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Science 8 February 1991:
Vol. 251. no. 4994, pp. 643 - 649
DOI: 10.1126/science.1899487
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Articles

Science, Vol 251, Issue 4994, 643-649
Copyright © 1991 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Sequence-specific antirepression of histone H1-mediated inhibition of basal RNA polymerase II transcription

GE Croston, LA Kerrigan, LM Lira, DR Marshak, and JT Kadonaga

Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.

To understand the principles of control and selectivity in gene expression, the biochemical mechanisms by which promoter- and enhancer-binding factors regulate transcription by RNA polymerase II were analyzed. A general observed repressor of transcription was purified and identified as histone H1. Since many aspects of H1 binding to naked DNA resemble its interaction with chromatin, purified H1 bound to naked DNA was used as a model for the repressed state of the DNA template. Three sequence-specific transcription factors, Sp1, GAL4-VP16, and GAGA factor, were shown to counteract H1-mediated repression (antirepression). In addition, Sp1 and GAL4-VP16, but not the GAGA factor, activated transcription in the absence of H1. Therefore, true activation and antirepression appear to be distinct activities of sequence-specific factors. Furthermore, transcription antirepression by GAL4-VP16 was sustained for several rounds of transcription. These findings, together with previous studies on H1, suggest that H1 participates in repression of the genome in the ground state and that sequence-specific transcription factors induce selected genes by a combination of true activation and release of basal repression that is mediated at least in part by H1.


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H1-mediated Repression of Transcription Factor Binding to a Stably Positioned Nucleosome.
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M. Pazin, R. Kamakaka, and J. Kadonaga (1994)
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Molecular cloning of the small (gamma) subunit of human TFIIA reveals functions critical for activated transcription..
J Ozer, P A Moore, A H Bolden, A Lee, C A Rosen, and P M Lieberman (1994)
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Specific regulation of Xenopus chromosomal 5S rRNA gene transcription in vivo by histone H1..
P Bouvet, S Dimitrov, and A P Wolffe (1994)
Genes & Dev. 8, 1147-1159
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A mechanism for TAFs in transcriptional activation: activation domain enhancement of TFIID-TFIIA--promoter DNA complex formation..
P M Lieberman and A J Berk (1994)
Genes & Dev. 8, 995-1005
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Replication-coupled chromatin assembly is required for the repression of basal transcription in vivo..
G Almouzni and A P Wolffe (1993)
Genes & Dev. 7, 2033-2047
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Potentiation of RNA polymerase II transcription by Gal4-VP16 during but not after DNA replication and chromatin assembly..
R T Kamakaka, M Bulger, and J T Kadonaga (1993)
Genes & Dev. 7, 1779-1795
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GAL4 disrupts a repressing nucleosome during activation of GAL1 transcription in vivo..
J D Axelrod, M S Reagan, and J Majors (1993)
Genes & Dev. 7, 857-869
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Role of Chromatin Structure in Regulating Gene Expression: The hsp26 Gene of Drosophila melanogaster.
S.C.R. Elgin, H. Granok, Q. Lu, and L.L. Wallrath (1993)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 58, 83-96
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Biochemical Analysis of the Role of Chromatin Structure in the Regulation of Transcription by RNA Polymerase II.
R.T. Kamakaka and J.T. Kadonaga (1993)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 58, 205-212
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Nucleosome Cores and Histone H1 in the Binding of GAL4 Derivatives and the Reactivation of Transcription from Nucleosome Templates In Vitro.
L.-J. Juan, P.P. Walter, I.C.A. Taylor, R.E. Kingston, and J.L. Workman (1993)
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol 58, 213-223
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Nucleosome core displacement in vitro via a metastable transcription factor-nucleosome complex.
J. Workman and R. Kingston (1992)
Science 258, 1780-1784
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Histone H1 and transcription: still an enigma?.
J. Zlatanova and K. Van Holde (1992)
J. Cell Sci. 103, 889-895
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Mechanism of transcriptional antirepression by GAL4-VP16..
G E Croston, P J Laybourn, S M Paranjape, and J T Kadonaga (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 2270-2281
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Initiation on chromatin templates in a yeast RNA polymerase II transcription system..
Y Lorch, J W LaPointe, and R D Kornberg (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 2282-2287
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Evidence that SNF2/SWI2 and SNF5 activate transcription in yeast by altering chromatin structure..
J N Hirschhorn, S A Brown, C D Clark, and F Winston (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 2288-2298
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Differential regulation of transcription preinitiation complex assembly by activator and repressor homeo domain proteins..
F B Johnson and M A Krasnow (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 2177-2189
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Threshold phenomena and long-distance activation of transcription by RNA polymerase II.
P. Laybourn and J. Kadonaga (1992)
Science 257, 1682-1685
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The acidic activator GAL4-AH can stimulate polymerase II transcription by promoting assembly of a closed complex requiring TFIID and TFIIA..
W Wang, J D Gralla, and M Carey (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 1716-1727
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Functional analysis of Drosophila transcription factor IIB..
S L Wampler and J T Kadonaga (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 1542-1552
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A ubiquitous factor is required for C/EBP-related proteins to form stable transcription complexes on an albumin promoter segment in vitro..
P M Milos and K S Zaret (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 991-1004
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Transcription factor loading on the MMTV promoter: a bimodal mechanism for promoter activation.
T. Archer, P Lefebvre, R. Wolford, and G. Hager (1992)
Science 255, 1573-1576
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DNA sequence requirements for generating paused polymerase at the start of hsp70..
H Lee, K W Kraus, M F Wolfner, and J T Lis (1992)
Genes & Dev. 6, 284-295
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Polymerase II promoter activation: closed complex formation and ATP-driven start site opening.
W Wang, M Carey, and J. Gralla (1992)
Science 255, 450-453
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Coactivators for a proline-rich activator purified from the multisubunit human TFIID complex..
N Tanese, B F Pugh, and R Tjian (1991)
Genes & Dev. 5, 2212-2224
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RNA polymerase II carboxy-terminal domain contributes to the response to multiple acidic activators in vitro..
S M Liao, I C Taylor, R E Kingston, and R A Young (1991)
Genes & Dev. 5, 2431-2440
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Role of nucleosomal cores and histone H1 in regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II.
P. Laybourn and J. Kadonaga (1991)
Science 254, 238-245
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Functional analysis of the Drosophila twist promoter reveals a dorsal-binding ventral activator region..
D J Pan, J D Huang, and A J Courey (1991)
Genes & Dev. 5, 1892-1901
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The functional BPV-1 E2 trans-activating protein can act as a repressor by preventing formation of the initiation complex..
N Dostatni, P F Lambert, R Sousa, J Ham, P M Howley, and M Yaniv (1991)
Genes & Dev. 5, 1657-1671
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Functional Mapping of the GAGA Factor Assigns Its Transcriptional Activity to the C-terminal Glutamine-rich Domain.
A. Vaquero, M. L. Espinas, F. Azorin, and J. Bernues (2000)
J. Biol. Chem. 275, 19461-19468
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Decreased Expression of Specific Genes in Yeast Cells Lacking Histone H1.
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