Premium
Regulation of transcription in mammalian cells by yeast Leu3p and externally supplied inducer
Author(s) -
Guo Hui,
Kohlhaw Gunter B.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(96)00653-9
Subject(s) - inducer , yeast , transcription (linguistics) , chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription factor , biochemistry , biology , gene , philosophy , linguistics
The Leu3 protein of yeast is a dual‐function regulator, stimulating transcription when the inducer α‐isopropylmalate (α‐IPM) is present and suppressing transcription when the inducer is absent. Here we show that Leu3p retains both its positive and negative regulatory properties when expressed in mammalian cells or when added to a mammalian nuclear extract. α‐IPM stimulates reporter gene expression 15–20‐fold, both in vivo and in vitro. The concentration of α‐IPM required for half‐maximal stimulation in vitro is 2.5 × 10 −4 M. No yeast‐specific factors other than Leu3p itself are required for up‐ or down‐regulation. Since α‐IPM is not metabolized in mammalian cells, the Leu3p‐α‐IPM system might be useful in gene therapy and other studies as a highly specific, externally controlled on/off switch of gene expression.