Analysis of the galactose signal transduction pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: interaction between Gal3p and Gal80p.

The GAL3 gene plays a critical role in galactose induction of the GAL genes that encode galactose- metabolizing enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Defects in GAL3 result in a long delay in GAL gene induction, and overproduction of Gal3p causes constitutive expression of GAL. Here we demonstrate that concomitant overproduction of the negative regulator, Gal80p, and Gal3p suppresses this constitutive GAL expression. This interplay between Gal80p and Gal3p is direct, as tagged Gal3p coimmunoprecipitated with Gal80p. The amount of coprecipitated Gal80p increased when GAL80 yeast cells were grown in the presence of galactose. When both GAL80 and GAL3 were overexpressed, the amount of coprecipitated Gal80p was not affected by galactose. Tagged gal3 mutant proteins bound to purified Gal80p, but only poorly in comparison with the wild type, suggesting that formation of the Gal80p-Gal3p complex depends on the normal function of Gal3p. Gal3p appeared larger in Western blots (immunoblots) than predicted by the published nucleic acid sequence. Reexamination of the DNA sequence of GAL3 revealed several mistakes, including an extension at the 3' end of another predicted 97 amino acids.     

酵母转录因子Gal4研究进展

胁迫应答基因的转录激活是细胞应答胁迫作用的关键步骤。转录激活因子与启动子顺式作用元件结合是胁迫应答基因转录激活的关键环节。进化保守的Gal4是半乳糖代谢相关基因的转录激活因子。酵母Gal4通过其N端的DNA结合结构域识别并结合启动子UAS,通过其C端的激活结构域与转录因子作用,起始RNA聚合酶Ⅱ复合体的组装和转录。该过程不仅受转录调控因子Gal80和Gal3的调节,还与Gal4二聚体的形成有关。概述了酵母半乳糖代谢相关基因转录激活因子Gal4的研究进展。