Project description:Acidic activation domains are intrinsically disordered regions of transcription factors that bind coactivators. The intrinsic disorder and low evolutionary conservation of activation domains have made it difficult to identify the sequence features controlling AD activity. To address this problem, we designed thousands of variants in seven acidic activation domains and measured their activities with a new high-throughput assay in human cell culture. We found that strong activation domain activity required a balance between the number of acidic residues and aromatic and leucine residues. These findings motivated a predictor of activation domains that scans the human proteome for clusters of aromatic and leucine residues embedded in regions of high acidity. This predictor identifies known activation domains and accurately predicts new ones. Our results support a flexible model of activation domains in which acidic residues solubilize hydrophobic motifs so that they can interact with coactivators.
Project description:The aim of this study was to investigate ecotypic adaptation in Holcus lanatus in plants selected from two widely contrasting habitats, acid bog (pH 3.5) or limestone quarry spoil (pH 7.5), using a transcriptome based analysis approach including sequence analysis of root associated Glomeromycota. Differential gene expression in root and shoot of naturally occurring H. lanatus ecotypes, selected from either habitat and grown in a full factorial reciprocal soil transplant experiment were investigated and ecotype specific SNPs identified.
Project description:We deciphered specific traits of acidic cancer cells by comparing gene expression profiles in acidic (negative K-pHLIP and positive pHLIP cells) and buffered (negative pHLIP cells) cell compartments from HCT116 colorectal cancer 3D spheroids.
Project description:We found the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in MM cells in acidic conditions. We further looked into gene expression in MM cells in acidic conditions using a cDNA microarray.