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Promoter targeting by adenovirus E1a through interaction with different cellular DNA-binding domains
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.
Nature
|April 7, 1994
Summary
Viral transcriptional activators, like adenovirus E1a protein, can promiscuously regulate many genes. This occurs because E1a interacts with cellular DNA-binding domains, recruiting it to various gene promoters for broad transcriptional activation.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Virology
- Gene Regulation
Background:
- Animal viruses often possess transcriptional activators with promiscuous functions.
- The adenovirus E1a protein is known to stimulate transcription of both viral and host cell genes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism behind the promiscuous function of viral transcriptional activators.
- To understand how the adenovirus E1a protein regulates diverse genes lacking common promoter elements.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the interaction of the E1a protein with cellular components.
- Analyzed the recruitment of E1a to different promoter regions.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that the E1a protein can interact with multiple classes of cellular DNA-binding domains.
- Showed that these interactions facilitate the recruitment of E1a to a variety of promoters.
Conclusions:
- The ability of E1a to bind diverse cellular DNA-binding domains explains its promiscuous transcriptional activation.
- This mechanism allows a single viral protein to regulate multiple genes with distinct promoter sequences.
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