Role of TATA-element in transcription from glucocorticoid receptor-responsive model promoters.

Transcription activation properties of the rat glucocorticoid receptor (GR) on minimal, TATA-box containing or depleted promoters have been tested. We show that a cluster of Glucocorticoid Responsive Elements (GRE), upon activation by the GR, is sufficient to mediate abundant RNA-polymerase II transcription. We find that in absence of a bona fide TATA-element transcription initiates at a distance of 45-55bp from the activated GRE cluster with a marked preference for sequences homologous to the initiator element (Inr). Analyzing defined, bi-directional transcription units we demonstrate that the apparent reduction of specific transcription in strong, TATA-depleted promoters, is mainly due to loss of short-range promoter polarization. The implications for long-range promoter/enhancer communication mechanisms are also discussed

Carboxythiazole is a key microbial nutrient currency and critical component of thiamin biosynthesis

Abstract Almost all cells require thiamin, vitamin B1 (B1), which is synthesized via the coupling of thiazole and pyrimidine precursors. Here we demonstrate that 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazole-2-carboxylic acid (cHET) is a useful in vivo B1 precursor for representatives of ubiquitous marine picoeukaryotic phytoplankton and Escherichia coli – drawing attention to cHET as a valuable exogenous micronutrient for microorganisms with ecological, industrial, and biomedical value. Comparative utilization experiments with the terrestrial plant Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that it can also use exogenous cHET, but notably, picoeukaryotic marine phytoplankton and E. coli were adapted to grow on low (picomolar) concentrations of exogenous cHET. Our results call for the modification of the conventional B1 biosynthesis model to incorporate cHET as a key precursor for B1 biosynthesis in two domains of life, and for consideration of cHET as a microbial micronutrient currency modulating marine primary productivity and community interactions in human gut-hosted microbiomes