Thiamine-repressible genes in Schizosaccharomyces pombe are regulated by a Cys6 zinc-finger motif-containing protein.

Our previous genetic data indicate that the product of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe thi1 gene acts as an activator of several thiamine-repressible genes which are involved in the control of thiamine metabolism [Schweingruber et al., Genetics 130 (1992) 445-449; Zurlinden and Schweingruber, Gene 117 (1992) 141-143]. In this communication, we report the cloning and sequencing of thi1 and show that it carries an open reading frame which translates into a 775-amino-acid protein with the characteristics of a Cys6 zinc-finger-motif-containing transcription factor, as typified by Saccharomyces cerevisae GAL4. We, therefore, suggest that the thi1-encoded protein binds to upstream activator sequences of thiamine-repressible genes.