Transcriptional repression by a bZIP protein regulates Dictyostelium prespore differentiation

Harwood, A. J., Nuñez-Corcuera, B., Birch, J. L. , Yamada, Y. and Williams, J. G. (2012) Transcriptional repression by a bZIP protein regulates Dictyostelium prespore differentiation. PLoS ONE, 7(1), e29895. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029895) (PMID:22253818) (PMCID:PMC3253789)

Abstract

In response to the signaling polyketide DIF-1 DimB directly activates transcription of the ecmB gene in pstB cells; a subset of the prestalk cells that are the precursors of the basal disc. We show that the promoter of pspA, a prespore-specific gene, also contains a DimB binding site. Mutation of this site causes ectopic expression in the prestalk region and ChIP analysis shows that DIF-1 induces binding of DimB to the pspA promoter. DIF-1 represses pspA gene expression in a suspension cell assay but this repression is abrogated in a dimB null strain. These results suggest a coupled control mechanism, whereby the same DIF-DimB signaling pathway that directly activates ecmB gene expression directly represses pspA gene expression.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The work was initially funded by an Medical Research Council project grant (MRC G0600244) and completed with the support of a Wellcome Trust program grant (082579/Z). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Birch, Dr Joanna
• Authors: Harwood, A. J., Nuñez-Corcuera, B., Birch, J. L., Yamada, Y., and Williams, J. G.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cancer Sciences
• Journal Name: PLoS ONE
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• ISSN (Online): 1932-6203
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2012 Nuñez-Corcuera et al.
• First Published: First published in PLoS ONE 7(1):e29895
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license