scholarly journals Plasmodium falciparum var gene expression is developmentally controlled at the level of RNA polymerase II‐mediated transcription initiation

2007 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1237-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Kyes ◽  
Zóe Christodoulou ◽  
Robert Pinches ◽  
Neline Kriek ◽  
Paul Horrocks ◽  
...  
2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michèle Amouyal

This review in two parts deals with the increasing number of processes known to be used by eukaryotic cells to protect gene expression from undesired genomic enhancer or chromatin effects, by means of the so-called insulators or barriers. The most advanced studies in this expanding field concern yeasts and Drosophila (this article) and the vertebrates (next article in this issue). Clearly, the cell makes use of every gene context to find the appropriate, economic, solution. Thus, besides the elements formerly identified and specifically dedicated to insulation, a number of unexpected elements are diverted from their usual function to structure the genome and enhancer action or to prevent heterochromatin spreading. They are, for instance, genes actively transcribed by RNA polymerase II or III, partial elements of these transcriptional machineries (stalled RNA polymerase II, normally required by genes that must respond quickly to stimuli, or TFIIIC bound at its B-box, normally required by RNA polymerase III for assembly of the transcription initiation complex at tRNA genes), or genomic sequences occupied by variants of standard histones, which, being rapidly and permanently replaced, impede heterochromatin formation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (30) ◽  
pp. 14995-15000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Cholewa-Waclaw ◽  
Ruth Shah ◽  
Shaun Webb ◽  
Kashyap Chhatbar ◽  
Bernard Ramsahoye ◽  
...  

Patterns of gene expression are primarily determined by proteins that locally enhance or repress transcription. While many transcription factors target a restricted number of genes, others appear to modulate transcription levels globally. An example is MeCP2, an abundant methylated-DNA binding protein that is mutated in the neurological disorder Rett syndrome. Despite much research, the molecular mechanism by which MeCP2 regulates gene expression is not fully resolved. Here, we integrate quantitative, multidimensional experimental analysis and mathematical modeling to indicate that MeCP2 is a global transcriptional regulator whose binding to DNA creates “slow sites” in gene bodies. We hypothesize that waves of slowed-down RNA polymerase II formed behind these sites travel backward and indirectly affect initiation, reminiscent of defect-induced shockwaves in nonequilibrium physics transport models. This mechanism differs from conventional gene-regulation mechanisms, which often involve direct modulation of transcription initiation. Our findings point to a genome-wide function of DNA methylation that may account for the reversibility of Rett syndrome in mice. Moreover, our combined theoretical and experimental approach provides a general method for understanding how global gene-expression patterns are choreographed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 455 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Aregger ◽  
Victoria H. Cowling

The mRNA methyl cap recruits the mediators of processing events and translation initiation. We report that RNMT, the human cap methyltransferase, is recruited to RNA polymerase II via the N-terminal domain and is required for gene expression and cell proliferation.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Cholewa-Waclaw ◽  
Ruth Shah ◽  
Shaun Webb ◽  
Kashyap Chhatbar ◽  
Bernard Ramsahoye ◽  
...  

Patterns of gene expression are primarily determined by proteins that locally enhance or repress transcription. While many transcription factors target a restricted number of genes, others appear to modulate transcription levels globally. An example is MeCP2, an abundant methylated-DNA binding protein that is mutated in the neurological disorder Rett Syndrome. Despite much research, the molecular mechanism by which MeCP2 regulates gene expression is not fully resolved. Here we integrate quantitative, multi-dimensional experimental analysis and mathematical modelling to show that MeCP2 is a novel type of global transcriptional regulator whose binding to DNA creates "slow sites" in gene bodies. Waves of slowed-down RNA polymerase II formed behind these sites travel backward and indirectly affect initiation, reminiscent of defect-induced shock waves in non-equilibrium physics transport models. This mechanism differs from conventional gene regulation mechanisms, which often involve direct modulation of transcription initiation. Our findings uncover a genome-wide function of DNA methylation that may account for the reversibility of Rett syndrome in mice. Moreover, our combined theoretical and experimental approach provides a general method for understanding how global gene expression patterns are choreographed.


2006 ◽  
Vol 73 ◽  
pp. 85-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Reece ◽  
Laila Beynon ◽  
Stacey Holden ◽  
Amanda D. Hughes ◽  
Karine Rébora ◽  
...  

The recognition of changes in environmental conditions, and the ability to adapt to these changes, is essential for the viability of cells. There are numerous well characterized systems by which the presence or absence of an individual metabolite may be recognized by a cell. However, the recognition of a metabolite is just one step in a process that often results in changes in the expression of whole sets of genes required to respond to that metabolite. In higher eukaryotes, the signalling pathway between metabolite recognition and transcriptional control can be complex. Recent evidence from the relatively simple eukaryote yeast suggests that complex signalling pathways may be circumvented through the direct interaction between individual metabolites and regulators of RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription. Biochemical and structural analyses are beginning to unravel these elegant genetic control elements.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (15) ◽  
pp. eabd4420
Author(s):  
Trevor van Eeuwen ◽  
Tao Li ◽  
Hee Jong Kim ◽  
Jose J. Gorbea Colón ◽  
Mitchell I. Parker ◽  
...  

During transcription initiation, the general transcription factor TFIIH marks RNA polymerase II by phosphorylating Ser5 of the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of Rpb1, which is followed by extensive modifications coupled to transcription elongation, mRNA processing, and histone dynamics. We have determined a 3.5-Å resolution cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the TFIIH kinase module (TFIIK in yeast), which is composed of Kin28, Ccl1, and Tfb3, yeast homologs of CDK7, cyclin H, and MAT1, respectively. The carboxyl-terminal region of Tfb3 was lying at the edge of catalytic cleft of Kin28, where a conserved Tfb3 helix served to stabilize the activation loop in its active conformation. By combining the structure of TFIIK with the previous cryo-EM structure of the preinitiation complex, we extend the previously proposed model of the CTD path to the active site of TFIIK.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document