cmb2001 Flashcards
what is gene expression
process by which information in genes is decoded into proteins
DNA transcribed to RNA which is translated into proteins
what is transcription
transfer of genetic information from dsDNA to ssRNA (mRNA)
what are promoters
cis acting DNA regulatory element through which transcription is initiated and controlled
eukaryotic promoters
- core promoter elements - cpg islands
- ten intitation occurs at lower rate and at several start sites
associated with regions with a high frequency of CG sequences cpg islands
UAS and enhancer
activators binding sites
URS and silencer
repressor binding sites
CpG islands
- in mammals most C residues followed by G are methylated
- generally C residues in CpG islands escape methylation in mammals
- methylation of CpG islands is associated with silencing (txn switched off)
tools for identifying promoter elements
- sequence comparison
- reporter analysis
what is sequence comparison
- identification of the TATA box
what is reporter analysis
- reporter genes encode proteins whose levels can easily be measure
- e.g. GFP, luciferase, lacZ
- amount of reporter protein provides a measure of gene expression
what can reporters be used to identify
- where a gene is expressed
- when it is expressed
- what signal it responds to
- what factors and sequences control its expression
general transcription factors
- bacterial RNA polymerase requires sigma-factor to recognise promoter DNA
what does the job of sigma factor in eukaryotes
- RNA pol specific
- multi component factors
- form a complex on TATA box
- recruit RNA pol II to the promoter
- direct initiation at start site
steps of transcription initiation by RNA pol II
- helicase activity of TFIIH separates the template strand at the start site - requires ATP hydrolysis
- as pol II begins transcribing it is extensively phosphorylated on the C terminal domain
- TFIID TFIIA may stay behind
- TFIIB, TFIIE, TFIIH are release
- TFIIF moves down the template with pol II
what is the Carboxyl terminal domain
- a series of repeats located at the C terminal end of the largest pol II
function of TFIID
- binds to the TATA box
recruit TFIIB
function of TFIIA
- stabilises TFIID binding
- anti repression function
function of TFIIB
- recruits pol II - TFIIF
- important for start site selection
function of TFIIF
- stimulates elongation
- destabilises non-specific RNA pol II - DNA interactions
function of TFIIE
- recruits TFIIH and modulates its activity
function of TFIIH
- promoter melting and clearance - enzyme XPB
- CTD kinase activity
- DNA repair and coupling
2 parts of TFIIH
- core and CAK
- CAK contains a kinase that phosphorylates the CTD of RNAP II
TFIID
- TATA binding protein + TBP associated factos
- TBP is the central subunit of TFIID
TBP vs TFIID
- TBP can direct the assembly go the PIC on a TATA-containing promoter
TBP alone cannot direct PIC assembly on a TATA-less promoter - TBP cannot support activated transcription
TAFs
- promote the interaction of TFIID with the basal promoter
- interact with activators
core promoter
- consists of the region around the transcription start site
- associated with elements such as the TATA box and the initiator element
enhancer
- DNA regions close or far from the start site
- binding sites for activator protein
- often composed of multiple UAS elements
silencer
- DNA regions close or far from the start site
- binding sites for repressors
general transcription machinery
- a set of factors that recruit RNA pol II to the promoter and direct initiation at the start site
pre-initiation complex
- assembly of the basal machinery at the core promoter
activator
- a factor that binds the gene specific regulatory sequences and stimulates transcription initiation
basal transcription activated txn
- the level of transcription from a core promoter
- increased levels of transcription mediated by an activator protein
classes of enhancer elements
- common sequence elements e.g. GC box, octamer, CAAT box
bind activations that are relatively abundant in the cell and constitutively active - response elements e.g. SRE HSE. bind factors whose activity is controlled in response to specific stimuli
combinatorial control of transcription
- the type and combination of elements dictates when and at what level a gene is transcribed
how do activators contact the basal transcription machine
- tracking
- looping
types of activation domains
- acidic patch - clusters of negative charged residues e.g. vp16
- glutamine rich e.g. sp1
proline rich e.g. jun
analysis of activators (in vitro)
- DNA foot printing
- electrophoretic mobility shift assay
- transcription assay
what is an electrophoretic mobility shift
- activator + radiolabelled probe DNA –> run on non-denaturing acrylamide gel
what are transcription assays
- RNA pol II + GTPs + DNA template + radiolabelled rNTPs
- requires the activator to both have a functional DNA binding domain and a function activation domain
analysis of activators (in vivo)
- reporter assays
- chromatin immunoprecripitation
how does chromatin immunoprecipitation work
- cross link bound proteins to DNA
- isolare chromatin and shear DNA
- precipitate chromatin with protein-specific antibody
reverse cross-link and digest protein - analyse DNA using - PCR or sequencing
how do activators work
- promoter binding of an additional activators
stimulate complex assembly
release stalled RNA polymerase - modulation of chromatin
how to activate stalled RNA pol II
- heat shock genes such as hsp70
- heat shock activates HSF transcription factor which interacts with RNA pol II and release it from the pause after 50nts
which transcription factors are involved in recruitment
- TFIID
- TFIIB
- mediator
what is the function of mediators
- provides a bridge between activators and RNA pol II
- activator interactions aid recruitment of RNA pol II and therefore enhance PIC formation
general role of activators
- can promoter the binding of additional activators
- can increase the rate of PIC formation
- may stimulate post recruitment steps
function of chromatin
- to compact DNA
what is the composition of chromatin
- composed primarily of histones
what are the two types of histones
- core histones
- linker histones
what are nucleosomes
- DNA wrapped twice around an octamer of histone proteins
what is an octamer
- central H3-H4 tetramer and 2 flanking H2A-H2B dimers
function of linker histones
- H1 bind to the DNA between nucleosomes
3 pieces of evidence that chromatin inhibits transcription
- in vitro reconstitution experiments
- in vivo nucleosome positioning experiments
- genetic studies of saccharomyces cerevisae
how does the in vitro reconstitution experiment prove that chromatin inhibit transcription
- RNA pol II + transcription + chromatin template –> no transcription
what are the roles of nucleosomes in the nucleus
- compaction of DNA
- forms a template for DNA transcription
3 main mechanisms for modulating the structure of chromatin
- histone variants
- post transcriptional modification of histones
- ATP dependent chromatin remodelling
histone variants
- all except H4
- histone variants confers novel structural and functional properties of the nucleosome which affect the chromatin dynamics
post translational modification of histones
- acetylation
- methylation
- ubiquitylation
- phosphorylation
consequences of histone modification
- directly alter chromatin folding/structure
- control the recruitment of non-histone proteins to chromatin
how are histone acetyl transferases recruited
- activators recruit HATs to specific promoter
- some HATs are part of the general transcription machinery
how does acetylation mediate transcriptional activation
- direct influence on chromatin structure
- directs the recruitment of bromodomain proteins
why are bromodomains important
- specific acetylates lysine residues are recognised by proteins with bromodomains
- bromodomain proteins often promoter transcription
2 examples of bromodomains
- BDF1 - binds acetylated H4 and recruits TFIID
- TAFII250 - TFIID subunit, also binds acetylated H4
how does histone methylation occur
- histone methylation can occur on lysine
- methylation does not affect charge so minor influence on chromatin structure
importance of lysine methylation
- specific methylated lysines are recognised by specific proteins
- methyl-lysine residues can function either as activating or repressing marks
enzyme involved in ATP dependent chromatin remodelling
- SNF2-related ATPase
steps of ATP dependent chromatin remodelling
- sliding
- unwarpping
- eviction
- spacing
- histone variant exchange
how does SWI/SNF remodel chromatin
- catalytic subunit is snf2
- hydrolyses ATP in the presence of DNA or nucleosome
- uses energy from ATP hydrolysis to track along DNA and induce torsion
- this results in disruption of histone DNA interactions and movement of the nucleosome
roles of SWI/SNF complexes
- cell cycle control via interaction with rb and cyclin E
- in development, deletion in mice results in embryonic lethality
- tumour suppressor pathways; mutations are associated with a variety if tumour types