Cell, Vol. 62, 807–817, August, 1990, Copyright © 1990 by Cell Press

The Yeast Heat Shock Transcription Factor Contains a
Transcriptional Activation Domain Whose Activity Is
Repressed Under Nonshock Conditions 

J. Nieto-Sotelo, G. Wiederrecht, A. Okuda, and C. S. Parker1
1 Division of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125


Corresponding author: C. S. Parker, 818 356 6368 (phone), 818 568 9430 (fax)

Transcription of heat shock genes is induced by exposure of cells to elevated temperatures or other stress conditions. In yeast, it is thought that induction of transcription is mediated by conversion of a DNA-bound transcriptionally inactive form of the heat shock transcription factor (HSTF) to a DNA-bound transcriptionally active form. We have identified domains in HSTF involved in transcriptional activation and in repression of transcriptional
activation at non-shock temperatures. We present evidence that a temperature-regulated transcriptional activation domain exists in HSTF and that this domain is essential for survival of yeast cells at heat shock temperatures. We propose a model for temperature-regulated transcriptional activation by a derepression mechanism.