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A general mechanism for transcriptional synergy by eukaryotic activators

Nature volume 377, pages 254–257 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

ONE of the important regulatory concepts to emerge from studies of eukaryotic gene expression is that RNA polymerase II promo-ters and their upstream activators are composed of functional mod-ules whose synergistic action regulates the transcriptional activity of a nearby gene1-3. Biochemical analysis of synergy by ZEBRA, a non-acidic activator of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) lytic cycle4, showed that the synergistic transcriptional effect of promoter sites and activation modules correlates with assembly of the TFIID: TFIIA (DA) complex in DNase I footprinting and gel shift assays. The activator-dependent DA complex differs from a basal DA complex by its ability to bind TFIIB stably in an interaction regulated by TATA-binding protein-associated factors (TAFs). TFIIB enhances the degree of synergism by increasing complex stability. Similar findings were made with the acidic activator GAL4-VP16. Our data suggest a unifying mechanism for gene t To whom correspondence should be addressed. 254 activation and synergy by acidic and non-acidic activators, and indicate that synergy is manifested at the earliest stage of preinitia-tion complex assembly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine, 10833 LeConte Avenue, Los Angeles, California, 90095-1737, USA

    Tianhuai Chi, Katharine Ellwood & Michael Carey

  2. Department of Gene Expression, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, 340 Kingsland Street, Nutley, New Jersey, 07110-1199, USA

    Paul Lieberman

Authors
  1. Tianhuai Chi
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  2. Paul Lieberman
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  3. Katharine Ellwood
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  4. Michael Carey
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Chi, T., Lieberman, P., Ellwood, K. et al. A general mechanism for transcriptional synergy by eukaryotic activators. Nature 377, 254–257 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/377254a0

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