The deduced sequence of the transcription factor TFIIIA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals extensive divergence from Xenopus TFIIIA.

TFIIIA is an RNA polymerase III transcription factor that binds to the internal control region of the 5 S RNA gene as the first step in the assembly of a transcription complex. We have identified the gene encoding TFIIIA from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Protein synthesized in vitro from the cloned gene has the same size, DNA-binding properties, and transcription factor activity as does purified yeast TFIIIA. Examination of the deduced sequence of the 50-kDa yeast transcription factor revealed the presence of nine zinc-finger motifs, a characteristic of Xenopus TFIIIA. Although the conservation of these nine putative DNA-binding domains is striking, the amino acid sequence throughout the corresponding fingers of the yeast and amphibian TFIIIAs has diverged extensively and in many instances the spacing between the residues that coordinate the zinc ions differs between the two proteins. A unique feature of the yeast protein is an 81-amino acid domain interrupting the repeated zinc-finger motifs between fingers 8 and 9. Additionally, the yeast and amphibian proteins differ in both the size and sequence of the amino- and carboxyl-terminal domains flanking the zinc fingers. The gene encoding yeast TFIIIA is present in single copy in the S. cerevisiae genome and is essential for cell viability. A carboxyl-terminal truncated form of the protein containing 4.5 zinc-finger motifs retains the ability to bind to DNA but is no longer active in promoting transcription in vitro.