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Identification of a putative p53 binding sequence within the human mitochondrial genome
Author(s) -
Heyne K.,
Mannebach S.,
Wuertz E.,
Knaup K.X.,
Mahyar-Roemer M.,
Roemer K.
Publication year - 2004
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/j.febslet.2004.10.099
Subject(s) - biology , mitochondrial dna , genetics , transcription factor , transcription (linguistics) , mitochondrion , consensus sequence , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , peptide sequence , linguistics , philosophy
A small fraction of the total cellular amount of nuclear transcription factor p53 seems to be located at and within mitochondria. Transcription factors of the steroid receptor superfamily that, like p53, lack a classical mitochondrial leader sequence are nonetheless imported into mitochondria where they regulate mtDNA transcription through binding to specific recognition sequences. Here, we examined seven candidate sequences from the human mitochondrial genome with similarity to the consensus p53 binding motif. Two imperfect half‐sites at coordinate 1553 with homology to the nuclear IGF‐BP3 box A binding sequence are demonstrated to confer responsivity to p53 and the p53 relatives p73α and β in the context of the cell nucleus. Mitochondrial p53 may thus bind directly to mtDNA and, perhaps, be involved in the regulation of mitochondrial transcription/replication.