Promoter-Autonomous Functioning in a Controlled Environment using Single Molecule FISH

Sci Rep. 2015 May 28:5:9934. doi: 10.1038/srep09934.

Abstract

Transcription is a highly regulated biological process, initiated through the assembly of complexes at the promoter that contain both the general transcriptional machinery and promoter-specific factors. Despite the abundance of studies focusing on transcription, certain questions have remained unanswered. It is not clear how the transcriptional profile of a promoter is affected by genomic context. Also, there is no single cell method to directly compare transcriptional profiles independent of gene length and sequence. In this work, we employ a single genetic site for isolating the transcriptional kinetics of yeast promoters. Utilizing single molecule FISH, we directly compare the transcriptional activity of different promoters, considering both synthesis and cell-to-cell variability. With this approach, we provide evidence suggesting promoters autonomously encode their associated transcriptional profiles, independent of genomic locus, gene length and gene sequence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Galactokinase / genetics
  • Genetic Loci
  • Heat-Shock Proteins / genetics
  • In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae / genetics*
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Transcriptome

Substances

  • Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
  • HsP104 protein, S cerevisiae
  • GAL1 protein, S cerevisiae
  • Galactokinase