Evidence that Spt3 functionally interacts with Mot1, TFIIA, and TATA-binding protein to confer promoter-specific transcriptional control in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Spt3 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a factor required for normal transcription from particular RNA polymerase II-dependent promoters. Previous genetic and biochemical analyses have shown that Spt3 interacts with the yeast TATA-binding protein (TBP). To identify other factors that might interact with Spt3, we have screened for mutations that, in combination with an spt3 null mutation, lead to inviability. In this way, we have identified a mutation in MOT1, which encodes an ATP-dependent inhibitor of TBP binding to TATA boxes: Previous analyses suggested that Mot1 causes repression in vivo. However, our analysis of mot1 mutants shows that, similar to spt3 mutants, they have decreased levels of transcription from certain genes, suggesting that Mot1 may function as an activator in vivo. In addition, mot1 mutants have other phenotypes in common with spt3 delta mutants, including suppression of the insertion mutation his4-912 delta. Motivated by these Spt3-Mot1 genetic interactions, we tested for genetic interactions between Spt3 and the general transcription factor TFIIA. TFIIA has been shown previously to be functionally related to Mot1. We found that overexpression of TFIIA partially suppresses an spt3 delta mutation, that toa1 mutants have Spt-phenotypes, and that spt3 delta toa1 double mutants are inviable. We believe that, taken together, these data suggest that Spt3, Mot1, and TFIIA cooperate to regulate TBP-DNA interactions, perhaps at the level of TATA box selection in vivo.