Ty Transcription Research Articles

The SPT6 gene is essential for growth and is required for delta-mediated transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPT6 gene were originally identified as one class of extragenic suppressors of Ty and delta insertion mutations in the 5' noncoding regions of HIS4 and LYS2. We cloned SPT6 and constructed a null allele by gene disruption. Haploid spores carrying the spt6 null allele were inviable, indicating that the SPT6 gene is essential for mitotic growth. SPT6 was mapped to the right arm of chromosome VII, 44 centimorgans (cM) from ADE6 and 9 cM from CLY8. We showed that spt6 mutations suppress delta insertion mutations at the level of transcription but have no qualitative or quantitative effect on Ty transcription. In addition, we observed interesting SPT6 gene dosage effects. An SPT6 strain containing a high-copy-number plasmid clone of SPT6 showed suppression of delta insertion mutations, and a diploid strain with half its normal dose of SPT6 (SPT6/spt6 null) also exhibited suppression of delta insertion mutations. Therefore, having either too many or too few copies of SPT6 causes a mutant phenotype. Finally, this study and that in the accompanying paper (L. Neigeborn, J. L. Celenza, and M. Carlson, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:679-686, 1986) showed that spt6 and ssn20 mutations (isolated as suppressors of snf2 and snf5 [sucrose nonfermenting] mutations) identify the same gene. SPT6 and SSN20 have the same genetic map position and share an identical restriction map. Furthermore, spt6 and ssn20 mutations fail to complement each other, and ssn20 mutations suppress solo delta insertion mutations at HIS4 and LYS2. These results, taken in conjunction with the SPT6 dosage effects and the fact that SPT6 is an essential gene, suggest that SPT6 plays a fundamental role in cellular transcription, perhaps by interaction with other transcription factors.

The SPT6 gene is essential for growth and is required for delta-mediated transcription in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPT6 gene were originally identified as one class of extragenic suppressors of Ty and delta insertion mutations in the 5' noncoding regions of HIS4 and LYS2. We cloned SPT6 and constructed a null allele by gene disruption. Haploid spores carrying the spt6 null allele were inviable, indicating that the SPT6 gene is essential for mitotic growth. SPT6 was mapped to the right arm of chromosome VII, 44 centimorgans (cM) from ADE6 and 9 cM from CLY8. We showed that spt6 mutations suppress delta insertion mutations at the level of transcription but have no qualitative or quantitative effect on Ty transcription. In addition, we observed interesting SPT6 gene dosage effects. An SPT6 strain containing a high-copy-number plasmid clone of SPT6 showed suppression of delta insertion mutations, and a diploid strain with half its normal dose of SPT6 (SPT6/spt6 null) also exhibited suppression of delta insertion mutations. Therefore, having either too many or too few copies of SPT6 causes a mutant phenotype. Finally, this study and that in the accompanying paper (L. Neigeborn, J. L. Celenza, and M. Carlson, Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:679-686, 1986) showed that spt6 and ssn20 mutations (isolated as suppressors of snf2 and snf5 [sucrose nonfermenting] mutations) identify the same gene. SPT6 and SSN20 have the same genetic map position and share an identical restriction map. Furthermore, spt6 and ssn20 mutations fail to complement each other, and ssn20 mutations suppress solo delta insertion mutations at HIS4 and LYS2. These results, taken in conjunction with the SPT6 dosage effects and the fact that SPT6 is an essential gene, suggest that SPT6 plays a fundamental role in cellular transcription, perhaps by interaction with other transcription factors.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPT3 gene is required for transposition and transpositional recombination of chromosomal Ty elements.

Mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPT3 gene have dramatic effects on the expression of Ty elements and genes adjacent to the element. The SPT3 gene is essential for Ty transposition, because transposition of chromosomal Ty elements ceased when the SPT3 gene was replaced with the frameshift mutation spt3-101. Presumably, the elimination of transposition was due to the effect of the SPT3 gene product on Ty transcription; the transcripts of chromosomal Ty elements were largely abolished in the spt3-101 strain (F. Winston, K. J. Durbin, and G. R. Fink, Cell 39:675-682, 1984). Ty transcription in an spt3-101 strain could be reestablished by introduction of the pGTyH3 plasmid, in which transcription of the Ty element TyH3 is under the control of the GAL1 promoter; these plasmid-derived Ty transcripts were SPT3-independent. Ty transposition resumed after galactose induction in spt3-101 strains containing the pGTyH3 plasmid. In spt3 mutants nearly all of the resulting transposition events derived from pGTyH3 plasmids and not from chromosomal elements.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPT3 gene is required for transposition and transpositional recombination of chromosomal Ty elements.

Mutations in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SPT3 gene have dramatic effects on the expression of Ty elements and genes adjacent to the element. The SPT3 gene is essential for Ty transposition, because transposition of chromosomal Ty elements ceased when the SPT3 gene was replaced with the frameshift mutation spt3-101. Presumably, the elimination of transposition was due to the effect of the SPT3 gene product on Ty transcription; the transcripts of chromosomal Ty elements were largely abolished in the spt3-101 strain (F. Winston, K. J. Durbin, and G. R. Fink, Cell 39:675-682, 1984). Ty transcription in an spt3-101 strain could be reestablished by introduction of the pGTyH3 plasmid, in which transcription of the Ty element TyH3 is under the control of the GAL1 promoter; these plasmid-derived Ty transcripts were SPT3-independent. Ty transposition resumed after galactose induction in spt3-101 strains containing the pGTyH3 plasmid. In spt3 mutants nearly all of the resulting transposition events derived from pGTyH3 plasmids and not from chromosomal elements.

Transcriptional analysis of Ty1 deletion and inversion derivatives at CYC7.

One class of Ty insertion mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae activates expression of adjacent structural genes. The CYC7-H2 mutation, in which a Ty1 element is inserted 5' to the iso-2-cytochrome c coding region of CYC7, causes a 20-fold increase in CYC7 expression. Deletion analysis of CYC7-H2 has shown that distal regions of the Ty1 element are not essential for the transcriptional activation at CYC7. In this report, we have analyzed Ty1 and CYC7 RNA from two CYC7-H2 deletion derivative genes to determine whether a direct correlation exists between transcription of Ty1 and transcription of the adjacent gene. Assuming that all Ty1 elements in the genome are transcribed equally, amounts of CYC7-H2 deletion derivative Ty1 RNA were found to be at least fivefold lower than the amount estimated for the average Ty1 element. These same Ty1 deletion derivatives caused a 20-fold increase in adjacent CYC7 expression. This finding suggests that the mechanism by which Ty1 activates adjacent gene expression does not require normal levels of Ty1 transcription. Two inversion derivatives of the CYC7-H2 Ty1 have also been analyzed. These derivatives did not produce any iso-2-cytochrome c or any normal CYC7 mRNA. Instead they were found to produce a Tyl-CYC7 fusion RNA. Consistent with our findings on CYC7-H2 Ty1 transcription, the amount of the fusion RNA was very low. In addition, the Ty1 inversion derivatives produced a new RNA that mapped to sequences upstream from the inverted Ty1 segment. Similar to Ty1 insertions that activate transcription, the new RNA was found to be transcribed away from Ty1.

Transcriptional analysis of Ty1 deletion and inversion derivatives at CYC7.

One class of Ty insertion mutation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae activates expression of adjacent structural genes. The CYC7-H2 mutation, in which a Ty1 element is inserted 5' to the iso-2-cytochrome c coding region of CYC7, causes a 20-fold increase in CYC7 expression. Deletion analysis of CYC7-H2 has shown that distal regions of the Ty1 element are not essential for the transcriptional activation at CYC7. In this report, we have analyzed Ty1 and CYC7 RNA from two CYC7-H2 deletion derivative genes to determine whether a direct correlation exists between transcription of Ty1 and transcription of the adjacent gene. Assuming that all Ty1 elements in the genome are transcribed equally, amounts of CYC7-H2 deletion derivative Ty1 RNA were found to be at least fivefold lower than the amount estimated for the average Ty1 element. These same Ty1 deletion derivatives caused a 20-fold increase in adjacent CYC7 expression. This finding suggests that the mechanism by which Ty1 activates adjacent gene expression does not require normal levels of Ty1 transcription. Two inversion derivatives of the CYC7-H2 Ty1 have also been analyzed. These derivatives did not produce any iso-2-cytochrome c or any normal CYC7 mRNA. Instead they were found to produce a Tyl-CYC7 fusion RNA. Consistent with our findings on CYC7-H2 Ty1 transcription, the amount of the fusion RNA was very low. In addition, the Ty1 inversion derivatives produced a new RNA that mapped to sequences upstream from the inverted Ty1 segment. Similar to Ty1 insertions that activate transcription, the new RNA was found to be transcribed away from Ty1.

Analysis of the yeast SPT3 gene and identification of its product, a positive regulator of Ty transcription.

Previous work has demonstrated that the yeast SPT3 gene is required for transcription from delta sequences, the long terminal repeats that flank yeast Ty elements. In spt3 null mutants, transcription fails to initiate in delta sequences and instead initiates farther downstream. Null mutations in SPT3 cause other mutant phenotypes, including defects in sporulation and diploid formation. In this paper we report further genetic and physical characterization of the SPT3 gene and protein. By extensive linker insertion mutagenesis, we have delimited the region necessary for SPT3 function. From DNA sequence analysis, SPT3 encodes a protein of 337 amino acids. We have identified this protein with an anti-SPT3 antibody. Finally, we show that overproduction of the SPT3 gene product does not alter the level of Ty transcription.

The SPT3 gene is required for normal transcription of Ty elements in S. cerevisiae

The transposable Ty elements consist of a central core, ϵ, flanked by direct repeats called δs. In wild-type strains Ty transcripts initiate in one δ and terminate in the other. Insertion mutations caused by Ty elements have a wide variety of phenotypes, ranging from inhibition of gene expression to constitutive gene expression. Mutations in the SPT3 gene suppress these effects of Ty and δ insertion mutations on adjacent genes. In spt3 null mutants the Ty transcription pattern for the entire ensemble of Ty elements is changed. The δ-δ transcripts are absent and initiation begins at a position 800 bp into the ϵ region. In these spt3 strains, transcription that initiates in solo δs and proceeds into adjacent structural genes is also abolished. The requirement of SPT3 for normal transcription from δ can explain the ability of spt3 mutations to suppress the mutations caused by Ty and δ insertions. In SPT3 strains transcription from the δ into adjacent sequences interferes with normal expression of those sequences, whereas in spt3 strains the aberrant transcript is not made. spt3 mutations also lead to defects in diploid formation and sporulation, suggesting that SPT3 is important for the expression of genes in addition to Ty elements.

RNA from the yeast transposable element Ty1 has both ends in the direct repeats, a structure similar to retrovirus RNA.

The RNA homologous to the yeast transposable element Ty1 is one of the more abundant poly(A)+ RNAs in many strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The 5' and 3' ends of Ty1 RNA have been determined from analysis of cDNA. The 5' end is 245 bases into the left delta sequence measured from the left side of the Ty1 element. The delta sequence is a direct repeat of about 340 base pairs present at each end of the Ty1 element. The Ty1 transcription includes 93-97 bases of the left delta sequence and continues through the entire internal portion of the element and through about 295 bases of the right delta sequence before reaching the 3' end located 38-46 bases from the right side of the right delta sequence. Because the delta sequences present at each end of a single Ty1 element have identical or very similar DNA sequences, these end points for Ty1 RNA raise several questions about the expression of Ty1 elements. First, what are the initiation and termination signals, because the Ty1 transcript must read through a DNA sequence that is identical to the 3' end at about 50 bases from the 5' end? Second, why is the direction of transcription of the Ty1 element opposite to that of genes that are overexpressed after the insertion of a Ty1 element? Third, because the Ty1 RNA itself has direct repeats of about 45 bases, a structure analogous to retrovirus RNAs, is the Ty1 RNA an intermediate in the transposition of Ty1?

Expression of the ROAM mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: involvement of trans-acting regulatory elements and relation with the Ty1 transcription.

The regulatory mutations in Saccharomyces cerevisiae designated cargA + Oh, cargB + Oh, and durOh are alterations in the control regions of the respective structural genes. The alteration causing the cargA + Oh mutation has been shown to be an insertion of a Ty1 element in the 5' noncoding region of the CAR1 ( cargA ) locus. All three mutations cause overproduction of their corresponding gene products and belong to the ROAM family of mutations (Regulated Overproducing Allele responding to Mating signals) in yeast. The amount of overproduction in ROAM mutants is determined, at least in part, by signals that control mating functions in yeast. We report the identification of two genetic loci that regulate Oh mutant gene expression but that do not affect mating ability. These loci are defined by the recessive roc mutations ( ROAM mutation control) that reduce the amount of overproduction caused by the cargA + Oh, cargB + Oh, and durOh mutations. RNAs homologous to CAR1 ( cargA ), DUR1 ,2 and Ty1 DNA probes were analyzed by the Northern hybridization technique. In comparison with wild-type strains, cargA + Oh and durOh mutant strains grown on ammonia medium contain increased amounts of CAR1 and DUR1 ,2 RNA. This RNA overproduction is diminished in MATa/MAT alpha diploid strains as well as in haploid strains that also carry the ste7 mutation which prevents mating or that carry either of the roc1 or roc2 mutant alleles. The amount of RNA homologous to Ty1 DNA is also reduced in ste7 , roc1 , and roc2 mutant strains. This reduction is not observed in a strain with the ste5 mutation, which prevents mating but has no effect on overproduction of ROAM mutant gene products.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)