J. Svaren et W. Horz, INTERPLAY BETWEEN NUCLEOSOMES AND TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AT THE YEAST PHO5 PROMOTER, Seminars in cell biology, 6(4), 1995, pp. 177-183
In this review, we summarize experiments which have used the yeast PHO
5 gene to determine the functional consequences of nucleosome structur
e in the promoter region. In the PHO5 system, nucleosomes participate
in promoter repression by interfering with factor binding. Therefore,
disruption of nucleosome structure is likely a prerequisite for promot
er activation. There still remain several important questions regardin
g the assembly and disassembly of chromatin repression. Recent experim
ents have shown that the PHO5 chromatin transition is replication and
transcription independent. Nucleosome disruption does, however, depend
upon binding of a transactivator, Pho4, to the PHO5 promoter. Moreove
r, the activation domain of Pho4 appears to play a critical rob in chr
omatin disruption.