p300-mediated tax transactivation from recombinant chromatin: Histone tail deletion mimics coactivator function

S. A. Georges, W. L. Kraus, K. Luger, J. K. Nyborg, P. J. Laybourn

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

51 Scopus citations

Abstract

Efficient transcription of the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) genome requires Tax, a virally encoded oncogenic transcription factor, in complex with the cellular transcription factor CREB and the coactivators p300/CBP. To examine Tax transactivation in vitro, we used a chromatin assembly system that included recombinant core histones. The addition of Tax, CREB, and p300 to the HTLV-1 promoter assembled into chromatin activated transcription several hundredfold. Chromatin templates selectively lacking amino-terminal histone tails demonstrated enhanced transcriptional activation by Tax and CREB, with significantly reduced dependence on p300 and acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA). Interestingly, Tax/CREB activation from the tailless chromatin templates retained a substantial requirement for acetyl-CoA, indicating a role for acetyl-CoA beyond histone acetylation. These data indicate that during Tax transcriptional activation, the amino-terminal histone tails are the major targets of p300 and that tail deletion and acetylation are functionally equivalent.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)127-137
Number of pages11
JournalMolecular and cellular biology
Volume22
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

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