scholarly journals Human RNA polymerase II subunit hsRPB7 functions in yeast and influences stress survival and cell morphology.

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 759-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Khazak ◽  
P P Sadhale ◽  
N A Woychik ◽  
R Brent ◽  
E A Golemis

Using a screen to identify human genes that promote pseudohyphal conversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we obtained a cDNA encoding hsRPB7, a human homologue of the seventh largest subunit of yeast RNA polymerase II (RPB7). Overexpression of yeast RPB7 in a comparable strain background caused more pronounced cell elongation than overexpression of hsRPB7. hsRPB7 sequence and function are strongly conserved with its yeast counterpart because its expression can rescue deletion of the essential RPB7 gene at moderate temperatures. Further, immuno-precipitation of RNA polymerase II from yeast cells containing hsRPB7 revealed that the hsRPB7 assembles the complete set of 11 other yeast subunits. However, at temperature extremes and during maintenance at stationary phase, hsRPB7-containing yeast cells lose viability rapidly, stress-sensitive phenotypes reminiscent of those associated with deletion of the RPB4 subunit with which RPB7 normally complexes. Two-hybrid analysis revealed that although hsRPB7 and RPB4 interact, the association is of lower affinity than the RPB4-RPB7 interaction, providing a probable mechanism for the failure of hsRPB7 to fully function in yeast cells at high and low temperatures. Finally, surprisingly, hsRPB7 RNA in human cells is expressed in a tissue-specific pattern that differs from that of the RNA polymerase II largest subunit, implying a potential regulatory role for hsRPB7. Taken together, these results suggest that some RPB7 functions may be analogous to those possessed by the stress-specific prokaryotic sigma factor rpoS.

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roshini N. Wimalarathna ◽  
Po Yun Pan ◽  
Chang-Hui Shen

In yeast, Ace1p-dependent induction of CUP1 is responsible for protecting cells from copper toxicity. Although the mechanism of yeast CUP1 induction has been studied intensively, it is still uncertain which chromatin remodelers are involved in CUP1 transcriptional activation. Here, we show that yeast cells are inviable in the presence of copper when either chromatin remodeler, Ino80p or Snf2p, is not present. This inviability is due to the lack of CUP1 expression in ino80Δ and snf2Δ cells. Subsequently, we observe that both Ino80p and Snf2p are present at the promoter and they are responsible for recruiting chromatin remodeling activity to the CUP1 promoter under induced conditions. These results suggest that they directly participate in CUP1 transcriptional activation. Furthermore, the codependent recruitment of both INO80 and SWI/SNF depends on the presence of the transcriptional activator, Ace1p. We also demonstrate that both remodelers are required to recruit RNA polymerase II and targeted histone acetylation, indicating that remodelers are recruited to the CUP1 promoter before RNA polymerase II and histone acetylases. These observations provide evidence for the mechanism of CUP1 induction. As such, we propose a model that describes novel insight into the order of events in CUP1 activation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 2341-2349
Author(s):  
C Martin ◽  
R A Young

Suppressors of a temperature-sensitive RNA polymerase II mutation were isolated to identify proteins that interact with RNA polymerase II in yeast cells. Ten independently isolated extragenic mutations that suppressed the temperature-sensitive mutation rpb1-1 and produced a cold-sensitive phenotype were all found to be alleles of a single gene, SRB1. An SRB1 partial deletion mutant was further investigated and found to exhibit several pleiotropic phenotypes. These included suppression of numerous temperature-sensitive RNA polymerase II mutations, alteration of the temperature growth range of cells containing wild-type RNA polymerase, and sterility of cells of alpha mating type. The ability of SRB1 mutations to suppress the temperature-sensitive phenotype of RNA polymerase II mutants did not extend to other temperature-sensitive mutants investigated. Isolation of the SRB1 gene revealed that SRB1 is KEX2. These results indicate that the KEX2 protease, whose only known substrates are hormone precursors, can have an important influence on RNA polymerase II and the temperature-dependent growth properties of yeast cells.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 4015-4025
Author(s):  
R H Morse ◽  
S Y Roth ◽  
R T Simpson

Incorporation into a positioned nucleosome of a cis-acting element essential for replication in Saccharomyces cerevisiae disrupts the function of the element in vivo [R. T. Simpson, Nature (London) 343:387-389, 1990]. Furthermore, nucleosome positioning has been implicated in repression of transcription by RNA polymerase II in yeast cells. We have now asked whether the function of cis-acting elements essential for transcription of a gene transcribed by RNA polymerase III can be similarly affected. A tRNA gene was fused to either of two nucleosome positioning signals such that the predicted nucleosome would incorporate near its center the tRNA start site and essential A-box element. These constructs were then introduced into yeast cells on stably maintained, multicopy plasmids. Competent tRNA genes were transcribed in vivo and were not incorporated into positioned nucleosomes. Mutated, inactive tRNA genes were incorporated into nucleosomes whose positions were as predicted. This finding demonstrates that the transcriptional competence of the tRNA gene determined its ability to override a nucleosome positioning signal in vivo and establishes that a hierarchy exists between cis-acting elements and nucleosome positioning signals.


2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1115-1123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Bento Martins ◽  
José Rino ◽  
Teresa Carvalho ◽  
Célia Carvalho ◽  
Minoru Yoshida ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Cheng ◽  
Tiandao Li ◽  
Peter B. Rahl ◽  
Todd E. Adamson ◽  
Nicholas B. Loudas ◽  
...  

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 2970-2983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitri Ivanov ◽  
Youn Tae Kwak ◽  
Jun Guo ◽  
Richard B. Gaynor

ABSTRACT SPT5 and its binding partner SPT4 regulate transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II. SPT4 and SPT5 are involved in both 5,6-dichloro-1-β-d-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB)-mediated transcriptional inhibition and the activation of transcriptional elongation by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Tat protein. Recent data suggest that P-TEFb, which is composed of CDK9 and cyclin T1, is also critical in regulating transcriptional elongation by SPT4 and SPT5. In this study, we analyze the domains of SPT5 that regulate transcriptional elongation in the presence of either DRB or the HIV-1 Tat protein. We demonstrate that SPT5 domains that bind SPT4 and RNA polymerase II, in addition to a region in the C terminus of SPT5 that contains multiple heptad repeats and is designated CTR1, are critical for in vitro transcriptional repression by DRB and activation by the Tat protein. Furthermore, the SPT5 CTR1 domain is a substrate for P-TEFb phosphorylation. These results suggest that C-terminal repeats in SPT5, like those in the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain, are sites for P-TEFb phosphorylation and function in modulating its transcriptional elongation properties.


2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (0) ◽  
pp. 275-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. DYE ◽  
N. GROMAK ◽  
D. HAUSSECKER ◽  
S. WEST ◽  
N.J. PROUDFOOT

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 4350-4358 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Dorris ◽  
Kevin Struhl

ABSTRACT In yeast cells, transcriptional activation occurs when the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) machinery is artificially recruited to a promoter by fusing individual components of this machinery to a DNA-binding domain. Here, we show that artificial recruitment of components of the TFIID complex can activate transcription in mammalian cells. Surprisingly, artificial recruitment of TATA-binding protein (TBP) activates transiently transfected and chromosomally integrated promoters with equal efficiency, whereas artificial recruitment of TBP-associated factors activates only chromosomal reporters. In contrast, artificial recruitment of various components of the mammalian Pol II holoenzyme does not confer transcriptional activation, nor does it result in synergistic activation in combination with natural activation domains. In the one case examined in more detail, the Srb7 fusion failed to activate despite being associated with the Pol II holoenzyme and being directly recruited to the promoter. Interestingly, some acidic activation domains are less effective when the promoter is chromosomally integrated rather than transiently transfected, whereas the Sp1 glutamine-rich activation domain is more effective on integrated reporters. Thus, yeast and mammalian cells differ with respect to transcriptional activation by artificial recruitment of the Pol II holoenzyme.


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