
![]() |
![]() Scholar ProfileDavid Alan Brow
Professor
Department of. Biomolecular Chemistry University of Wisconsin 1300 University Avenue Madison, WI 53706-1532 Voice: 608-262-1475 Fax: 608-262-5253 Email: davebrow@macc.wisc.edu Personal Homepage 1990 Searle Scholar Research InterestsI have a long-standing interest in the roles of protein/DNA, protein/RNA and RNA/RNA interactions in eukaryotic gene expression. Current work in my lab focuses on two topics: 1) the mechanism of transcription of the U6 spliceosomal RNA gene by RNA polymerase III, and 2) the role of the U4/U6 small nuclear RNP in pre-mRNA splicing. We use the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism. In vivo assembly of an RNA polymerase III transcription complex on a yeast U6 RNA gene. We have used a combination of mutational analyses and chromatin footprinting studies to define the promoter requirements for in vivo transcription of SNR6 in greater depth than has been accomplished for any other RNA polymerase III transcription unit. Intriguingly, the in vivo promoter requirements are strikingly different than the promoter requirements for transcription in vitro with purified factors and polymerase. With purified components, only upstream sequences are required for transcription, while in vivo, intragenic and downstream elements are required and the upstream elements are nonessential. This dichotomy stems from the binding properties of TFIIIB, the transcription factor that recruits pol III to the promoter. In vitro, purified TFIIIB binds directly to the upstream sequences, via sequence-specific DNA contacts. In vivo, however, binding of TFIIIB is directed primarily by protein:protein interactions with another factor, TFIIIC, which binds to the intragenic and downstream promoter elements. We are using a genetic strategy to identify amino acid/base pair interactions crucial for TFIIIC binding to SNR6 in vivo. We have identified five recessive lethal point mutations in the downstream B block, the primary binding site of TFIIIC. To identify the amino acids in TFIIIC which contact these residues, we are selecting extragenic suppressors of the lethal B block mutations. Since there are no clear DNA binding motifs in the subunit of TFIIIC that binds the B block, the results of this analysis may identify a novel mechanism for sequence-specific recognition of DNA by a protein. The nature of the TFIIIC/B block interaction is of particular interest because the B block promoter element appears to have been recruited from an RNA sequence, the GTYC loop of tRNA. A consensus TATA box upstream of the U6 RNA coding region is essential for transcription of SNR6 with purified TFIIIB and polymerase, presumably because it is recognized by the TATA-binding protein, which is a subunit of TFIIIB. Surprisingly, a 42 base pair deletion (D42) between the U6 RNA coding region and the downstream B block makes in vivo transcription of SNR6 also highly dependent on the TATA box, presumably by interfering with the function of TFIIIC. We propose that the D42 mutation acts by disrupting the binding of proteins that enhance the function of TFIIIC in vivo. We are currently examining the chromatin structure of the 250 bp stretch of DNA that separates the upstream TATA box from the downstream B block. Our hypothesis is that a positioned nucleosome or other complex of proteins binds to this region to direct transcription complex assembly. Ultimately, we hope to elaborate the components of the in vivo SNR6 transcription initiation complex, and to define their contribution to its assembly and maintenance. Dynamics of U6 RNA function in nuclear pre-mRNA splicing We are also pursuing a biochemical analysis of U6 and U4 RNAs from both yeast and humans. Using thermal denaturation studies, we are measuring the relative stabilities of secondary structure elements in wild type and mutant yeast U6 RNA. This will allow us to correlate the structural and physiological effects of mutations in U6 RNA. In the course of this work we identified a structural element in human U6 RNA that destabilizes the deproteinized U4/U6 RNA complex in vitro. This element may play a central role in dissociation of the U4/U6 snRNP during activation of the spliceosome. |
SITE MAP CONTACT US | © COPYRIGHT 2019 KINSHIP FOUNDATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. |