Abstract
THE transcription factor TFIID, a central component of the eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription apparatus, comprises the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and approximately ten TBP-associated factors (TAFs)1. Although the essential role of TBP in all eukaryotic transcription has been extensively analysed in vivo and in vitro2,3, the function of the TAFs is less clear. In vitro, TAFs are dispensable for basal transcription but are required for the response to activators1. In addition, specific TAFs may act as molecular bridges between particular activators and the general transcription machinery4,5. In vivo, TAFs required for yeast6,7 and mammalian8 cell growth, but little is known about their specific transcriptional functions. Using conditional alleles created by a new double-shutoff method, we show here that TAF depletion in yeast cells can reduce transcription from some promoters lacking conventional TATA elements. However, TAT depletion has surprisingly little effect on transcriptional enhancement by several activators, indicating that TAFs are not generally required for transcriptional activation in yeast.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Tjian, R. & Maniatis, T. Cell 77, 5–8 (1994).
Hernandez, N. Genes Dev. 7, 1291–1308 (1993).
Struhl, K. Annu. Rev. Genet. 29, 651–674 (1995).
Chen, J.-L., Attardi, L. D. Verrijzer, C. P., Yokomori, K. & Tjian, R. Cell 79, 93–105 (1994).
Sauer, F., Hansen, S. K. & Tjian, R. Science 270, 1783–1788 (1995).
Reese, J. C., Apone, L., Walker, S. S., Griffin, L. A. & Green, M. R. Nature 371, 523–527 (1994).
Poon, D. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 92, 8224–8228 (1995).
Wang, E. H. & Tjian, R. Science 263, 811–814 (1994).
Walker, S. S., Reese, J. C., Apone, L. M. & Green, M. R. Nature 385, 185–188 (1996).
Chen, W. & Struhl, K., EMBO J. 4, 3272–3280 (1985).
lyer, V. & Struhl, K. Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 7059–7066 (1995).
Martens, J. A. & Brandl, C. J. J. Biol. Chem. 269, 15661–15667 (1994).
Cormack, B. P., Strubin, M., Stargell, L. A. & Struhl, K. Genes Dev. 8, 1335–1343 (1994).
Griggs, D. W. & Johnston, M. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 88, 8597–8601 (1991).
Arndt, K. M., Ricupero-Hovasse, S. & Winston, F. EMBO J. 14, 1490–1497 (1995).
Lee, M. & Struhl, K. Mol. Cell. Biol. 15, 5461–5469 (1995).
Stargell, L. A. & Struhl, K. Science 269, 75–78 (1995).
Koleske, A. J. & Young, R. A. Nature 368, 466–469 (1994).
Kim, Y.-J., Bjorklund, S., Li, Y., Sayre, M. H. & Kornberg, R. D. Cell 77, 599–608 (1994).
Workman, J. L., Taylor, I. C. A. & Kingston, R. E. Cell 64, 533–544 (1991).
Koleske, A. J. & Young, R. A. Trends Biochem. Sci. 20, 113–116 (1995).
Struhl, K. Cell 84, 179–182 (1996).
Chatterjee, S. & Struhl, K. Nature 374, 820–822 (1995).
Klages, N. & Strubin, M. Nature 374, 822–823 (1995).
Barberis, A. et al. Cell 81, 359–368 (1995).
Klein, C. & Struhl, K. Science 266, 280–282 (1994).
lyer, V. & Struhl, K. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 93, 5208–5212 (1996).
Balasubramanian, B., Lowry, C. V. & Zitomer, R. S. Mol. Cell. Biol. 13, 6071–6078 (1993).
Bartel, B., Wunning, I. & Varshavsky, A. EMBO J. 9, 3179–3189 (1990).
Ray, B. L., White, C. I. & Haber, J. E. Curr. Genet. 20, 25–31 (1991).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moqtaderi, Z., Bai, Y., Poon, D. et al. TBP-associated factors are not generally required for transcriptional activation in yeast. Nature 383, 188–191 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/383188a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/383188a0
This article is cited by
-
Regulation of the RNA polymerase II pre-initiation complex by its associated coactivators
Nature Reviews Genetics (2023)
-
Loss of TAF8 causes TFIID dysfunction and p53-mediated apoptotic neuronal cell death
Cell Death & Differentiation (2022)
-
Nucleosome distortion as a possible mechanism of transcription activation domain function
Epigenetics & Chromatin (2016)
-
Crystal structure of the human CNOT6L nuclease domain reveals strict poly(A) substrate specificity
The EMBO Journal (2010)
-
The structural basis for deadenylation by the CCR4-NOT complex
Protein & Cell (2010)
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.