Peptides derived from the N-terminal heptad repeat (NHR) of HIV-1 gp41 can be potent inhibitors against viral entry when presented in a nonaggregating trimeric coiled-coil conformation via the introduction of exogenous trimerization motifs and intermolecular disulfide bonds. We recently discovered that crosslinking isopeptide bridges within the de novo helical trimers added exceptional resistan...

Apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API5) has recently been identified as a tumor metastasis-regulating gene in cervical cancer cells. However, the precise mechanism of action for API5 is poorly understood. Here, we show that API5 increases the metastatic capacity of cervical cancer cells in vitro and in vivo via up-regulation of MMP-9. Interestingly, API5-mediated metastasis was strongly dependent on the E...

chTOG is a conserved microtubule polymerase that catalyses the addition of tubulin dimers to promote microtubule growth. chTOG interacts with TACC3, a member of the transforming acidic coiled-coil (TACC) family. Here we analyse their association using the Xenopus homologues, XTACC3 (TACC3) and XMAP215 (chTOG), dissecting the mechanism by which their interaction promotes microtubule elongation d...

We report the cloning of RRN11, a gene coding for a 66-kDa protein essential for transcription initiation by RNA polymerase I (Pol I) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Rrn11 specifically complexes with two previously identified transcription factors, Rrn6 and Rrn7 (D. A. Keys, J. S. Steffan, J. A. Dodd, R. T. Yamamoto, Y. Nogi, and M. Nomura, Genes Dev. 8:2349-2362, 1994). The Rrn11-Rrn6-R...

The elongation phase of transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is highly regulated and tightly linked to pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) processing. Recent studies have implicated an early elongation checkpoint that facilitates the link to pre-mRNA processing. Here we show that the yeast forkhead transcription factors, Fkh1p and Fkh2p, associate with the coding regions of active genes and inf...

The heat shock transcription factor (HSF) is constitutively expressed in Drosophila cells as an inactive monomer. Upon heat shock HSF undergoes trimerization and acquires high affinity DNA binding ability leading to specific interaction with its cognate elements in heat shock promoters. Here we show that the transactivation function of HSF is conferred by the extreme C-terminal region of the pr...

Coiled coils, estimated to constitute 3-5% of the encoded residues in most genomes, are characterized by a heptad repeat, (abcdefg)(n), where the buried a and d positions form the interface between multiple alpha-helices. Although generally hydrophobic, a substantial fraction ( approximately 20%) of these a- and d-position residues are polar or charged. We constructed variants of the well-chara...

We demonstrate that distinct forms of the yeast chromatin-remodeling enzyme Isw1p sequentially regulate each stage of the transcription cycle. The Isw1a complex (Iswlp/Ioc3p) represses gene expression at initiation through specific positioning of a promoter proximal dinucleosome, whereas the Isw1b complex (Iswlp/Ioc2p/Ioc4p) acts within coding regions to control the amount of RNA polymerase (RN...

The N-terminal region of the envelope (env) transmembrane protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has a leucine zipper-like motif. This highly conserved zipper motif, which consists of a heptad repeat of leucine or isoleucine residues, has been suggested to play a role in HIV-1 env glycoprotein oligomerization. This hypothesis was tested by replacing the highly conserved leucine ...

Tim23, an essential component of the protein import machinery of the inner membrane of mitochondria (TIM complex), forms dimers that display a dynamic behavior. Dimer formation is promoted by the membrane potential delta psi. Binding of a matrix targeting sequence to Tim23 triggers dimer dissociation. Monomeric Tim23 is present when a preprotein chain is in transit across the TIM complex. Dimer...