ntf1+ encodes a 6-cysteine zinc finger-containing transcription factor that regulates the nmt1 promoter in fission yeast.
The nmt1+ gene of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is subject to transcriptional repression mediated by thiamine. The promoter of nmt1+ has been used to construct a series of vectors that are now commonly used for the regulated expression of genes in S. pombe. In this report, we described ntf1+, a gene involved in regulating nmt1+ expression. The ntf1+ gene was cloned in a high copy suppressor screen that utilized a construct, nmt1:wee1+, in which expression of the mitotic inhibitor Wee1 tyrosine kinase was placed under the control of the nmt1 promoter. ntf1+ encodes a 706-amino acid protein that shares substantial homology with a family of Cys6 zinc finger-containing transcription factors typified by GAL4 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Increased gene dosage of ntf1+ greatly increases both the repressed and derepressed activity of the nmt1 promoter. Cells having a disrupted version of ntf1+ are viable thiamine prototrophs, but basal expression from the nmt1 promoter is greatly reduced. These data demonstrate that Ntf1 plays an important role in regulating nmt1 expression.
Tang CS, Bueno A, Russell P