence factors to colonize the urinary tract. Among these, urease contributes to the development of urinary stones resulting from the increase in local pH due to urease-mediated hydrolysis of urea to NH(3) and CO(2). UreR, an AraC-like transcriptional activator, activates transcription of the genes encoding the urease subunits and accessory proteins (ureDABCEFG) in the presence of urea. UreR also initiates transcription of its own gene in a urea-inducible manner by binding to the intergenic region between ureR and ureD. The intergenic region contains poly(A) tracts that appear to be the target of H-NS. It has been shown that Escherichia coli and P. mirabilis H-NS acts to repress transcription of ureR in an E. coli model system. It was hypothesized that H-NS represses urease gene expression in the absence of UreR and urea by binding to the intergenic region. To demonstrate this the P. mirabilis hns gene was cloned and the 15.6 kDa H-NS was overexpressed and purified as a myc-His tail fusion. Using a gel shift assay, purified H-NS-myc-His bound preferentially to a 609 bp DNA fragment containing the entire ureR-ureD intergenic region. H-NS and UreR were able to displace each other from the ureR-ureD intergenic region. Circular permutation analysis revealed that the intergenic region is bent. Moreover, H-NS recognizes this curvature, binds the DNA fragment and induces further bending of the DNA as shown by a circular ligation assay. The effects of H-NS, urea and temperature (25 vs 37 degrees C) on urease expression were shown in E. coli containing an hns knockout and P. mirabilis where expression was increased at 37 degrees C. Increased transcription from p(ureR) was seen in the E. coli hns knockout when temperature was increased from 25 to 37 degrees C. These findings suggest H-NS and UreR differentially regulate urease in a negative and positive manner, respectively.
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PMID:Differential regulation of the Proteus mirabilis urease gene cluster by UreR and H-NS. 1466 72

The nreABC (nitrogen regulation) operon encodes a new staphylococcal two-component regulatory system that controls dissimilatory nitrate/nitrite reduction in response to oxygen. Unlike other two-component sensors NreB is a cytosolic protein with four N-terminal cysteine residues. It was shown that both the NreB-cysteine cluster and Fe ions are required for function. Isolated NreB was converted to the active form by incubation with cysteine desulphurase, ferrous ions and cysteine. This activation is typical for FeS-containing proteins and was reversed by oxygen. During reconstitution an absorption band at 420 nm and a yellow-brownish colour (typical for an FNR-type iron-sulphur cluster formation) developed. After alkylation of thiol groups in NreB and in the cysteine mutant NreB(C62S) almost no iron-sulphur cluster was incorporated; both findings corroborated the importance of the cysteine residues. Comparison of the kinase activity of (i). the reconstituted (ii). the unreconstituted, and (iii). the unreconstituted and deferrated NreB-His indicated that NreB kinase activity depended on iron availability and was greatly enhanced by reconstitution. NreB is the first direct oxygen-sensing protein described in staphylococci so far. Reconstituted NreB contains 4-8 acid-labile Fe and sulphide ions per NreB which is in agreement with the presence of 1-2 iron-sulphur [4Fe-4S](2+) clusters of the FNR-type. Unlike FNR, NreB does not act directly as transcriptional activator, but transfers the phosphoryl group to the response regulator NreC.
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PMID:Staphylococcal NreB: an O(2)-sensing histidine protein kinase with an O(2)-labile iron-sulphur cluster of the FNR type. 1510 78

AfsK, a protein serine/threonine kinase, autophosphorylates on serine and threonine residues and phosphorylates serine and threonine residues of AfsR, a transcriptional activator for afsS involved in secondary metabolism in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). pkaG encoding a 592-amino-acid protein and SCD10.09 (named afsL) encoding a 580-amino-acid protein, both of which encode an AfsK-like protein, were transcribed throughout growth. PkaG with a histidine-tag and the kinase catalytic domain of PkaG, produced in Escherichia coli, autophosphorylated dominantly on threonine and slightly on serine residues. In addition, these proteins phosphorylated AfsR on threonine and serine residues. The catalytic domain of AfsL also autophosphorylated and phosphorylated AfsR, on threonine and serine residues in both cases. AfsR was thus found to be phosphorylated by multiple kinases. Disruption of the chromosomal pkaG gene resulted in slightly reduced production of the pigmented antibiotic actinorhodin. These findings, together with the presence of about 40 AfsK homologues and at least five AfsR homologues in S. coelicolor A3(2), suggest that the regulatory networks via eukaryotic-type protein phosphorylation are more diverse and versatile than we have expected.
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PMID:Phosphorylation of AfsR by multiple serine/threonine kinases in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). 1525 55

CooA is a CO-sensing transcriptional activator that contains a b-type heme as the active site for sensing its physiological effector, CO. In this study, the spectroscopic and redox properties of a new CooA homologue from Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans (Ch-CooA) were studied. Spectroscopic and mutagenesis studies revealed that His-82 and the N-terminal alpha-amino group were the axial ligands of the Fe(III) and Fe(II) hemes in Ch-CooA and that the N-terminal alpha-amino group was replaced by CO upon CO binding. Two neutral ligands, His-82 and the N-terminal alpha-amino group, are coordinated to the Fe(III) heme in Ch-CooA, whereas two negatively charged ligands, a thiolate from Cys-75 and the nitrogen atom of the N-terminal Pro, are the axial ligands of the Fe(III) heme in Rr-CooA. The difference in the coordination structure of the Fe(III) heme resulted in a large positive shift of redox potentials of Ch-CooA compared with Rr-CooA. Comparing the properties of Ch-CooA and Rr-CooA demonstrates that the essential elements for CooA function will be: (i) the heme is six-coordinate in the Fe(III), Fe(II), and Fe(II)-CO forms; (ii) the N-terminal is coordinated to the heme as an axial ligand, and (iii) CO replaces the N-terminal bound to the heme upon CO binding.
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PMID:Spectroscopic and redox properties of a CooA homologue from Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans. 1553 40

Transcription of the hupSL genes, which encode the uptake [NiFe]hydrogenase of Rhodobacter capsulatus, is specifically activated by H(2). Three proteins are involved, namely the H(2)-sensor HupUV, the histidine kinase HupT and the transcriptional activator HupR. hupT and hupUV mutants have the same phenotype, i.e. an increased level of hupSL expression (assayed by phupS::lacZ fusion) in the absence of H(2); they negatively control hupSL gene expression. HupT can autophosphorylate its conserved His(217), and in vitro phosphotransfer to Asp(54) of its cognate response regulator, HupR, was demonstrated. The non-phosphorylated form of HupR binds to an enhancer site (5'-TTG-N(5)-CAA) of phupS localized at -162/-152 nt and requires integration host factor to activate fully hupSL transcription. HupUV is an O(2)-insensitive [NiFe]hydrogenase, which interacts with HupT to regulate the phosphorylation state of HupT in response to H(2) availability. The N-terminal domain of HupT, encompassing the PAS domain, is required for interaction with HupUV. This interaction with HupT, leading to the formation of a (HupT)(2)-(HupUV)(2) complex, is weakened in the presence of H(2), but incubation of HupUV with H(2) has no effect on the stability of the heterodimer/tetramer, HupUV-(HupUV)(2), equilibrium. HupSL biosynthesis is also under the control of the global two-component regulatory system RegB/RegA, which controls gene expression in response to redox. RegA binds to a site close to the -35 promoter recognition site and to a site overlapping the integration host factor DNA-binding site (5'-TCACACACCATTG, centred at -87 nt) and acts as a repressor.
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PMID:Transcriptional regulation of the uptake [NiFe]hydrogenase genes in Rhodobacter capsulatus. 1566 56

The NifL regulatory protein controls transcription of nitrogen fixation genes in Azotobacter vinelandii by modulating the activity of the transcriptional activator NifA through direct protein-protein interactions. The ability of NifL to integrate the antagonistic signals of redox and nitrogen status is achieved via the involvement of discrete domains in signalling specific environmental cues. NifL senses the redox status via an FAD co-factor located within the amino-terminal PAS domain and responds to the fixed nitrogen status by interaction with the signal transduction protein GlnK, which binds to the C-terminal GHKL domain of NifL. The GHKL domain binds adenosine nucleotides and is similar to the core catalytic domain of the histidine protein kinases. Binding of ADP to this domain increases the inhibitory activity of NifL and the formation of protein complexes with NifA. This inhibition is antagonised by the binding of 2-oxoglutarate, a key metabolic signal of the carbon status, to the amino-terminal GAF domain of NifA. In this study we have examined the properties of three mutations within conserved residues in the GHKL domain of NifL that impair signal transduction. All three mutations decrease the affinity of NifL for ADP significantly, but the mutant proteins exhibit discrete properties. The N419D mutation prevents inhibition of NifA activity by NifL both in vivo and in vitro. In contrast, the G455A and G480A mutations eliminate the redox response, but the mutant proteins retain some sensitivity to the fixed nitrogen status and the ability to interact with the GlnK signal transduction protein. Our data suggest that the absence of the redox switch in the G455A and G480A mutants is a consequence of their inability to override the allosteric effect of 2-oxoglutarate on NifA activity. Overall, these results demonstrate that the binding of adenosine nucleotides to the GHKL domain of NifL plays an important role in counteracting the response of NifA to 2-oxoglutarate, under conditions that are inappropriate for nitrogen fixation.
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PMID:Mutational analysis of the nucleotide-binding domain of the anti-activator NifL. 1570 8

We have identified four mutations in Xenopus TFIIIA that increase the stability of TFIIIA-5 S rRNA gene complexes. In each case, the mutation has a relatively modest effect on equilibrium binding affinity. In three cases, these equilibrium binding effects can be ascribed primarily to decreases in the rate constant for protein-DNA complex dissociation. In the fourth case, however, a substitution of phenylalanine for the wild-type leucine at position 148 in TFIIIA results in much larger compensating changes in the kinetics of complex assembly and dissociation. The data support a model in which a relatively unstable population of complexes with multi-component dissociation kinetics forms rapidly; complexes then undergo a slow conformational change that results in very stable, kinetically homogeneous TFIIIA-DNA complexes. The L148F mutant protein acts as a particularly potent transcriptional activator when it is fused to the VP16 activation domain and expressed in yeast cells. Substitution of L148 to tyrosine or tryptophan produces an equally strong transcriptional activator. Substitution to histidine results in genetic and biochemical effects that are more modest than, but similar to, those observed with the L148F mutation. We propose that an amino acid with a planar side chain at position 148 can intercalate between adjacent base pairs in the intermediate element of the 5 S rRNA gene. Intercalation occurs slowly but results in a very stable DNA-protein complex. These results suggest that transcriptional activation by a cis-acting sequence element is largely dependent on the kinetic, rather than the thermodynamic, stability of the complex formed with an activator protein. Thus, transcriptional activation is dependent in large part on the lifetime of the activator-DNA complex rather than on binding site occupancy at steady state. Introduction of intercalating amino acids into zinc finger proteins may be a useful tool for producing artificial transcription factors with particularly high in vivo activity.
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PMID:Mutations in TFIIIA that increase stability of the TFIIIA-5 S rRNA gene complex: unusual effects on the kinetics of complex assembly and dissociation. 1588 46


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