Role of SAGA complex subunits in gene regulation of Candida albicans

The SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase) is an evolutionary conserved multidomain co-activator complex involved in gene regulation through its histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and deubiquitinase (DUB) functions. It is well studied in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and recent reports from humans and Drosophila expand its importance from gene transcription regulation to transcription elongation, protein stability and telomere maintenance. In Candida albicans, little is known about the components of the SAGA complex and their influence in morphogenesis and stress response. In this work, we analysed individual components of the SAGA complex, their role in morphogenesis and responses to different signalling cues. We initially analysed conditionally repressed strains of SAGA complex subunits involved in the HAT function of the complex: Tra1, Ngg1, Spt7, Spt8, Taf5, Taf6, Taf9, and Taf10. It appears that the Tra1 might be essential for the viability of C. albicans, as we failed to obtain homozygous deletions although it showed detectible growth in the conditionally repressed strain. Also, we observed that TBP- associated factors are essential in C. albicans, possibly due to their role in the transcription initiation factor TFIID instead of SAGA. We also detected that the Spt8 repressed mutant was extensively invasive in YPD at 300C while a repressed Ngg1 was considerably less invasive compared to its wild type. Also, we have seen that the mutations affecting TBP-binding ability confer susceptibility to drugs, temperature, osmotic, oxidative and DNA damage stress. Further, it seems that the modules of SAGA complex might have antagonistic roles in expression regulation but this needs more in-depth study.

Mayaro Virus Non-Structural Protein 2 Circumvents the Induction of Interferon in Part by Depleting Host Transcription Initiation Factor IIE Subunit 2

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an emerging mosquito-transmitted virus that belongs to the genus Alphavirus within the family Togaviridae. Humans infected with MAYV often develop chronic and debilitating arthralgia and myalgia. The virus is primarily maintained via a sylvatic cycle, but it has the potential to adapt to urban settings, which could lead to large outbreaks. The interferon (IFN) system is a critical antiviral response that limits replication and pathogenesis of many different RNA viruses, including alphaviruses. Here, we investigated how MAYV infection affects the induction phase of the IFN response. Production of type I and III IFNs was efficiently suppressed during MAYV infection, and mapping revealed that expression of the viral non-structural protein 2 (nsP2) was sufficient for this process. Interactome analysis showed that nsP2 interacts with DNA-directed RNA polymerase II subunit A (Rpb1) and transcription initiation factor IIE subunit 2 (TFIIE2), which are host proteins required for RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription. Levels of these host proteins were reduced by nsP2 expression and during infection by MAYV and related alphaviruses, suggesting that nsP2-mediated inhibition of host cell transcription is an important aspect of how some alphaviruses block IFN induction. The findings from this study may prove useful in design of vaccines and antivirals, which are currently not available for protection against MAYV and infection by other alphaviruses.

Recognition of acetylated histone by Yaf9 regulates metabolic cycling of transcription initiation and chromatin regulatory factors

How transcription programs rapidly adjust to changing metabolic and cellular cues remains poorly defined. Here, we reveal a function for the Yaf9 component of the SWR1-C and NuA4 chromatin regulatory complexes in maintaining timely transcription of metabolic genes across the yeast metabolic cycle (YMC). By reading histone acetylation during the oxidative and respiratory phase of the YMC, Yaf9 recruits SWR1-C and NuA4 complexes to deposit H2A.Z and acetylate H4, respectively. Increased H2A.Z and H4 acetylation during the oxidative phase promotes transcriptional initiation and chromatin machinery occupancy and is associated with reduced RNA polymerase II levels at genes—a pattern reversed during transition from oxidative to reductive metabolism. Prevention of Yaf9-H3 acetyl reading disrupted this pattern of transcriptional and chromatin regulator recruitment and impaired the timely transcription of metabolic genes. Together, these findings reveal that Yaf9 contributes to a dynamic chromatin and transcription initiation factor signature that is necessary for the proper regulation of metabolic gene transcription during the YMC. They also suggest that unique regulatory mechanisms of transcription exist at distinct metabolic states.

The NF-κB Nucleolar Stress Response Pathway

The nuclear organelle, the nucleolus, plays a critical role in stress response and the regulation of cellular homeostasis. P53 as a downstream effector of nucleolar stress is well defined. However, new data suggests that NF-κB also acts downstream of nucleolar stress to regulate cell growth and death. In this review, we will provide insight into the NF-κB nucleolar stress response pathway. We will discuss apoptosis mediated by nucleolar sequestration of RelA and new data demonstrating a role for p62 (sequestosome (SQSTM1)) in this process. We will also discuss activation of NF-κB signalling by degradation of the RNA polymerase I (PolI) complex component, transcription initiation factor-IA (TIF-IA (RRN3)), and contexts where TIF-IA-NF-κB signalling may be important. Finally, we will discuss how this pathway is targeted by aspirin to mediate apoptosis of colon cancer cells.

DOT1L complex regulates transcriptional initiation in human erythroleukemic cells

DOT1L, the only H3K79 methyltransferase in human cells and a homolog of the yeast Dot1, normally forms a complex with AF10, AF17, and ENL or AF9, is dysregulated in most cases of mixed-lineage leukemia (MLLr), and has been believed to regulate transcriptional elongation on the basis of its colocalization with RNA polymerase II (Pol II), the sharing of subunits (AF9 and ENL) between the DOT1L and super elongation complexes, and the distribution of H3K79 methylation on both promoters and transcribed regions of active genes. Here we show that DOT1L depletion in erythroleukemic cells reduces its global occupancy without affecting the traveling ratio or the elongation rate (assessed by 4sUDRB-seq) of Pol II, suggesting that DOT1L does not play a major role in elongation in these cells. In contrast, analyses of transcription initiation factor binding reveal that DOT1L and ENL depletions each result in reduced TATA binding protein (TBP) occupancies on thousands of genes. More importantly, DOT1L and ENL depletions concomitantly reduce TBP and Pol II occupancies on a significant fraction of direct (DOT1L-bound) target genes, indicating a role for the DOT1L complex in transcription initiation. Mechanistically, proteomic and biochemical studies suggest that the DOT1L complex may regulate transcriptional initiation by facilitating the recruitment or stabilization of transcription factor IID, likely in a monoubiquitinated H2B (H2Bub1)-enhanced manner. Additional studies show that DOT1L enhances H2Bub1 levels by limiting recruitment of the Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex. These results advance our understanding of roles of the DOT1L complex in transcriptional regulation and have important implications for MLLr leukemias.

Gene Expression Analysis of Induced Plum Pox Virus Resistance in Peach (Prunus Persica) by Almond (P. Dulcis) Grafting

No natural sources of resistance to Plum pox virus (PPV, sharka disease) have been identified in peach. However, previous studies have demonstrated that grafting ‘Garrigues’ almond onto ‘GF305’ peach seedlings heavily infected with PPV can progressively reduce disease symptoms and virus accumulation. Furthermore, grafting ‘Garrigues’ onto ‘GF305’ has completely prevented virus infection. This study aims to analyse the rewiring of gene expression associated with this resistance to PPV transmitted by grafting through phloem using RNA-Seq and RTqPCR analysis. A total of 18 candidate genes were differentially expressed after grafting ‘Garrigues’ almond onto healthy ‘GF305’ peach. Among the up-regulated genes, a HEN1 homolog stands out, which, together with the differential expression of RDR- and DCL2-homologs in some of the conditions assayed, suggests that the RNA silencing machinery is activated by PPV infection and can contribute to the resistance induced by ‘Garrigues’ almond. Glucan endo -1,3-Beta D-Glucosidase could be also relevant for the ‘Garrigues’-induced response, since its expression is much higher in ‘Garrigues’ than in ‘GF305’. We also discuss the potential relevance of the following in PPV infection and ‘Garrigues’-induced resistance: several pathogenesis-related proteins, No apical meristem proteins, the transcription initiation factor TFIIB, the Speckle-type POZ protein and a number of proteins involved in phytohormone signalling.

RNA extension drives a stepwise displacement of an initiation-factor structural module in initial transcription

All organisms—bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes—have a transcription initiation factor that contains a structural module that binds within the RNA polymerase (RNAP) active-center cleft and interacts with template-strand single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) in the immediate vicinity of the RNAP active center. This transcription initiation-factor structural module preorganizes template-strand ssDNA to engage the RNAP active center, thereby facilitating binding of initiating nucleotides and enabling transcription initiation from initiating mononucleotides. However, this transcription initiation-factor structural module occupies the path of nascent RNA and thus presumably must be displaced before or during initial transcription. Here, we report four sets of crystal structures of bacterial initially transcribing complexes that demonstrate and define details of stepwise, RNA-extension-driven displacement of the “σ-finger” of the bacterial transcription initiation factor σ. The structures reveal that—for both the primary σ-factor and extracytoplasmic (ECF) σ-factors, and for both 5′-triphosphate RNA and 5′-hydroxy RNA—the “σ-finger” is displaced in stepwise fashion, progressively folding back upon itself, driven by collision with the RNA 5′-end, upon extension of nascent RNA from ∼5 nt to ∼10 nt.