Structural highlights
Publication Abstract from PubMed
In bacteria, the GntR family is a widespread family of transcription factors responsible for the regulation of a myriad of biological processes. In contrast, despite their occurrence in archaea only a little information is available on the function of GntR-like transcription factors in this domain of life. The thermoacidophilic crenarchaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius harbors a GntR-like regulator belonging to the YtrA subfamily, encoded as the first gene in an operon with a second gene encoding a putative membrane protein. Here, we present a detailed characterization of this regulator, named YtrASa, with a focus on regulon determination and mechanistic analysis with regards to DNA binding. Genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation and transcriptome experiments, the latter employing a ytrA Sa overexpression strain, demonstrate that the regulator acts as a repressor on a very restricted regulon, consisting of only two targets including the operon encoding its own gene and a distinct genetic locus encoding another putative membrane protein. For both targets, a conserved 14-bp semi-palindromic binding motif was delineated that covers the transcriptional start site and that is surrounded by additional half-site motifs. The crystallographic structure of YtrASa was determined, revealing a compact dimeric structure in which the DNA-binding motifs are oriented ideally to enable a specific high-affinity interaction with the core binding motif. This study provides new insights into the functioning of a YtrA-like regulator in the archaeal domain of life.
YtrASa, a GntR-Family Transcription Factor, Represses Two Genetic Loci Encoding Membrane Proteins in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.,Lemmens L, Tilleman L, De Koning E, Valegard K, Lindas AC, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Maes D, Peeters E Front Microbiol. 2019 Sep 10;10:2084. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02084. eCollection , 2019. PMID:31552000[1]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Lemmens L, Tilleman L, De Koning E, Valegard K, Lindas AC, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Maes D, Peeters E. YtrASa, a GntR-Family Transcription Factor, Represses Two Genetic Loci Encoding Membrane Proteins in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Front Microbiol. 2019 Sep 10;10:2084. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02084. eCollection , 2019. PMID:31552000 doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02084