Human Cytomegalovirus pUL79 Is an Elongation Factor of RNA Polymerase II for Viral Gene Transcription

AbstractHypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that acts as a regulator of oxygen (O2) homeostasis in metazoan species by binding to hypoxia response elements (HREs) and activating the transcription of hundreds of genes in response to reduced O2 availability. RNA polymerase II (Pol II) initiates transcription of many HIF target genes under non-hypoxic conditions but pauses after approximately 30–60 nucleotides and requires HIF-1 binding for release. Here we report that in hypoxic breast cancer cells, HIF-1 recruits TRIM28 and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) to HREs to release paused Pol II. We show that HIF-1α and TRIM28 assemble the catalytically-active DNA-PK heterotrimer, which phosphorylates TRIM28 at serine-824, enabling recruitment of CDK9, which phosphorylates serine-2 of the Pol II large subunit C-terminal domain as well as the negative elongation factor to release paused Pol II, thereby stimulating productive transcriptional elongation. Our studies reveal a molecular mechanism by which HIF-1 stimulates gene transcription and reveal that the anticancer effects of drugs targeting DNA-PK in breast cancer may be due in part to their inhibition of HIF-dependent transcription.

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Elongin B-Mediated Epigenetic Alteration of Viral Chromatin Correlates with Efficient Human Cytomegalovirus Gene Expression and Replication

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00023-11 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jiwon Hwang ◽

Ryan T. Saffert ◽

Robert F. Kalejta

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Human Cytomegalovirus ◽

Viral Gene ◽

Epigenetic Mark ◽

Protein Accumulation ◽

Transcriptional Elongation ◽

Histone H2b ◽

Cellular Genes

ABSTRACTElongins B and C are members of complexes that increase the efficiency of transcriptional elongation by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and enhance the monoubiquitination of histone H2B, an epigenetic mark of actively transcribed genes. Here we show that, in addition to its role in facilitating transcription of the cellular genome, elongin B also enhances gene expression from the double-stranded DNA genome of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a pathogenic herpesvirus. Reducing the level of elongin B by small interfering RNA- or short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown decreased viral mRNA expression, viral protein accumulation, viral DNA replication, and infectious virion production. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis indicated viral genome occupancy of the elongating form of RNAPII, and monoubiquitinated histone H2B was reduced in elongin B-deficient cells. These data suggest that, in addition to the previously documented epigenetic regulation of transcriptional initiation, HCMV also subverts cellular elongin B-mediated epigenetic mechanisms for enhancing transcriptional elongation to enhance viral gene expression and virus replication.IMPORTANCEThe genetic and epigenetic control of transcription initiation at both cellular and viral promoters is well documented. Recently, the epigenetic modification of histone H2B monoubiquitination throughout the bodies of cellular genes has been shown to enhance the elongation of RNA polymerase II-initiated transcripts. Mechanisms that might control the elongation of viral transcripts are less well studied. Here we show that, as with cellular genes, elongin B-mediated monoubiquitination of histone H2B also facilitates the transcriptional elongation of human cytomegalovirus genes. This and perhaps other epigenetic markings of actively transcribed regions may help in identifying viral genes expressed duringin vitrolatency or during natural infections of humans. Furthermore, this work identifies a novel, tractable model system to further study the regulation of transcriptional elongation in living cells.

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Association of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 ICP8 and ICP27 Proteins with Cellular RNA Polymerase II Holoenzyme

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.76.12.5893-5904.2002 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 76 (12) ◽

pp. 5893-5904 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

Changhong Zhou ◽

David M. Knipe

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Herpes Simplex ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Gene Transcription ◽

Late Gene ◽

Viral Gene ◽

Viral Genes ◽

Simplex Virus ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii Holoenzyme

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection causes the shutoff of host gene transcription and the induction of a transcriptional program of viral gene expression. Cellular RNA polymerase II is responsible for transcription of all the viral genes, but several viral proteins stimulate viral gene transcription. ICP4 is required for all delayed-early and late gene transcription, ICP0 stimulates transcription of viral genes, and ICP27 stimulates expression of some early genes and transcription of at least some late viral genes. The early DNA-binding protein, ICP8, also stimulates late gene transcription. We therefore investigated which HSV proteins interact with RNA polymerase II. Using immunoprecipitation and Western blotting methods, we observed the coprecipitation of ICP27 and ICP8 with RNA polymerase II holoenzyme. The association of ICP27 with RNA polymerase II was detectable as early as 3 h postinfection, while ICP8 association became evident by 5 h postinfection, and the association of both was independent of viral DNA synthesis. Infections with ICP27 gene mutant viruses revealed that ICP27 is required for the association of ICP8 with RNA polymerase II, while studies with ICP8 gene deletion mutants showed no apparent role for ICP8 in the association of ICP27 with RNA polymerase II. The association of ICP27 and ICP8 with RNA polymerase II holoenzyme appeared to be independent of nucleic acids. We hypothesize that the interaction of ICP27 with RNA polymerase II holoenzyme reflects its role in stimulating early and late gene expression and/or its role in inhibiting host transcription and that the interaction of ICP8 with RNA polymerase II holoenzyme reflects its role in stimulating late gene transcription.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Nucleotide resolution comparison of transcription of human cytomegalovirus and host genomes reveals universal use of RNA polymerase II elongation control driven by dissimilar core promoter elements.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.735089069.793557468 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Joel Baines ◽

Claire Birkenheuer

Keyword(s):

Rna Polymerase ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Human Cytomegalovirus ◽

Core Promoter ◽

Promoter Elements ◽

Nucleotide Resolution ◽

Elongation Control

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Strategies to Inhibit Hepatitis B Virus at the Transcript Level

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13071327 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 1327

Author(s):

Bingqian Qu ◽

Richard J. P. Brown

Keyword(s):

Hepatitis B Virus ◽

Hepatitis B ◽

Gene Transcription ◽

Antigen Expression ◽

Transcript Level ◽

Viral Gene ◽

Small Interfering Rnas ◽

Viral Gene Transcription ◽

Hbv Vaccination ◽

B Virus

Approximately 240 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), despite four decades of effective HBV vaccination. During chronic infection, HBV forms two distinct templates responsible for viral transcription: (1) episomal covalently closed circular (ccc)DNA and (2) host genome-integrated viral templates. Multiple ubiquitous and liver-specific transcription factors are recruited onto these templates and modulate viral gene transcription. This review details the latest developments in antivirals that inhibit HBV gene transcription or destabilize viral transcripts. Notably, nuclear receptor agonists exhibit potent inhibition of viral gene transcription from cccDNA. Small molecule inhibitors repress HBV X protein-mediated transcription from cccDNA, while small interfering RNAs and single-stranded oligonucleotides result in transcript degradation from both cccDNA and integrated templates. These antivirals mediate their effects by reducing viral transcripts abundance, some leading to a loss of surface antigen expression, and they can potentially be added to the arsenal of drugs with demonstrable anti-HBV activity. Thus, these candidates deserve special attention for future repurposing or further development as anti-HBV therapeutics.

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The Ras/PKA Signaling Pathway May Control RNA Polymerase II Elongation via the Spt4p/Spt5p Complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/165.3.1059 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 165 (3) ◽

pp. 1059-1070

Author(s):

Susie C Howard ◽

Arelis Hester ◽

Paul K Herman

Keyword(s):

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽

Cell Growth ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Signaling Pathway ◽

Elongation Factor ◽

Ras Signaling ◽

Elongation Step ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii Transcription

Abstract The Ras signaling pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae controls cell growth via the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, PKA. Recent work has indicated that these effects on growth are due, in part, to the regulation of activities associated with the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. However, the precise target of these Ras effects has remained unknown. This study suggests that Ras/PKA activity regulates the elongation step of the RNA polymerase II transcription process. Several lines of evidence indicate that Spt5p in the Spt4p/Spt5p elongation factor is the likely target of this control. First, the growth of spt4 and spt5 mutants was found to be very sensitive to changes in Ras/PKA signaling activity. Second, mutants with elevated levels of Ras activity shared a number of specific phenotypes with spt5 mutants and vice versa. Finally, Spt5p was efficiently phosphorylated by PKA in vitro. Altogether, the data suggest that the Ras/PKA pathway might be directly targeting a component of the elongating polymerase complex and that this regulation is important for the normal control of yeast cell growth. These data point out the interesting possibility that signal transduction pathways might directly influence the elongation step of RNA polymerase II transcription.

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Identification of rpo30, a vaccinia virus RNA polymerase gene with structural similarity to a eucaryotic transcription elongation factor

Molecular and Cellular Biology ◽

10.1128/mcb.10.10.5433-5441.1990 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 5433-5441

Author(s):

B Y Ahn ◽

P D Gershon ◽

E V Jones ◽

B Moss

Keyword(s):

Rna Polymerase ◽

Vaccinia Virus ◽

Rna Polymerase Ii ◽

Elongation Factor ◽

Viral Rna ◽

In Vitro Translation ◽

Virus Protein ◽

Transcriptional Elongation

Eucaryotic transcription factors that stimulate RNA polymerase II by increasing the efficiency of elongation of specifically or randomly initiated RNA chains have been isolated and characterized. We have identified a 30-kilodalton (kDa) vaccinia virus-encoded protein with apparent homology to SII, a 34-kDa mammalian transcriptional elongation factor. In addition to amino acid sequence similarities, both proteins contain C-terminal putative zinc finger domains. Identification of the gene, rpo30, encoding the vaccinia virus protein was achieved by using antibody to the purified viral RNA polymerase for immunoprecipitation of the in vitro translation products of in vivo-synthesized early mRNA selected by hybridization to cloned DNA fragments of the viral genome. Western immunoblot analysis using antiserum made to the vaccinia rpo30 protein expressed in bacteria indicated that the 30-kDa protein remains associated with highly purified viral RNA polymerase. Thus, the vaccinia virus protein, unlike its eucaryotic homolog, is an integral RNA polymerase subunit rather than a readily separable transcription factor. Further studies showed that the expression of rpo30 is regulated by dual early and later promoters.

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