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)

A yeast protein has been identified that stimulates basal transcription by RNA polymerase II, binds both single- and double-stranded DNA, and interacts with both a general transcription factor and a transcriptional activator. Phosphorylation appears to regulate these interactions. The gene for the transcriptional stimulatory protein, termed TSP1, was cloned and found to be dispensable for yeast cell viability. The deduced amino acid sequence is similar to that of mammalian coactivator protein PC4.
 ...
PMID:A yeast transcriptional stimulatory protein similar to human PC4. 870 84

A human RNA polymerase II (pol II) complex was isolated from a HeLa-derived cell line that conditionally expresses an epitope-tagged RPB9 subunit of human pol II. The isolated FLAG-tagged pol II complex (f:pol II) contains a subset of general transcription factors but is devoid of TFIID and TFIIA. In conjunction with TATA-binding protein (TBP) or TFIID, f:pol II is able to mediate both basal and activated transcription by Gal4-VP16 when a transcriptional coactivator PC4 is also provided. Interestingly, PC4, in the absence of a transcriptional activator, actually functions as a repressor to inhibit basal transcription. Remarkably, TBP is able to mediate activator function in this transcription system. The presence of TBP-associated factors, however, helps overcome PC4 repression and further enhance the level of activation mediated by TBP. Alleviation of PC4 repression can also be achieved by preincubation of the transcriptional components with the DNA template. Sarkosyl disruption of preinitiation complex formation further illustrates that PC4 can only inhibit transcription prior to the assembly of a functional preinitiation complex. These results suggest that PC4 represses basal transcription by preventing the assembly of a functional preinitiation complex, but it has no effect on the later steps of the transcriptional process.
 ...
PMID:Properties of PC4 and an RNA polymerase II complex in directing activated and basal transcription in vitro. 957 7

The nuclear receptor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF-4) is an important regulator of several genes involved in diverse metabolic and developmental pathways. Mutations in the HNF-4A gene are responsible for the maturity-onset diabetes of the young type 1. Recently, we showed that the 24 N-terminal residues of HNF-4 function as an acidic transcriptional activator, termed AF-1 (Hadzopoulou-Cladaras, M., Kistanova, E., Evagelopoulou, C., Zeng, S. , Cladaras C., and Ladias, J. A. A. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 539-550). To identify the critical residues for this activator, we performed an extensive genetic analysis using site-directed mutagenesis. We showed that the aromatic and bulky hydrophobic residues Tyr6, Tyr14, Phe19, Lys10, and Lys17 are essential for AF-1 function. To a lesser degree, five acidic residues are also important for optimal activity. Positional changes of Tyr6 and Tyr14 reduced AF-1 activity, underscoring the importance of primary structure for this activator. Our analysis also indicated that AF-1 is bipartite, consisting of two modules that synergize to activate transcription. More important, AF-1 shares common structural motifs and molecular targets with the activators of the tumor suppressor protein p53 and NF-kappaB-p65, suggesting similar mechanisms of action. Remarkably, AF-1 interacted specifically with multiple transcriptional targets, including the TATA-binding protein; the TATA-binding protein-associated factors TAFII31 and TAFII80; transcription factor IIB; transcription factor IIH-p62; and the coactivators cAMP-responsive element-binding protein-binding protein, ADA2, and PC4. The interaction of AF-1 with proteins that regulate distinct steps of transcription may provide a mechanism for synergistic activation of gene expression by AF-1.
 ...
PMID:Critical structural elements and multitarget protein interactions of the transcriptional activator AF-1 of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4. 979 14

Transcription in human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is mainly regulated by cellular transcription factors and virus-encoded E2 proteins that act as sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins. Although the functions of E2 as a transcriptional activator and a repressor have been well documented, the role of cellular factors involved in E2-mediated regulation of the HPV promoters and the mechanism by which E2 modulates viral gene expression remain unclear. Using reconstituted cell-free transcription systems, we found that cellular enhancer-binding factors and general cofactors, such as TAF(II)s, TFIIA, Mediator, and PC4, are not required for E2-mediated repression. Unlike other transcriptional repressors that function through recruitment of histone deacetylase or corepressor complexes, HPV E2 is able to directly target components of the general transcription machinery to exert its repressor activity on the natural HPV E6 promoter. Interestingly, preincubation of TATA binding protein (TBP) or TFIID with HPV template is not sufficient to overcome E2-mediated repression, which can be alleviated only via formation of a minimal TBP (or TFIID)-TFIIB-RNA polymerase II-TFIIF preinitiation complex. Our data therefore indicate that E2 does not simply work by displacing TBP or TFIID from binding to the adjacent TATA box. Instead, E2 appears to function as an active repressor that directly inhibits HPV transcription at steps after TATA recognition by TBP or TFIID.
 ...
PMID:Alleviation of human papillomavirus E2-mediated transcriptional repression via formation of a TATA binding protein (or TFIID)-TFIIB-RNA polymerase II-TFIIF preinitiation complex. 1059 14

The unstructured N-terminal domain of the transcriptional cofactor PC4 contains multiple phosphorylation sites that regulate activity. The phosphorylation status differentially influences the various biochemical functions performed by the structured core of PC4. Binding to ssDNA is slightly enhanced by phosphorylation of one serine residue, which is not augmented by further phosphorylation. The presence of at least two phosphoserines decreases DNA-unwinding activity and abrogates binding to the transcriptional activator VP16. Phosphorylation gradually decreases the binding affinity for dsDNA. These phosphorylation-dependent changes in PC4 activities correlate with the sequential functions PC4 fulfils throughout the transcription cycle. MS and NMR revealed that up to eight serines are progressively phosphorylated towards the N-terminus, resulting in gradual environmental changes in the C-terminal direction of the following lysine-rich region. Also within the structured core, primarily around the interaction surfaces, environmental changes are observed. We propose a model for co-ordinated changes in PC4 cofactor functions, mediated by phosphorylation status-dependent gradual masking of the lysine-rich region causing shielding or exposure of interaction surfaces.
 ...
PMID:Gradual phosphorylation regulates PC4 coactivator function. 1668 30

G-quadruplex or G4 DNA is a non-B secondary DNA structure consisting of a stacked array of guanine-quartets that can disrupt critical cellular functions such as replication and transcription. When sequences that can adopt Non-B structures including G4 DNA are located within actively transcribed genes, the reshaping of DNA topology necessary for transcription process stimulates secondary structure-formation thereby amplifying the potential for genome instability. Using a reporter assay designed to study G4-induced recombination in the context of an actively transcribed locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we tested whether co-transcriptional activator Sub1, recently identified as a G4-binding factor, contributes to genome maintenance at G4-forming sequences. Our data indicate that, upon Sub1-disruption, genome instability linked to co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA in Top1-deficient cells is significantly augmented and that its highly conserved DNA binding domain or the human homolog PC4 is sufficient to suppress G4-associated genome instability. We also show that Sub1 interacts specifically with co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA in vivo and that yeast cells become highly sensitivity to G4-stabilizing chemical ligands by the loss of Sub1. Finally, we demonstrate the physical and genetic interaction of Sub1 with the G4-resolving helicase Pif1, suggesting a possible mechanism by which Sub1 suppresses instability at G4 DNA.
 ...
PMID:Yeast Sub1 and human PC4 are G-quadruplex binding proteins that suppress genome instability at co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA. 2836 5