Functional dissection of a human Dr1-DRAP1 repressor complex

The heterotetrameric Dr1-DRAP1 transcriptional repressor complex was functionally dissected. Dr1 was found to contain two domains required for repression of transcription. The tethering domain interacts with the TATA box binding protein and directs the repressor complex to the promoter. This tethering domain can be replaced by a domain conferring sequence-specific recognition to the repressor complex. In the absence of the tethering domain, Dr1 interacts with its corepressor DRAP1, but this interaction is not functional. The enhancement of Dr1-mediated repression of transcription by DRAP1 requires the tethering domain. The second domain of Dr1 is the repression domain, which is glutamine-alanine rich. A 65-amino-acid polypeptide containing the repression domain fused to the Ga14 DNA binding domain repressed transcription when directed to TATA-containing and TATA-less promoters. This repression domain was also found to functionally and directly interact with the TATA box binding protein.