The JmjC domain of Gis1 is dispensable for transcriptional activation.

Yeast Gis1 protein functions as a transcription factor after nutrient limitation and oxidative stress. In this report, we show that Gis1 also regulates the induction of several genes involved in spore wall synthesis during sporulation. Gis1 contains a JmjC domain near its N-terminus. In many proteins, JmjC domains provide histone demethylase activity. Whether the JmjC domain of Gis1 contributes to its transcriptional activation is still unknown. Here, we show that gis1 point mutations that abolish Fe (II) and α-ketoglutarate binding, known cofactors in other JmjC proteins, are still able to induce transcription normally during glucose starvation and sporulation. Even the deletion of the entire JmjC domain does not affect transcriptional activation by Gis1. Moreover, the JmjC domain is not required for the toxicity associated with Gis1 overexpression. The data demonstrate that the JmjC domain is dispensable for transcriptional activation by Gis1 during nutrient stress and sporulation.