Steven J. Triezenberg
Research Interests
The question
that drives the research in this laboratory is how the expression of
genes in eukaryotic cells is regulated. In particular, we focus on the
mechanisms whereby transcription of protein-encoding genes (that is,
the synthesis of mRNA) is activated by a regulatory protein.
One model system for much of our work utilizes a transcriptional activator
protein from herpes simplex virus, a nearly ubiquitous human pathogen.
This activator, termed VP16, stimulates transcription of the first viral
genes to be expressed during an infection, and thus triggers the entire
cascade of viral gene expression and replication that eventually leads
to the production and release of new virus. The transcriptional activation
domain of VP16 is exceptionally potent, can function when fused to many
other DNA-binding proteins, and is capable of activating transcription
in mammalian, yeast, insect, and plant cells. This versatility and potency
has made VP16 an important model for many investigations into mechanisms
of transcriptional activation.
To explore the structure and function of the VP16 activation domain,
we have generated many mutations throughout this domain and have tested
the altered proteins in genetic and biochemical assays of transcription.
Among the surprising results of our work are the observations that this
domain actually comprises two subdomains, each capable of independent
activity. MORE
Recent Publications
SB Kutluay, SJ Triezenberg: Role of chromatin during herpesvirus infections. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta-General Subjects 1790:456-466 (2009).
SB Kutluay, SJ Triezenberg: Regulation of Histone Deposition on the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Genome during Lytic Infection. Journal of Virology 83:5835-5845 (2009).
SB Kutluay, SL Devos, JE Klomp, SJ Triezenberg: Transcriptional coactivators are not required for herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate-early gene expression in vitro. Journal of Virology 83:3436-3449 (2009).
AT Hark, KE Vlachonasios, KA Pavangadkar, S Rao, H Gordon, ID Adamakis, A Kaldis, MF Thomashow, SJ Triezenberg: Two Arabidopsis orthologs of the transcriptional coactivator ADA2 have distinct biological functions. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms 1789:117-124 (2009).
S.B. Kutluay, J. Doroghazi, M.E. Roemer, and S.J. Triezenberg. Curcumin inhibits herpes simplex virus immediate-early gene expression by a mechanism independent of p300/CBP histone acetyltransferase activity. Virology 373:239-247 (2008).
D.D.Shooltz, G.L. Alberts, and S.J. Triezenberg. One-step affinity purification of recombinant TATA binding proteins utilizing a modular protein interaction partner. Protein Expression and Purification 59:297-301 (2008).
Mao Y, Pavangadkar KA, Thomashow MF, Triezenberg SJ. Physical and functional interactions of Arabidopsis ADA2 transcriptional coactivator proteins with the acetyltransferase GCN5 and with the cold-induced transcription factor CBF1. Biochim Biophys Acta. Jan-Feb;1759(1-2):69-79 (2006).
Ottosen S, Herrera FJ, Doroghazi JR, Hull A, Mittal
S, Lane WS, Triezenberg
SJ.
Phosphorylation of the VP16 transcriptional activator protein
during herpes
simplex virus infection and mutational analysis of putative
phosphorylation
sites.
Virology. 345:468-481 (2005).
Wang Z, Triezenberg SJ, Thomashow MF, Stockinger EJ.
Multiple hydrophobic motifs in Arabidopsis CBF1 COOH-terminus
provide
functional redundancy in trans-activation.
Plant Mol Biol. Jul;58(4):543-59 (2005).
J.L. Stebbins and
S.J. Triezenberg. Identification, mutational analysis and coactivator
requirements of two distinct transcriptional activation domains of the
yeast Hap4 protein. Eukaryotic Cell 3: 339-347 (2004).
Y.A. Nedialkov and S.J. Triezenberg. Quantitative assessment of in vitro
interactions implicates TATA-binding protein as a target of the VP16C
transcriptional activation region. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 425:77-86 (2004).
F. J. Herrera and S.J. Triezenberg. VP16-dependent association of chromatin-modifying
coactivators and underrepresentation of histones at immediate-early promoters
during herpes simplex virus infection. J. Virol.78: 9689-9696 (2004).
Herrera, F.J., Shooltz, D.D., and S. J. Triezenberg. Mechanisms of transcriptional
activation in eukaryotes. Handbook Exp. Pharm. 166:3-31 (2004).
Herrera, F.J., and S.J. Triezenberg. What ubiquitin can do for transcription (commentary). Current Biol 14:R622-R624 (2004). MORE