Borrelidin induces the transcription of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes via a GCN4-Dependent pathway

Global cellular profiling of messenger RNA levels has been used to provide insight into the effects of the angiogenesis inhibitor borrelidin on the eukaryotic model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The most notable result of treatment with borrelidin is the induction of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes in a time-dependent fashion. We have ascertained that induction of this pathway involves the GCN4 transcription factor. This conclusion was determined by treating a yeast strain lacking this gene and observing the absence of increased gene transcription under Gcn4p control.