DNA-Binding and Transcriptional Properties of Human Transcription Factor TFIID After Mild Proteolysis MICHAEL W
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MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY, JUlY 1990, p. 3415-3420 Vol. 10, No. 7 0270-7306/90/073415-06$02.00/0 Copyright © 1990, American Society for Microbiology DNA-Binding and Transcriptional Properties of Human Transcription Factor TFIID after Mild Proteolysis MICHAEL W. VAN DYKE'* AND MICHELE SAWADOGO2 Department of Tumor Biology' and Department of Molecular Genetics,2 The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 Received 4 January 1990/Accepted 11 April 1990 The existence of separable functions within the human class H general transcription factor TFIID was probed for differential sensitivity to mild proteolytic treatment. Independent of whether TFIID was bound to DNA or free in solution, partial digestion with either one of a variety of nonspecific endoproteases generated a protease- resistant protein product that retained specific DNA recognition, as revealed by DNase I footprinting. However, in contrast to native TFIID, which interacts with the adenovirus major late (ML) promoter over a very broad DNA region, partially proteolyzed TFIID interacted with only a small region of the ML promoter immediately surrounding the TATA sequence. This novel footprint was very similar to that observed with the TATA factor purified from yeast cells. Partially proteolyzed human TFIID could form stable complexes that were resistant to challenge by exogenous templates. It could also nucleate the assembly of transcription complexes on the ML promoter with an efficiency comparable to that of native TFIID, yielding similar levels of transcription initiation. These results suggest a model in which the human TFHID protein is composed of at least two different regions or polypeptides: a protease-resistant "core," which by itself is sufficient for promoter recognition and basal transcriptional levels, and a protease-sensitive "tail," which interacts with downstream promoter regions and may be involved in regulatory processes. The promoter of protein-encoding (class II) genes is com- leader region, were also observed on several Drosophila posed of multiple DNA elements. The minimum (or basal) promoters with a TATA box-binding protein isolated from promoter often contains a sequence referred to as the TATA Kc cells (16). box, whereas regulation is conferred by one or several Recently, a protein was isolated from yeast which can upstream regulatory elements (for a review, see references substitute for human TFIID in a heterologous in vitro system 13 and 27). Recognition of the promoter by the general reconstituted with the other general transcription factors and transcription factors leads to the formation of stable com- RNA polymerase II from HeLa cells (2, 3). This yeast TFIID plexes that signal a gene for transcription by RNA polymer- is a single polypeptide of 27,000 daltons (10), which can form ase II. Template challenge analyses have revealed that a stable preinitiation complexes with various TATA boxes in particular transcription factor, designated TFIID, is the the absence of any other transcription factor (3). DNase I essential component of these stable complexes and that the footprinting has revealed a small (16 bp) region of interaction TATA box sequence alone is sufficient for TFIID binding (4, for yeast TFIID with the ML TATA box (2, 10), and the 26). Human TFIID is required for transcription of a number same nucleotides required for transcriptional activity are of cellular and viral genes in vitro (15). Binding of TFIID to also critical for specific binding (2). The unique gene that the promoter DNA has been shown to be facilitated by an encodes the yeast TATA factor has been cloned (7, 11, 23) activity designated TFIIA (4, 6, 17), although an absolute and has revealed potential homologies with the bacterial TFIIA requirement for stable complex formation as well as sigma factor (11). Interestingly, this gene was found to be for efficient transcription has not always been found (19, 26). identical to a known mutation, SPT15, which had been previ- Stable binding of TFIID is also sufficient to maintain pro- ously isolated as a suppressor of Ty element insertions (5). moter function after in vitro nucleosome assembly (29). The exact relationship between the yeast TATA factor and DNase I footprinting has revealed interesting features of the TFIID activity isolated from higher eucaryotes remains the TFIID-TATA box interaction. On several promoters, to be established. Both proteins seem equally capable of exemplified by that of the human HSP70 gene, the DNase I nucleating the assembly of the other transcription factors footprint of human TFIID is restricted to a small region of and RNA polymerase II into functional preinitiation com- the promoter around the TATA box sequence (15). In plexes (1, 25). However, an extended interaction with the contrast, the same protein protects, on both the adenovirus promoter DNA has only been observed with Drosophila and major late (ML) and human histone H4 promoters, a much human TFIIDs. This single difference could be very signifi- larger DNA region extending from 40 base pairs (bp) up- cant, since the switch from a limited to an extended TFIID- stream to 30 or 35 bp downstream of the transcription promoter interaction has been postulated to play a key role initiation site (15, 20). This unusual downstream extension of in transcription stimulation by several upstream regulatory the TFIID footprint, which shows no requirement for spe- factors (8, 9). In relation to this, preliminary estimates for cific DNA sequences, has been postulated to reflect wrap- the molecular mass of human TFIID (-100 kilodaltons) (15, ping of the DNA around a portion of the TFIID molecule 17, 18) indicate a much larger protein than the 27-kilodalton (21). DNase I footprints, covering not only the TATA box polypeptide purified from yeast cells. Thus, it could be that region but also the start site of transcription and part of the the human TFIID is composed of several polypeptides (or several domains), one of which is equivalent to the smaller * Corresponding author. yeast TATA factor. To investigate this possibility, we sub- 3415 3416 VAN DYKE AND SAWADOGO MOL. CELL. BIOL. jected human TFIID to treatment with various proteases in either the standard 380-bp or a shortened (-340-bp) G-less order to probe the existence of separate domains within this cassette (19), were used as indicated. Initially, TFIID (7 U; transcription factor. DE-52 fraction) was preincubated with the DNA in the standard transcription reaction buffer (see above) for 10 min MATERIALS AND METHODS at 30°C to affect template commitment. General transcription factors TFIIB (6.3 U; single-stranded DNA agarose), TFIIE Partially purified human transcription factors TFIIB, (6.3 U; Bio-Gel A-1.Sm fraction), and RNA polymerase II (5 TFIID, TFIIE, USF, and RNA polymerase II were prepared U; phosphocellulose fraction) were then added together with from HeLa cell nuclear extracts, as previously described nucleotides (0.6 mM each ATP and UTP, 25 puM CTP, 13 (15, 19, 20, 25). Proteases and protease inhibitors were puCi of [cz-32P]CTP at 700 Ci/mmol), and transcription was purchased from Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals, and allowed to ensue. Aliquots corresponding to 1/10 of the total poly(dG-dC) and radiolabeled nucleotides were purchased reaction volume were removed periodically, as indicated, from Pharmacia, Inc., and DuPont, NEN Research Products. and frozen. Further processing of transcription reactions Proteolysis of TFIID. Partial proteolysis of TFIID in solu- was performed as previously described (28). RNA products tion was performed as follows. In a 12.5-,u final reaction were resolved by gel electrophoresis (acrylamide-bisacryl- volume, HeLa TFIID (either w-aminooctyl agarose or DE-52 amide, 6.0:0.16%; 8 M urea, lx TBE [Tris-borate EDTA]) fractions, S jig of total protein) was incubated with 200 ng of and visualized by autoradiography. Quantitation of transcrip- protease in the standard transcription reaction buffer (20 mM tion was performed by excising slices of the dried gel and HEPES [N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic scintillation counting. acid] [pH 8.4], 60 mM KCI, 6 mM MgCl2, 10% glycerol, 5 mM dithiothreitol) for 10 min at 30°C. The reaction was RESULTS terminated by adding the inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonylflu- oride (PMSF) to a 2 mM final concentration. For partial Digestion of human TFIID with subtilisin. The effect of a proteolysis of the TFIID-DNA complex, human TFIID and mild proteolytic digestion of human TFIID by subtilisin on USF (100 fmol; Mono Q fraction [22]) were first incubated the DNA-binding properties of the transcription factor was with 5.5 fmol of adenovirus ML promoter-containing DNA first investigated by using DNase I footprinting with a singly fragment and 100 ng of poly(dG-dC) carrier DNA in a 23-,ul end-labeled probe containing the adenovirus ML promoter reaction volume for 60 min at 30°C to affect complete (Fig. 1). The DNase I footprinting pattern which character- binding. Proteolysis and reaction termination were then izes native human TFIID bound at the ML promoter con- performed as above. Proteases used in this investigation tains a region of complete cleavage protection around the included (in units per milligram) chymotrypsin A (90), papain TATA box sequence and a second region downstream, (30), proteinase K (20), subtilisin (5), and trypsin (110). extending to position +30, composed of alternated protec- DNase I footprinting. DNase I footprinting of TFIID-DNA tions and enhanced cleavages (15, 20). When TFIID was first complexes was performed essentially as previously de- preincubated with the footprinting probe and then submitted scribed (15, 20). The footprinting probe consisted of the to a 10-min digestion with subtilisin, its interaction with the 690-bp XbaI-to-NarI restriction fragment of the plasmid promoter DNA was drastically altered (Fig. 1, lane 2). The pML(C2AT)19A-127f (20), labeled upstream of the adenovi- novel footprint observed with subtilisin-digested TFIID was rus ML promoter on the nontranscribed strand.