scholarly journals Transcription factors TFIIF and TFIIS promote transcript elongation by RNA polymerase II by synergistic and independent mechanisms

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (18) ◽  
pp. 6642-6647 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Schweikhard ◽  
C. Meng ◽  
K. Murakami ◽  
C. D. Kaplan ◽  
R. D. Kornberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcript Elongation

scholarly journals DNA wrapping in transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 257-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoit Coulombe
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcription Initiation ◽  
Dna Bending ◽  
Transcriptional Initiation ◽  
General Transcription Factors ◽  
Transcript Elongation ◽  
Dna Wrapping

The DNA wrapping model of transcription stipulates that DNA bending and wrapping around RNA polymerase causes an unwinding of the DNA helix at the enzyme catalytic center that stimulates strand separation prior to initiation and during transcript elongation. Recent experiments with mammalian RNA polymerase II indicate the significance of DNA bending and wrapping in transcriptional mechanisms. These findings have important implications in our understanding of the role of the general transcription factors in transcriptional initiation and the mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation.Key words: mRNA synthesis, transcription initiation, RNA polymerase II, DNA wrapping, general transcription factors.

Mapping mutations in genes encoding the two large subunits of Drosophila RNA polymerase II defines domains essential for basic transcription functions and for proper expression of developmental genes

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 4214-4222
Author(s):  
Y Chen ◽  
J Weeks ◽  
M A Mortin ◽  
A L Greenleaf
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Dna Sequence ◽  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Single Strand Conformation Polymorphism ◽  
Chain Elongation ◽  
Developmental Defect ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Transcript Elongation

We have mapped a number of mutations at the DNA sequence level in genes encoding the largest (RpII215) and second-largest (RpII140) subunits of Drosophila melanogaster RNA polymerase II. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis, we detected 12 mutations from 14 mutant alleles (86%) as mobility shifts in nondenaturing gel electrophoresis, thus localizing the mutations to the corresponding PCR fragments of about 350 bp. We then determined the mutations at the DNA sequence level by directly subcloning the PCR fragments and sequencing them. The five mapped RpII140 mutations clustered in a C-terminal portion of the second-largest subunit, indicating the functional importance of this region of the subunit. The RpII215 mutations were distributed more broadly, although six of eight clustered in a central region of the subunit. One notable mutation that we localized to this region was the alpha-amanitin-resistant mutation RpII215C4, which also affects RNA chain elongation in vitro. RpII215C4 mapped to a position near the sites of corresponding mutations in mouse and in Caenorhabditis elegans genes, reinforcing the idea that this region is involved in amatoxin binding and transcript elongation. We also mapped mutations in both RpII215 and RpII140 that cause a developmental defect known as the Ubx effect. The clustering of these mutations in each gene suggests that they define functional domains in each subunit whose alteration induces the mutant phenotype.

scholarly journals Nuclear distribution of transcription factors in relation to sites of transcription and RNA polymerase II

1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (15) ◽  
pp. 1781-1791 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.A. Grande ◽  
I. van der Kraan ◽  
L. de Jong ◽  
R. van Driel
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Transcription Initiation ◽  
Glucocorticoid Receptors ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Immunofluorescence Labelling ◽  
Transcription Sites ◽  
Nuclear Domains

We have investigated the spatial relationship between sites containing newly synthesized RNA and domains containing proteins involved in transcription, such as RNA polymerase II and the transcription factors TFIIH, Oct1, BRG1, E2F-1 and glucocorticoid receptors, using dual immunofluorescence labelling followed by confocal microscopy on cultured cells. As expected, a high degree of colocalisation between the RNA polymerase II and sites containing newly synthesised RNA was observed. Like the newly synthesised RNA and the RNA polymerase II, we found that all the transcription factors that we studied are distributed more or less homogeneously throughout the nucleoplasm, occupying numerous small domains. In addition to these small domains, TFIIH was found concentrated in coiled bodies and Oct1 in a single large domain of about 1.5 microm in 30% of the cells in an asynchronous HeLa cell culture. Remarkably, we found little or no relationship between the spatial distribution of the glucocorticoid receptor, Oct1 and E2F-1 on the one hand and RNA polymerase II and transcription sites on the other hand. In contrast, a significant but incomplete overlap was observed between the spatial distributions of transcription sites and BRG1 and TFIIH. These results indicate that many of the transcription factor-rich nuclear domains are not actively involved in transcription. They may represent incomplete transcription initiation complexes, inhibitory complexes, or storage sites.

Genetic interaction between transcription elongation factor TFIIS and RNA polymerase II

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 4142-4152
Author(s):  
J Archambault ◽  
F Lacroute ◽  
A Ruet ◽  
J D Friesen
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Rna Polymerase Ii ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Genetic Interaction ◽  
Elongation Factor ◽  
Chemical Mutagenesis ◽  
Yeast Genome ◽  
Transcript Elongation

Little is known about the regions of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) that are involved in the process of transcript elongation and interaction with elongation factors. One elongation factor, TFIIS, stimulates transcript elongation by binding to RNAPII and facilitating its passage through intrinsic pausing sites in vitro. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, TFIIS is encoded by the PPR2 gene. Deletion of PPR2 from the yeast genome is not lethal but renders cells sensitive to the uracil analog 6-azauracil (6AU). Here, we show that mutations conferring 6AU sensitivity can also be isolated in the gene encoding the largest subunit of S. cerevisiae RNAPII (RPO21). A screen for mutations in RPO21 that confer 6AU sensitivity identified seven mutations that had been generated by either linker-insertion or random chemical mutagenesis. All seven mutational alterations are clustered within one region of the largest subunit that is conserved among eukaryotic RNAPII. The finding that six of the seven rpo21 mutants failed to grow at elevated temperature underscores the importance of this region for the functional and/or structural integrity of RNAPII. We found that the 6AU sensitivity of the rpo21 mutants can be suppressed by increasing the dosage of the wild-type PPR2 gene, presumably as a result of overexpression of TFIIS. These results are consistent with the proposal that in the rpo21 mutants, the formation of the RNAPII-TFIIS complex is rate limiting for the passage of the mutant enzyme through pausing sites. In addition to implicating a region of the largest subunit of RNAPII in the process of transcript elongation, our observations provide in vivo evidence that TFIIS is involved in transcription by RNAPII.

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