Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

PAS is a dimerization domain common to Drosophila Period and several transcription factors

Nature volume 364, pages 259–262 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

MUTATIONS in the period gene product (PER) can shorten or lengthen the circadian rhythms of Drosophila melanogaster1, but its biochemical activity has not been established. PER contains a motif of ∼2070 amino acids whose function is unknown (termed PAS2) and which is also present in three transcription factors of the basic–helix–loop–helix (bHLH) type, in the D. melanogaster single-minded gene product (SIM)2, and in both subunits of the mammalian dioxin receptor complex3,4,28. We show here that the PER PAS functions in vitro as a novel protein dimerization motif and that it can mediate associations between different members of the PAS protein family. The dimerization efficiency is decreased by several missense mutations in the PAS domain, including the original perL mutation, which lengthens circadian periods from 24 h to 29 h (ref. 1). The results indicate that the PAS domain may function as a dimerization domain in both SIM and the dioxin receptor complex, and that PER may regulate circadian gene transcription partly by interacting with the PAS domain of bHLH–PAS-containing transcription factors.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Konopka, R. J. & Benzer, S. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68, 2112–2116 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Nambu, J. R., Lewis, J. O., Wharton, K. A. & Crews, S. T. Cell 67, 1157–1167 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Hoffman, E. C. et al. Science 252, 954–958 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Burbach, K. M., Poland, A. & Bradfield, C. A. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 8185–8189 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Baylies, M. K., Bargiello, T. A., Jackson, F. R. & Young, M. W. Nature 326, 390–392 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hardin, P. E., Hall, J. C. & Rosbash, M. Nature 343, 536–540 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Hardin, P. E., Hall, J. C. & Rosbash, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 11711–11715 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Liu, X. et al. J. Neurosci. 12, 2735–2744 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Rutila, J. E., Edery, I., Hall, J. C. & Rosbash, M. J. Neurogenet. 8, 101–113 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Zerr, D. M., Hall, J. C., Rosbash, M., & Siwicki, K. K. J. Neurosci. 10, 2749–2762 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Blackwood, E. M. & Eisenman, R. N. Science 251, 1211–1217 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Forman, B. M. & Samuels, H. H. Molec. Endocrin. 4, 1293–1301 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Fawell, S. E., Lees, J. A., White, R. & Parker, M. G. Cell 60, 953–962 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Smith, R. F. & Konopka, R. J. Molec. gen. Genet. 189, 30–36 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Benezra, R., Davis, R. L., Lockshorn, D., Turner, D. L. & Weintraub, H. Cell 61, 49–59 (1990).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Van Doren, M., Ellis, H. M. & Posakony, J. W. Development 113, 245–255 (1991).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Dunlap, J. C. & Feldman, J. F. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 1096–1100 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Raju, U., Constantinos, K., Nuneu-Regueiro, M. & Eskin, A. Science 253, 673–675 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Rosbash, M. & Hall, J. C. Neuron 3, 387–398 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Dunlap, J. C. Trends Genet. 60, 159–165 (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Khalsa, S. B. S., Whitmore, D. & Block, G. D. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 89, 10862–10866 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Citri, Y. et al. Nature 326, 42–47 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Kolodziej, P. A. & Young, R. A. Meth. Enzym. 194, 508–519 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Schindler, U., Menkens, A. E., Beckman, H., Ecker, J. R. & Cashmore, A. R. EMBO J. 11, 1261–1273 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Evan, G., Lewis, G., Ramsay, G. & Bishop, J. M. Molec. cell. Biol. 5, 3610–3616 (1985).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Liu, X., Lorenz, L. Yu, Q., Hall, J. C. & Rosbash, M. Genes Dev. 2, 228–238 (1988).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Zwiebel, L. J., Hardin, P. E., Liu, X., Hall, J. C. & Rosbash, M. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 3882–3886 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Ema, M. et al. Biochem. biophys. Res. Commun. 184, 246–253 (1992).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Michael Rosbash: To whom correspondence should be addressed

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, 02254, USA

    Zuoshi Josh Huang, Isaac Edery & Michael Rosbash

Authors
  1. Zuoshi Josh Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Isaac Edery
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Michael Rosbash
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Huang, Z., Edery, I. & Rosbash, M. PAS is a dimerization domain common to Drosophila Period and several transcription factors. Nature 364, 259–262 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/364259a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/364259a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing