Control of expression of one-carbon metabolism genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by a tetrahydrofolate-responsive protein binding to a glycine regulatory region including a core 5'-CTTCTT-3' motif.

Expression of yeast genes involved in one-carbon metabolism is controlled by glycine, by L-methionine, and by nitrogen sources. Here we report a novel control element containing a core CTTCTT motif mediating the glycine response, demonstrating that a protein binds this element, that binding is modulated by tetrahydrofolate, and that folate is required for the in vivo glycine response. In an heterologous CYC1 promoter the region needed for the glycine response of GCV2 (encoding the P-subunit of glycine decarboxylase) mediated repression that was relieved by glycine. It was also responsible for L-methionine control but not nitrogen repression. GCV1 and GCV3 have an homologous region in their promoters. The GCV1 region conferred a glycine response on an heterologous promoter acting as a repressor or activator depending on promoter context. A protein was identified that bound to the glycine regulatory regions of GCV1 and GCV2 only if the CTTCTT motif was intact. This protein protected a 17-base pair CATCN7CTTCTT region of GCV2 that is conserved between GCV1 and GCV2. Protein binding was increased by tetrahydrofolate, and use of a fol1 deletion mutant indicated the involvement of a folate in the in vivo glycine response. Tetrahydrofolate or a derivative may act as a ligand for the transcription factor controlling expression of one-carbon metabolism genes.