1
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Sabath K, Nabih A, Arnold C, Moussa R, Domjan D, Zaugg JB, Jonas S. Basis of gene-specific transcription regulation by the Integrator complex. Mol Cell 2024:S1097-2765(24)00474-X. [PMID: 38906142 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
The Integrator complex attenuates gene expression via the premature termination of RNA polymerase II (RNAP2) at promoter-proximal pausing sites. It is required for stimulus response, cell differentiation, and neurodevelopment, but how gene-specific and adaptive regulation by Integrator is achieved remains unclear. Here, we identify two sites on human Integrator subunits 13/14 that serve as binding hubs for sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) and other transcription effector complexes. When Integrator is attached to paused RNAP2, these hubs are positioned upstream of the transcription bubble, consistent with simultaneous TF-promoter tethering. The TFs co-localize with Integrator genome-wide, increase Integrator abundance on target genes, and co-regulate responsive transcriptional programs. For instance, sensory cilia formation induced by glucose starvation depends on Integrator-TF contacts. Our data suggest TF-mediated promoter recruitment of Integrator as a widespread mechanism for targeted transcription regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Sabath
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Amena Nabih
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Arnold
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rim Moussa
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Domjan
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Judith B Zaugg
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Structural and Computational Biology Unit, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Jonas
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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2
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Yang KB, Rasouly A, Epshtein V, Martinez C, Nguyen T, Shamovsky I, Nudler E. Persistence of backtracking by human RNA polymerase II. Mol Cell 2024; 84:897-909.e4. [PMID: 38340716 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) can backtrack during transcription elongation, exposing the 3' end of nascent RNA. Nascent RNA sequencing can approximate the location of backtracking events that are quickly resolved; however, the extent and genome-wide distribution of more persistent backtracking are unknown. Consequently, we developed a method to directly sequence the extruded, "backtracked" 3' RNA. Our data show that RNA Pol II slides backward more than 20 nt in human cells and can persist in this backtracked state. Persistent backtracking mainly occurs where RNA Pol II pauses near promoters and intron-exon junctions and is enriched in genes involved in translation, replication, and development, where gene expression is decreased if these events are unresolved. Histone genes are highly prone to persistent backtracking, and the resolution of such events is likely required for timely expression during cell division. These results demonstrate that persistent backtracking can potentially affect diverse gene expression programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin B Yang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Aviram Rasouly
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Vitaly Epshtein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Criseyda Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Thao Nguyen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ilya Shamovsky
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Evgeny Nudler
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NYU Langone Health, New York, NY 10016, USA.
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3
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Lewis BA. The role of O-GlcNAcylation in RNA polymerase II transcription. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105705. [PMID: 38311176 PMCID: PMC10906531 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is responsible for the transcription of the protein-coding genes in the cell. Enormous progress has been made in discovering the protein activities that are required for transcription to occur, but the effects of post-translational modifications (PTMs) on RNAPII transcriptional regulation are much less understood. Most of our understanding relates to the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which appear to act relatively early in transcription. However, it is becoming apparent that other PTMs play a crucial role in the transcriptional cycle, and it is doubtful that any sort of complete understanding of this regulation is attainable without understanding the spectra of PTMs that occur on the transcriptional machinery. Among these is O-GlcNAcylation. Recent experiments have shown that the O-GlcNAc PTM likely has a prominent role in transcription. This review will cover the role of the O-GlcNAcylation in RNAPII transcription during initiation, pausing, and elongation, which will hopefully be of interest to both O-GlcNAc and RNAPII transcription researchers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Lewis
- Gene Regulation Section/LP, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute/NIH, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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4
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Brahma S, Henikoff S. The BAF chromatin remodeler synergizes with RNA polymerase II and transcription factors to evict nucleosomes. Nat Genet 2024; 56:100-111. [PMID: 38049663 PMCID: PMC10786724 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01603-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin accessibility is a hallmark of active transcription and entails ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling, which is carried out by complexes such as Brahma-associated factor (BAF). However, the mechanistic links between transcription, nucleosome remodeling and chromatin accessibility are unclear. Here, we used a chemical-genetic approach coupled with time-resolved chromatin profiling to dissect the interplay between RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII), BAF and DNA-sequence-specific transcription factors in mouse embryonic stem cells. We show that BAF dynamically unwraps and evicts nucleosomes at accessible chromatin regions, while RNAPII promoter-proximal pausing stabilizes BAF chromatin occupancy and enhances ATP-dependent nucleosome eviction by BAF. We find that although RNAPII and BAF dynamically probe both transcriptionally active and Polycomb-repressed genomic regions, pluripotency transcription factor chromatin binding confers locus specificity for productive chromatin remodeling and nucleosome eviction by BAF. Our study suggests a paradigm for how functional synergy between dynamically acting chromatin factors regulates locus-specific nucleosome organization and chromatin accessibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandipan Brahma
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
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5
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Yang KB, Rasouly A, Epshtein V, Martinez C, Nguyen T, Shamovsky I, Nudler E. Persistence of backtracking by human RNA polymerase II. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.13.571520. [PMID: 38168453 PMCID: PMC10760130 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.13.571520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (pol II) can backtrack during transcription elongation, exposing the 3' end of nascent RNA. Nascent RNA sequencing can approximate the location of backtracking events that are quickly resolved; however, the extent and genome wide distribution of more persistent backtracking is unknown. Consequently, we developed a novel method to directly sequence the extruded, "backtracked" 3' RNA. Our data shows that pol II slides backwards more than 20 nucleotides in human cells and can persist in this backtracked state. Persistent backtracking mainly occurs where pol II pauses near promoters and intron-exon junctions, and is enriched in genes involved in translation, replication, and development, where gene expression is decreased if these events are unresolved. Histone genes are highly prone to persistent backtracking, and the resolution of such events is likely required for timely expression during cell division. These results demonstrate that persistent backtracking has the potential to affect diverse gene expression programs.
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6
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Chen Y, Zhou T, Liao Z, Gao W, Wu J, Zhang S, Li Y, Liu H, Zhou H, Xu C, Su P. Hnrnpk is essential for embryonic limb bud development as a transcription activator and a collaborator of insulator protein Ctcf. Cell Death Differ 2023; 30:2293-2308. [PMID: 37608075 PMCID: PMC10589297 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-023-01207-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Proper development of the limb bud relies on the concordance of various signals, but its molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully illustrated. Here we report that heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) is essential for limb bud development. Its ablation in the limb bud results in limbless forelimbs and severe deformities of the hindlimbs. In terms of mechanism, hnRNPK functions as a transcription activator for the vital genes involved in the three regulatory axes of limb bud development. Simultaneously, for the first time we elucidate that hnRNPK binds to and coordinates with the insulator protein CCCTC binding factor (CTCF) to maintain a three-dimensional chromatin architecture. Ablation of hnRNPK weakens the binding strength of CTCF to topologically associating domain (TAD) boundaries, then leading to the loose TADs, and decreased interactions between promoters and enhancers, and further decreased transcription of developmental genes. Our study establishes a fundamental and novel role of hnRNPK in regulating limb bud development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyu Chen
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Taifeng Zhou
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Zhiheng Liao
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Wenjie Gao
- Department of Orthopaedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Jinna Wu
- Department of Breast Surgery, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, 510095, China
| | - Shun Zhang
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Yongyong Li
- Precision Medicine Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hengyu Liu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - Hang Zhou
- Department of Orthopaedics, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China
| | - Caixia Xu
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
| | - Peiqiang Su
- Department of Spine Surgery, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopedics and Traumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
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7
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Liakos A, Synacheri AC, Konstantopoulos D, Stefos G, Lavigne M, Fousteri M. Enhanced frequency of transcription pre-initiation complexes assembly after exposure to UV irradiation results in increased repair activity and reduced probabilities for mutagenesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:8575-8586. [PMID: 37470822 PMCID: PMC10484669 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 06/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In addition to being essential for gene expression, transcription is crucial for the maintenance of genome integrity. Here, we undertook a systematic approach, to monitor the assembly kinetics of the pre-initiating RNA Polymerase (Pol) II at promoters at steady state and different stages during recovery from UV irradiation-stress, when pre-initiation and initiation steps have been suggested to be transiently shut down. Taking advantage of the reversible dissociation of pre-initiating Pol II after high salt treatment, we found that de novo recruitment of the available Pol II molecules at active promoters not only persists upon UV at all times tested but occurs significantly faster in the early phase of recovery (2 h) than in unexposed human fibroblasts at the majority of active genes. Our method unveiled groups of genes with significantly different pre-initiation complex (PIC) assembly dynamics after UV that present distinct rates of UV-related mutational signatures in melanoma tumours, providing functional relevance to the importance of keeping transcription initiation active during UV recovery. Our findings uncover novel mechanistic insights further detailing the multilayered transcriptional response to genotoxic stress and link PIC assembly dynamics after exposure to genotoxins with cancer mutational landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasios Liakos
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, 34 Fleming st., Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Anna-Chloe Synacheri
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, 34 Fleming st., Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Dimitris Konstantopoulos
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, 34 Fleming st., Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Georgios C Stefos
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, 34 Fleming st., Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Matthieu D Lavigne
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, 34 Fleming st., Vari 16672, Greece
| | - Maria Fousteri
- Institute for Fundamental Biomedical Research, BSRC “Alexander Fleming”, 34 Fleming st., Vari 16672, Greece
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8
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Scaramuzza S, Jones RM, Sadurni MM, Reynolds-Winczura A, Poovathumkadavil D, Farrell A, Natsume T, Rojas P, Cuesta CF, Kanemaki MT, Saponaro M, Gambus A. TRAIP resolves DNA replication-transcription conflicts during the S-phase of unperturbed cells. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5071. [PMID: 37604812 PMCID: PMC10442450 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40695-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell division is the basis for the propagation of life and requires accurate duplication of all genetic information. DNA damage created during replication (replication stress) is a major cause of cancer, premature aging and a spectrum of other human disorders. Over the years, TRAIP E3 ubiquitin ligase has been shown to play a role in various cellular processes that govern genome integrity and faultless segregation. TRAIP is essential for cell viability, and mutations in TRAIP ubiquitin ligase activity lead to primordial dwarfism in patients. Here, we have determined the mechanism of inhibition of cell proliferation in TRAIP-depleted cells. We have taken advantage of the auxin induced degron system to rapidly degrade TRAIP within cells and to dissect the importance of various functions of TRAIP in different stages of the cell cycle. We conclude that upon rapid TRAIP degradation, specifically in S-phase, cells cease to proliferate, arrest in G2 stage of the cell cycle and undergo senescence. Our findings reveal that TRAIP works in S-phase to prevent DNA damage at transcription start sites, caused by replication-transcription conflicts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun Scaramuzza
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Cancer Research UK - Manchester Institute, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Rebecca M Jones
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Martina Muste Sadurni
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alicja Reynolds-Winczura
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Divyasree Poovathumkadavil
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Abigail Farrell
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Toyoaki Natsume
- Department of Chromosome Science, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
- Research Center for Genome & Medical Sciences, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Patricia Rojas
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Cyntia Fernandez Cuesta
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Masato T Kanemaki
- Department of Chromosome Science, National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
- Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Marco Saponaro
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Agnieszka Gambus
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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9
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Cavallaro M, Wang Y, Hebenstreit D, Dutta R. Bayesian inference of polymerase dynamics over the exclusion process. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221469. [PMID: 37538742 PMCID: PMC10394410 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
Transcription is a complex phenomenon that permits the conversion of genetic information into phenotype by means of an enzyme called RNA polymerase, which erratically moves along and scans the DNA template. We perform Bayesian inference over a paradigmatic mechanistic model of non-equilibrium statistical physics, i.e. the asymmetric exclusion processes in the hydrodynamic limit, assuming a Gaussian process prior for the polymerase progression rate as a latent variable. Our framework allows us to infer the speed of polymerases during transcription given their spatial distribution, while avoiding the explicit inversion of the system's dynamics. The results, which show processing rates strongly varying with genomic position and minor role of traffic-like congestion, may have strong implications for the understanding of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Cavallaro
- Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
- Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Yuexuan Wang
- Institute of Applied Statistics, Johannes Kepler Universität, Linz, Austria
| | | | - Ritabrata Dutta
- Department of Statistics, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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10
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Flury V, Reverón-Gómez N, Alcaraz N, Stewart-Morgan KR, Wenger A, Klose RJ, Groth A. Recycling of modified H2A-H2B provides short-term memory of chromatin states. Cell 2023; 186:1050-1065.e19. [PMID: 36750094 PMCID: PMC9994263 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin landscapes are disrupted during DNA replication and must be restored faithfully to maintain genome regulation and cell identity. The histone H3-H4 modification landscape is restored by parental histone recycling and modification of new histones. How DNA replication impacts on histone H2A-H2B is currently unknown. Here, we measure H2A-H2B modifications and H2A.Z during DNA replication and across the cell cycle using quantitative genomics. We show that H2AK119ub1, H2BK120ub1, and H2A.Z are recycled accurately during DNA replication. Modified H2A-H2B are segregated symmetrically to daughter strands via POLA1 on the lagging strand, but independent of H3-H4 recycling. Post-replication, H2A-H2B modification and variant landscapes are quickly restored, and H2AK119ub1 guides accurate restoration of H3K27me3. This work reveals epigenetic transmission of parental H2A-H2B during DNA replication and identifies cross talk between H3-H4 and H2A-H2B modifications in epigenome propagation. We propose that rapid short-term memory of recycled H2A-H2B modifications facilitates restoration of stable H3-H4 chromatin states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Flury
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nazaret Reverón-Gómez
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Alcaraz
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kathleen R Stewart-Morgan
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Alice Wenger
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Robert J Klose
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Anja Groth
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark.
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11
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Hughes AL, Szczurek AT, Kelley JR, Lastuvkova A, Turberfield AH, Dimitrova E, Blackledge NP, Klose RJ. A CpG island-encoded mechanism protects genes from premature transcription termination. Nat Commun 2023; 14:726. [PMID: 36759609 PMCID: PMC9911701 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36236-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription must be tightly controlled to regulate gene expression and development. However, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that influence transcription and how these are coordinated in cells to ensure normal gene expression remains rudimentary. Here, by dissecting the function of the SET1 chromatin-modifying complexes that bind to CpG island-associated gene promoters, we discover that they play a specific and essential role in enabling the expression of low to moderately transcribed genes. Counterintuitively, this effect can occur independently of SET1 complex histone-modifying activity and instead relies on an interaction with the RNA Polymerase II-binding protein WDR82. Unexpectedly, we discover that SET1 complexes enable gene expression by antagonising premature transcription termination by the ZC3H4/WDR82 complex at CpG island-associated genes. In contrast, at extragenic sites of transcription, which typically lack CpG islands and SET1 complex occupancy, we show that the activity of ZC3H4/WDR82 is unopposed. Therefore, we reveal a gene regulatory mechanism whereby CpG islands are bound by a protein complex that specifically protects genic transcripts from premature termination, effectively distinguishing genic from extragenic transcription and enabling normal gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Hughes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | - Anna Lastuvkova
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | | | | | - Robert J Klose
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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12
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Brahma S, Henikoff S. RNA Polymerase II, the BAF remodeler and transcription factors synergize to evict nucleosomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.22.525083. [PMID: 36711459 PMCID: PMC9882304 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.22.525083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin accessibility is a hallmark of active transcription and requires ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling by Brahma-Associated Factor (BAF). However, the mechanistic link between transcription, nucleosome remodeling, and chromatin accessibility is unclear. Here, we used a chemical-genetic approach to dissect the interplay between RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII), BAF, and DNA-sequence-specific transcription factors (TFs) in mouse embryonic stem cells. By time-resolved chromatin profiling with acute transcription block at distinct stages, we show that RNAPII promoter-proximal pausing stabilizes BAF chromatin occupancy and enhances nucleosome eviction by BAF. We find that RNAPII and BAF probe both transcriptionally active and Polycomb-repressed genomic regions and provide evidence that TFs capture transient site exposure due to nucleosome unwrapping by BAF to confer locus specificity for persistent chromatin remodeling. Our study reveals the mechanistic basis of cell-type-specific chromatin accessibility. We propose a new paradigm for how functional synergy between dynamically acting chromatin factors regulates nucleosome organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandipan Brahma
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave North, Seattle, WA, 98109
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave North, Seattle, WA, 98109
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, USA
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13
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Fong N, Sheridan RM, Ramachandran S, Bentley DL. The pausing zone and control of RNA polymerase II elongation by Spt5: Implications for the pause-release model. Mol Cell 2022; 82:3632-3645.e4. [PMID: 36206739 PMCID: PMC9555879 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The pause-release model of transcription proposes that 40-100 bases from the start site RNA Pol II pauses, followed by release into productive elongation. Pause release is facilitated by the PTEFb phosphorylation of the RNA Pol II elongation factor, Spt5. We mapped paused polymerases by eNET-seq and found frequent pausing in zones that extend ∼0.3-3 kb into genes even when PTEFb is inhibited. The fraction of paused polymerases or pausing propensity declines gradually over several kb and not abruptly as predicted for a discrete pause-release event. Spt5 depletion extends pausing zones, suggesting that it promotes the maturation of elongation complexes to a low-pausing state. The expression of mutants after Spt5 depletion showed that phosphomimetic substitutions in the CTR1 domain diminished pausing throughout genes. By contrast, mutants that prevent the phosphorylation of the Spt5 RNA-binding domain strengthened pausing. Thus, distinct Spt5 phospho-isoforms set the balance between pausing and elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nova Fong
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Ryan M Sheridan
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Srinivas Ramachandran
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - David L Bentley
- RNA Bioscience Initiative, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, PO Box 6511, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
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14
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Cortazar MA, Erickson B, Fong N, Pradhan SJ, Ntini E, Bentley DL. Xrn2 substrate mapping identifies torpedo loading sites and extensive premature termination of RNA pol II transcription. Genes Dev 2022; 36:1062-1078. [PMID: 36396340 PMCID: PMC9744234 DOI: 10.1101/gad.350004.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The exonuclease torpedo Xrn2 loads onto nascent RNA 5'-PO4 ends and chases down pol II to promote termination downstream from polyA sites. We report that Xrn2 is recruited to preinitiation complexes and "travels" to 3' ends of genes. Mapping of 5'-PO4 ends in nascent RNA identified Xrn2 loading sites stabilized by an active site mutant, Xrn2(D235A). Xrn2 loading sites are approximately two to 20 bases downstream from where CPSF73 cleaves at polyA sites and histone 3' ends. We propose that processing of all mRNA 3' ends comprises cleavage and limited 5'-3' trimming by CPSF73, followed by handoff to Xrn2. A similar handoff occurs at tRNA 3' ends, where cotranscriptional RNase Z cleavage generates novel Xrn2 substrates. Exonuclease-dead Xrn2 increased transcription in 3' flanking regions by inhibiting polyA site-dependent termination. Surprisingly, the mutant Xrn2 also rescued transcription in promoter-proximal regions to the same extent as in 3' flanking regions. eNET-seq revealed Xrn2-mediated degradation of sense and antisense nascent RNA within a few bases of the TSS, where 5'-PO4 ends may be generated by decapping or endonucleolytic cleavage. These results suggest that a major fraction of pol II complexes terminates prematurely close to the start site under normal conditions by an Xrn2-mediated torpedo mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A. Cortazar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Benjamin Erickson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Nova Fong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Sarala J. Pradhan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
| | - Evgenia Ntini
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology–Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion GR-70013, Greece
| | - David L. Bentley
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, RNA Bioscience Initiative, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA
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15
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Steurer B, Janssens RC, Geijer ME, Aprile-Garcia F, Geverts B, Theil AF, Hummel B, van Royen ME, Evers B, Bernards R, Houtsmuller AB, Sawarkar R, Marteijn J. DNA damage-induced transcription stress triggers the genome-wide degradation of promoter-bound Pol II. Nat Commun 2022; 13:3624. [PMID: 35750669 PMCID: PMC9232492 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31329-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The precise regulation of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription after genotoxic stress is crucial for proper execution of the DNA damage-induced stress response. While stalling of Pol II on transcription-blocking lesions (TBLs) blocks transcript elongation and initiates DNA repair in cis, TBLs additionally elicit a response in trans that regulates transcription genome-wide. Here we uncover that, after an initial elongation block in cis, TBLs trigger the genome-wide VCP-mediated proteasomal degradation of promoter-bound, P-Ser5-modified Pol II in trans. This degradation is mechanistically distinct from processing of TBL-stalled Pol II, is signaled via GSK3, and contributes to the TBL-induced transcription block, even in transcription-coupled repair-deficient cells. Thus, our data reveal the targeted degradation of promoter-bound Pol II as a critical pathway that allows cells to cope with DNA damage-induced transcription stress and enables the genome-wide adaptation of transcription to genotoxic stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Steurer
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Oncode Institute, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roel C Janssens
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Oncode Institute, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marit E Geijer
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Oncode Institute, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Bart Geverts
- Department of Pathology, Optical Imaging Centre, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Arjan F Theil
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Oncode Institute, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Hummel
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Martin E van Royen
- Department of Pathology, Optical Imaging Centre, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bastiaan Evers
- Oncode Institute, Division of Molecular Carcinogenesis, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - René Bernards
- Oncode Institute, Division of Molecular Carcinogenesis, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Adriaan B Houtsmuller
- Department of Pathology, Optical Imaging Centre, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ritwick Sawarkar
- Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg, Germany
- MRC, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jurgen Marteijn
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Oncode Institute, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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16
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Bay LTE, Syljuåsen RG, Landsverk HB. A novel, rapid and sensitive flow cytometry method reveals degradation of promoter proximal paused RNAPII in the presence and absence of UV. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:e89. [PMID: 35641102 PMCID: PMC9410883 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is emerging as an important factor in DNA damage responses, but how it responds to genotoxic stress is not fully understood. We have developed a rapid and sensitive flow cytometry method to study chromatin binding of RNAPII in individual human cells through the cell cycle. Indicating enhanced transcription initiation at early timepoints, levels of RNAPII were increased at 15–30min after UV-induced DNA damage. This was particularly evident for the S5 phosphorylated form of RNAPII (pRNAPII S5), which is typically associated with promoter proximal pausing. Furthermore, degradation of pRNAPII S5 frequently occurs, as its levels on chromatin were strongly enhanced by the proteasome inhibitor MG132 with and without UV. Remarkably, inhibiting pause release with 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-ribo-furanosyl benzimidazole (DRB) further promoted UV-induced degradation of pRNAPII S5, suggesting enhanced initiation may lead to a phenomenon of ‘promoter proximal crowding’ resulting in premature termination via degradation of RNAPII. Moreover, pRNAPII S2 levels on chromatin were more stable in S phase of the cell cycle 2h after UV, indicating cell cycle specific effects. Altogether our results demonstrate a useful new method and suggest that degradation of promoter proximal RNAPII plays an unanticipated large role both during normal transcription and after UV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilli T E Bay
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway
| | - Randi G Syljuåsen
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway
| | - Helga B Landsverk
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, 0379 Oslo, Norway
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17
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Nissani N, Ulitsky I. Unique features of transcription termination and initiation at closely spaced tandem human genes. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 18:e10682. [PMID: 35362230 PMCID: PMC8972054 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202110682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The synthesis of RNA polymerase II (Pol2) products, which include messenger RNAs or long noncoding RNAs, culminates in transcription termination. How the transcriptional termination of a gene impacts the activity of promoters found immediately downstream of it, and which can be subject to potential transcriptional interference, remains largely unknown. We examined in an unbiased manner the features of the intergenic regions between pairs of 'tandem genes'-closely spaced (< 2 kb) human genes found on the same strand. Intergenic regions separating tandem genes are enriched with guanines and are characterized by binding of several proteins, including AGO1 and AGO2 of the RNA interference pathway. Additionally, we found that Pol2 is particularly enriched in this region, and it is lost upon perturbations affecting splicing or transcriptional elongation. Perturbations of genes involved in Pol2 pausing and R loop biology preferentially affect expression of downstream genes in tandem gene pairs. Overall, we find that features associated with Pol2 pausing and accumulation rather than those associated with avoidance of transcriptional interference are the predominant driving force shaping short tandem intergenic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Nissani
- Departments of Biological Regulation and Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Igor Ulitsky
- Departments of Biological Regulation and Molecular Neuroscience, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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18
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Abuhashem A, Garg V, Hadjantonakis AK. RNA polymerase II pausing in development: orchestrating transcription. Open Biol 2022; 12:210220. [PMID: 34982944 PMCID: PMC8727152 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The coordinated regulation of transcriptional networks underpins cellular identity and developmental progression. RNA polymerase II promoter-proximal pausing (Pol II pausing) is a prevalent mechanism by which cells can control and synchronize transcription. Pol II pausing regulates the productive elongation step of transcription at key genes downstream of a variety of signalling pathways, such as FGF and Nodal. Recent advances in our understanding of the Pol II pausing machinery and its role in transcription call for an assessment of these findings within the context of development. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the molecular basis of Pol II pausing and its function during organismal development. By critically assessing the tools used to study this process we conclude that combining recently developed genomics approaches with refined perturbation systems has the potential to expand our understanding of Pol II pausing mechanistically and functionally in the context of development and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abderhman Abuhashem
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA,Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program, New York, NY 10021, USA,Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Vidur Garg
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA,Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
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19
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Zimmer JT, Rosa-Mercado NA, Canzio D, Steitz JA, Simon MD. STL-seq reveals pause-release and termination kinetics for promoter-proximal paused RNA polymerase II transcripts. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4398-4412.e7. [PMID: 34520723 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Despite the critical regulatory function of promoter-proximal pausing, the influence of pausing kinetics on transcriptional control remains an active area of investigation. Here, we present Start-TimeLapse-seq (STL-seq), a method that captures the genome-wide kinetics of short, capped RNA turnover and reveals principles of regulation at the pause site. By measuring the rates of release into elongation and premature termination through the inhibition of pause release, we determine that pause-release rates are highly variable, and most promoter-proximal paused RNA polymerase II molecules prematurely terminate (∼80%). The preferred regulatory mechanism upon a hormonal stimulus (20-hydroxyecdysone) is to influence pause-release rather than termination rates. Transcriptional shutdown occurs concurrently with the induction of promoter-proximal termination under hyperosmotic stress, but paused transcripts from TATA box-containing promoters remain stable, demonstrating an important role for cis-acting DNA elements in pausing. STL-seq dissects the kinetics of pause release and termination, providing an opportunity to identify mechanisms of transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua T Zimmer
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Institute for Biomolecular Design and Discovery, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA
| | - Nicolle A Rosa-Mercado
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Daniele Canzio
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Joan A Steitz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
| | - Matthew D Simon
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Institute for Biomolecular Design and Discovery, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
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20
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Zhang J, Cavallaro M, Hebenstreit D. Timing RNA polymerase pausing with TV-PRO-seq. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2021; 1:None. [PMID: 34723238 PMCID: PMC8547241 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2021.100083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Transcription of many genes in metazoans is subject to polymerase pausing, which is the transient stop of transcriptionally engaged polymerases. This is known to mainly occur in promoter-proximal regions but it is not well understood. In particular, a genome-wide measurement of pausing times at high resolution has been lacking. We present here the time-variant precision nuclear run-on and sequencing (TV-PRO-seq) assay, an extension of the standard PRO-seq that allows us to estimate genome-wide pausing times at single-base resolution. Its application to human cells demonstrates that, proximal to promoters, polymerases pause more frequently but for shorter times than in other genomic regions. Comparison with single-cell gene expression data reveals that the polymerase pausing times are longer in highly expressed genes, while transcriptionally noisier genes have higher pausing frequencies and slightly longer pausing times. Analyses of histone modifications suggest that the marker H3K36me3 is related to the polymerase pausing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, the University of Warwick, CV4 7AL Coventry, UK
| | - Massimo Cavallaro
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, the University of Warwick, CV4 7AL Coventry, UK
- Mathematics Institute and Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, the University of Warwick, CV4 7AL Coventry, UK
| | - Daniel Hebenstreit
- School of Life Sciences, Gibbet Hill Campus, the University of Warwick, CV4 7AL Coventry, UK
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21
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Pfleiderer MM, Galej WP. Emerging insights into the function and structure of the Integrator complex. Transcription 2021; 12:251-265. [PMID: 35311473 PMCID: PMC9006982 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2022.2047583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The Integrator was originally discovered as a specialized 3'-end processing endonuclease complex required for maturation of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)-dependent small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs). Since its discovery, Integrator's spectrum of substrates was significantly expanded to include non-polyadenylated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA), enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), telomerase RNA (tertRNA), several Herpesvirus transcripts, and messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Recently emerging transcriptome-wide studies reveled an important role of the Integrator in protein-coding genes, where it contributes to gene expression regulation through promoter-proximal transcription attenuation. These new functional data are complemented by several structures of Integrator modules and higher-order complexes, providing mechanistic insights into Integrator-mediated processing events. In this work, we summarize recent progress in our understanding of the structure and function of the Integrator complex.
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22
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Blombach F, Fouqueau T, Matelska D, Smollett K, Werner F. Promoter-proximal elongation regulates transcription in archaea. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5524. [PMID: 34535658 PMCID: PMC8448881 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25669-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Recruitment of RNA polymerase and initiation factors to the promoter is the only known target for transcription activation and repression in archaea. Whether any of the subsequent steps towards productive transcription elongation are involved in regulation is not known. We characterised how the basal transcription machinery is distributed along genes in the archaeon Saccharolobus solfataricus. We discovered a distinct early elongation phase where RNA polymerases sequentially recruit the elongation factors Spt4/5 and Elf1 to form the transcription elongation complex (TEC) before the TEC escapes into productive transcription. TEC escape is rate-limiting for transcription output during exponential growth. Oxidative stress causes changes in TEC escape that correlate with changes in the transcriptome. Our results thus establish that TEC escape contributes to the basal promoter strength and facilitates transcription regulation. Impaired TEC escape coincides with the accumulation of initiation factors at the promoter and recruitment of termination factor aCPSF1 to the early TEC. This suggests two possible mechanisms for how TEC escape limits transcription, physically blocking upstream RNA polymerases during transcription initiation and premature termination of early TECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Blombach
- Division of Biosciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Thomas Fouqueau
- Division of Biosciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Dorota Matelska
- Division of Biosciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Katherine Smollett
- Division of Biosciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Finn Werner
- Division of Biosciences, Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK.
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23
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Petrenko N, Struhl K. Comparison of transcriptional initiation by RNA polymerase II across eukaryotic species. eLife 2021; 10:67964. [PMID: 34515029 PMCID: PMC8463073 DOI: 10.7554/elife.67964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The preinitiation complex (PIC) for transcriptional initiation by RNA polymerase (Pol) II is composed of general transcription factors that are highly conserved. However, analysis of ChIP-seq datasets reveals kinetic and compositional differences in the transcriptional initiation process among eukaryotic species. In yeast, Mediator associates strongly with activator proteins bound to enhancers, but it transiently associates with promoters in a form that lacks the kinase module. In contrast, in human, mouse, and fly cells, Mediator with its kinase module stably associates with promoters, but not with activator-binding sites. This suggests that yeast and metazoans differ in the nature of the dynamic bridge of Mediator between activators and Pol II and the composition of a stable inactive PIC-like entity. As in yeast, occupancies of TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TBP-associated factors (Tafs) at mammalian promoters are not strictly correlated. This suggests that within PICs, TFIID is not a monolithic entity, and multiple forms of TBP affect initiation at different classes of genes. TFIID in flies, but not yeast and mammals, interacts strongly at regions downstream of the initiation site, consistent with the importance of downstream promoter elements in that species. Lastly, Taf7 and the mammalian-specific Med26 subunit of Mediator also interact near the Pol II pause region downstream of the PIC, but only in subsets of genes and often not together. Species-specific differences in PIC structure and function are likely to affect how activators and repressors affect transcriptional activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Petrenko
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
| | - Kevin Struhl
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
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24
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Wang F, El-Saafin F, Ye T, Stierle M, Negroni L, Durik M, Fischer V, Devys D, Vincent SD, Tora L. Histone H2Bub1 deubiquitylation is essential for mouse development, but does not regulate global RNA polymerase II transcription. Cell Death Differ 2021; 28:2385-2403. [PMID: 33731875 PMCID: PMC8329007 DOI: 10.1038/s41418-021-00759-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Co-activator complexes dynamically deposit post-translational modifications (PTMs) on histones, or remove them, to regulate chromatin accessibility and/or to create/erase docking surfaces for proteins that recognize histone PTMs. SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5 Acetyltransferase) is an evolutionary conserved multisubunit co-activator complex with modular organization. The deubiquitylation module (DUB) of mammalian SAGA complex is composed of the ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) and three adaptor proteins, ATXN7, ATXN7L3 and ENY2, which are all needed for the full activity of the USP22 enzyme to remove monoubiquitin (ub1) from histone H2B. Two additional USP22-related ubiquitin hydrolases (called USP27X or USP51) have been described to form alternative DUBs with ATXN7L3 and ENY2, which can also deubiquitylate H2Bub1. Here we report that USP22 and ATXN7L3 are essential for normal embryonic development of mice, however their requirements are not identical during this process, as Atxn7l3-/- embryos show developmental delay already at embryonic day (E) 7.5, while Usp22-/- embryos are normal at this stage, but die at E14.5. Global histone H2Bub1 levels were only slightly affected in Usp22 null embryos, in contrast H2Bub1 levels were strongly increased in Atxn7l3 null embryos and derived cell lines. Our transcriptomic analyses carried out from wild type and Atxn7l3-/- mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), or primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) suggest that the ATXN7L3-related DUB activity regulates only a subset of genes in both cell types. However, the gene sets and the extent of their deregulation were different in mESCs and MEFs. Interestingly, the strong increase of H2Bub1 levels observed in the Atxn7l3-/- mESCs, or Atxn7l3-/- MEFs, does not correlate with the modest changes in RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) occupancy and lack of changes in Pol II elongation observed in the two Atxn7l3-/- cellular systems. These observations together indicate that deubiquitylation of histone H2Bub1 does not directly regulate global Pol II transcription elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wang
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Farrah El-Saafin
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.482637.cPresent Address: Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Tao Ye
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France ,Plateforme GenomEast, infrastructure France Génomique, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Matthieu Stierle
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Luc Negroni
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Matej Durik
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Veronique Fischer
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Didier Devys
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - Stéphane D. Vincent
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
| | - László Tora
- grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.4444.00000 0001 2112 9282Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UMR7104, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.7429.80000000121866389Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), U1258, 67404 Illkirch, France ,grid.420255.40000 0004 0638 2716Université de Strasbourg, 67404 Illkirch, France
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Role of Dot1L and H3K79 methylation in regulating somatic hypermutation of immunoglobulin genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2104013118. [PMID: 34253616 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2104013118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Somatic hypermutation (SHM) and class-switch recombination (CSR) of the immunoglobulin (Ig) genes allow B cells to make antibodies that protect us against a wide variety of pathogens. SHM is mediated by activation-induced deaminase (AID), occurs at a million times higher frequency than other mutations in the mammalian genome, and is largely restricted to the variable (V) and switch (S) regions of Ig genes. Using the Ramos human Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, we find that H3K79me2/3 and its methyltransferase Dot1L are more abundant on the V region than on the constant (C) region, which does not undergo mutation. In primary naïve mouse B cells examined ex vivo, the H3K79me2/3 modification appears constitutively in the donor Sμ and is inducible in the recipient Sγ1 upon CSR stimulation. Knockout and inhibition of Dot1L in Ramos cells significantly reduces V region mutation and the abundance of H3K79me2/3 on the V region and is associated with a decrease of polymerase II (Pol II) and its S2 phosphorylated form at the IgH locus. Knockout of Dot1L also decreases the abundance of BRD4 and CDK9 (a subunit of the P-TEFb complex) on the V region, and this is accompanied by decreased nascent transcripts throughout the IgH gene. Treatment with JQ1 (inhibitor of BRD4) or DRB (inhibitor of CDK9) decreases SHM and the abundance of Pol II S2P at the IgH locus. Since all these factors play a role in transcription elongation, our studies reinforce the idea that the chromatin context and dynamics of transcription are critical for SHM.
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26
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CDK9 keeps RNA polymerase II on track. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 78:5543-5567. [PMID: 34146121 PMCID: PMC8257543 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-03878-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9), the kinase component of positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), is essential for transcription of most protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). By releasing promoter-proximally paused RNAPII into gene bodies, CDK9 controls the entry of RNAPII into productive elongation and is, therefore, critical for efficient synthesis of full-length messenger (m)RNAs. In recent years, new players involved in P-TEFb-dependent processes have been identified and an important function of CDK9 in coordinating elongation with transcription initiation and termination has been unveiled. As the regulatory functions of CDK9 in gene expression continue to expand, a number of human pathologies, including cancers, have been associated with aberrant CDK9 activity, underscoring the need to properly regulate CDK9. Here, I provide an overview of CDK9 function and regulation, with an emphasis on CDK9 dysregulation in human diseases.
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Beckedorff F, Blumenthal E, daSilva LF, Aoi Y, Cingaram PR, Yue J, Zhang A, Dokaneheifard S, Valencia MG, Gaidosh G, Shilatifard A, Shiekhattar R. The Human Integrator Complex Facilitates Transcriptional Elongation by Endonucleolytic Cleavage of Nascent Transcripts. Cell Rep 2021; 32:107917. [PMID: 32697989 PMCID: PMC7427568 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcription by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is pervasive in the human genome. However, the mechanisms controlling transcription at promoters and enhancers remain enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that Integrator subunit 11 (INTS11), the catalytic subunit of the Integrator complex, regulates transcription at these loci through its endonuclease activity. Promoters of genes require INTS11 to cleave nascent transcripts associated with paused RNAPII and induce their premature termination in the proximity of the +1 nucleosome. The turnover of RNAPII permits the subsequent recruitment of an elongation-competent RNAPII complex, leading to productive elongation. In contrast, enhancers require INTS11 catalysis not to evict paused RNAPII but rather to terminate enhancer RNA transcription beyond the +1 nucleosome. These findings are supported by the differential occupancy of negative elongation factor (NELF), SPT5, and tyrosine-1-phosphorylated RNAPII. This study elucidates the role of Integrator in mediating transcriptional elongation at human promoters through the endonucleolytic cleavage of nascent transcripts and the dynamic turnover of RNAPII. In this study, Beckedorff et al. demonstrate that the human Integrator complex associates with paused RNA polymerase II and mediates productive transcriptional elongation through its RNA endonuclease activity. This work supports the dynamic turnover model of paused RNA polymerase II complexes and is contrary to observations described in Drosophila.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Beckedorff
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Ezra Blumenthal
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program and Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Lucas Ferreira daSilva
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Yuki Aoi
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Pradeep Reddy Cingaram
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Jingyin Yue
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Anda Zhang
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Sadat Dokaneheifard
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Monica Guiselle Valencia
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Gabriel Gaidosh
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Ali Shilatifard
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
| | - Ramin Shiekhattar
- University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Human Genetics, Biomedical Research Building, Room 719, 1501 NW 10(th) Avenue, Miami, FL 33136, USA.
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28
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Larke MSC, Schwessinger R, Nojima T, Telenius J, Beagrie RA, Downes DJ, Oudelaar AM, Truch J, Graham B, Bender MA, Proudfoot NJ, Higgs DR, Hughes JR. Enhancers predominantly regulate gene expression during differentiation via transcription initiation. Mol Cell 2021; 81:983-997.e7. [PMID: 33539786 PMCID: PMC7612206 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Gene transcription occurs via a cycle of linked events, including initiation, promoter-proximal pausing, and elongation of RNA polymerase II (Pol II). A key question is how transcriptional enhancers influence these events to control gene expression. Here, we present an approach that evaluates the level and change in promoter-proximal transcription (initiation and pausing) in the context of differential gene expression, genome-wide. This combinatorial approach shows that in primary cells, control of gene expression during differentiation is achieved predominantly via changes in transcription initiation rather than via release of Pol II pausing. Using genetically engineered mouse models, deleted for functionally validated enhancers of the α- and β-globin loci, we confirm that these elements regulate Pol II recruitment and/or initiation to modulate gene expression. Together, our data show that gene expression during differentiation is regulated predominantly at the level of initiation and that enhancers are key effectors of this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin S C Larke
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ron Schwessinger
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Takayuki Nojima
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Jelena Telenius
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Robert A Beagrie
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Damien J Downes
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - A Marieke Oudelaar
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julia Truch
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Bryony Graham
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - M A Bender
- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Nicholas J Proudfoot
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK
| | - Douglas R Higgs
- Laboratory of Gene Regulation, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Jim R Hughes
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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29
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Wang J, Rojas P, Mao J, Mustè Sadurnì M, Garnier O, Xiao S, Higgs MR, Garcia P, Saponaro M. Persistence of RNA transcription during DNA replication delays duplication of transcription start sites until G2/M. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108759. [PMID: 33596418 PMCID: PMC7900609 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
As transcription and replication use DNA as substrate, conflicts between transcription and replication can occur, leading to genome instability with direct consequences for human health. To determine how the two processes are coordinated throughout S phase, we characterize both processes together at high resolution. We find that transcription occurs during DNA replication, with transcription start sites (TSSs) not fully replicated along with surrounding regions and remaining under-replicated until late in the cell cycle. TSSs undergo completion of DNA replication specifically when cells enter mitosis, when RNA polymerase II is removed. Intriguingly, G2/M DNA synthesis occurs at high frequency in unperturbed cell culture, but it is not associated with increased DNA damage and is fundamentally separated from mitotic DNA synthesis. TSSs duplicated in G2/M are characterized by a series of specific features, including high levels of antisense transcription, making them difficult to duplicate during S phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianming Wang
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Patricia Rojas
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Jingwen Mao
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Martina Mustè Sadurnì
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Olivia Garnier
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Songshu Xiao
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Martin R Higgs
- Lysine Methylation and DNA Damage Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Paloma Garcia
- Stem Cells and Genome Stability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Marco Saponaro
- Transcription Associated Genome Instability Laboratory, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
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Noe Gonzalez M, Blears D, Svejstrup JQ. Causes and consequences of RNA polymerase II stalling during transcript elongation. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2021; 22:3-21. [PMID: 33208928 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-020-00308-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The journey of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) as it transcribes a gene is anything but a smooth ride. Transcript elongation is discontinuous and can be perturbed by intrinsic regulatory barriers, such as promoter-proximal pausing, nucleosomes, RNA secondary structures and the underlying DNA sequence. More substantial blocking of Pol II translocation can be caused by other physiological circumstances and extrinsic obstacles, including other transcribing polymerases, the replication machinery and several types of DNA damage, such as bulky lesions and DNA double-strand breaks. Although numerous different obstacles cause Pol II stalling or arrest, the cell somehow distinguishes between them and invokes different mechanisms to resolve each roadblock. Resolution of Pol II blocking can be as straightforward as temporary backtracking and transcription elongation factor S-II (TFIIS)-dependent RNA cleavage, or as drastic as premature transcription termination or degradation of polyubiquitylated Pol II and its associated nascent RNA. In this Review, we discuss the current knowledge of how these different Pol II stalling contexts are distinguished by the cell, how they overlap with each other, how they are resolved and how, when unresolved, they can cause genome instability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin Noe Gonzalez
- Mechanisms of Transcription Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Daniel Blears
- Mechanisms of Transcription Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper Q Svejstrup
- Mechanisms of Transcription Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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31
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Miura M, Chen H. CUT&RUN detects distinct DNA footprints of RNA polymerase II near the transcription start sites. Chromosome Res 2020; 28:381-393. [PMID: 33070289 PMCID: PMC7691310 DOI: 10.1007/s10577-020-09643-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
CUT&RUN is a powerful tool to study protein-DNA interactions in vivo. DNA fragments cleaved by the targeted micrococcal nuclease identify the footprints of DNA-binding proteins on the chromatin. We performed CUT&RUN on human lung carcinoma cell line A549 maintained in a multi-well cell culture plate to profile RNA polymerase II. Long (> 270 bp) DNA fragments released by CUT&RUN corresponded to the bimodal peak around the transcription start sites, as previously seen with chromatin immunoprecipitation. However, we found that short (< 120 bp) fragments identify a well-defined peak localised at the transcription start sites. This distinct DNA footprint of short fragments, which constituted only about 5% of the total reads, suggests the transient positioning of RNA polymerase II before promoter-proximal pausing, which has not been detected in the physiological settings by standard chromatin immunoprecipitation. We showed that the positioning of the large-size-class DNA footprints around the short-fragment peak was associated with the directionality of transcription, demonstrating the biological significance of distinct CUT&RUN footprints of RNA polymerase II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michi Miura
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Honglin Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases and Department of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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32
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Trotman JB, Lee DM, Cherney RE, Kim SO, Inoue K, Schertzer MD, Bischoff SR, Cowley DO, Calabrese J. Elements at the 5' end of Xist harbor SPEN-independent transcriptional antiterminator activity. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:10500-10517. [PMID: 32986830 PMCID: PMC7544216 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The Xist lncRNA requires Repeat A, a conserved RNA element located in its 5' end, to induce gene silencing during X-chromosome inactivation. Intriguingly, Repeat A is also required for production of Xist. While silencing by Repeat A requires the protein SPEN, how Repeat A promotes Xist production remains unclear. We report that in mouse embryonic stem cells, expression of a transgene comprising the first two kilobases of Xist (Xist-2kb) causes transcriptional readthrough of downstream polyadenylation sequences. Readthrough required Repeat A and the ∼750 nucleotides downstream, did not require SPEN, and was attenuated by splicing. Despite associating with SPEN and chromatin, Xist-2kb did not robustly silence transcription, whereas a 5.5-kb Xist transgene robustly silenced transcription and read through its polyadenylation sequence. Longer, spliced Xist transgenes also induced robust silencing yet terminated efficiently. Thus, in contexts examined here, Xist requires sequence elements beyond its first two kilobases to robustly silence transcription, and the 5' end of Xist harbors SPEN-independent transcriptional antiterminator activity that can repress proximal cleavage and polyadenylation. In endogenous contexts, this antiterminator activity may help produce full-length Xist RNA while rendering the Xist locus resistant to silencing by the same repressive complexes that the lncRNA recruits to other genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson B Trotman
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - David M Lee
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Rachel E Cherney
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Susan O Kim
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Kaoru Inoue
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Megan D Schertzer
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Steven R Bischoff
- Animal Models Core, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Dale O Cowley
- Animal Models Core, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 120 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - J Mauro Calabrese
- Department of Pharmacology and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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33
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Eaton JD, West S. Termination of Transcription by RNA Polymerase II: BOOM! Trends Genet 2020; 36:664-675. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2020.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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34
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Tellier M, Maudlin I, Murphy S. Transcription and splicing: A two-way street. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2020; 11:e1593. [PMID: 32128990 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase II and RNA processing are closely coupled during the transcription cycle of protein-coding genes. This coupling affords opportunities for quality control and regulation of gene expression and the effects can go in both directions. For example, polymerase speed can affect splice site selection and splicing can increase transcription and affect the chromatin landscape. Here we review the many ways that transcription and splicing influence one another, including how splicing "talks back" to transcription. We will also place the connections between transcription and splicing in the context of other RNA processing events that define the exons that will make up the final mRNA. This article is categorized under: RNA Processing > Splicing Mechanisms RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Tellier
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Isabella Maudlin
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Shona Murphy
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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35
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Tettey TT, Gao X, Shao W, Li H, Story BA, Chitsazan AD, Glaser RL, Goode ZH, Seidel CW, Conaway RC, Zeitlinger J, Blanchette M, Conaway JW. A Role for FACT in RNA Polymerase II Promoter-Proximal Pausing. Cell Rep 2020; 27:3770-3779.e7. [PMID: 31242411 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.05.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
FACT (facilitates chromatin transcription) is an evolutionarily conserved histone chaperone that was initially identified as an activity capable of promoting RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription through nucleosomes in vitro. In this report, we describe a global analysis of FACT function in Pol II transcription in Drosophila. We present evidence that loss of FACT has a dramatic impact on Pol II elongation-coupled processes including histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and H3K36 methylation, consistent with a role for FACT in coordinating histone modification and chromatin architecture during Pol II transcription. Importantly, we identify a role for FACT in the maintenance of promoter-proximal Pol II pausing, a key step in transcription activation in higher eukaryotes. These findings bring to light a broader role for FACT in the regulation of Pol II transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theophilus T Tettey
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Xin Gao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Wanqing Shao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Hua Li
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Benjamin A Story
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Alex D Chitsazan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Robert L Glaser
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, PO Box 509, Albany, NY 12201, USA
| | - Zach H Goode
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Christopher W Seidel
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Ronald C Conaway
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Julia Zeitlinger
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA
| | - Marco Blanchette
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Joan W Conaway
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, 1000 E 50th St, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS 66160, USA.
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36
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Gerber A, Roeder RG. The CTD Is Not Essential for the Post-Initiation Control of RNA Polymerase II Activity. J Mol Biol 2020; 432:5489-5498. [PMID: 32707132 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2020.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Interest in the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the RPB1 subunit of the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) has been revived in recent years, owing to its numerous posttranslational modifications and its "phase-separation" properties. A large number of studies have shown that the status of CTD modifications is associated with the activity of Pol II during the transcription cycle. However, because this domain is essential in living cells, the functional requirement of the full CTD for the control of Pol II activity at endogenous mammalian genes has never been addressed directly in living cells. Using an inducible Pol II-degradation system that we previously established, we investigated here the roles of the CTD in the post-initiation control of Pol II. The selective ablation of the RPB1 CTD, post-initiation, at promoter-proximal pause-sites revealed that this domain, and by extension the CTD heptads and their modifications, is functionally neither absolutely required to maintain pausing in the absence of CDK9 activity nor essential for the release of Pol II into productive elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan Gerber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| | - Robert G Roeder
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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37
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Bacon CW, Challa A, Hyder U, Shukla A, Borkar AN, Bayo J, Liu J, Wu SY, Chiang CM, Kutateladze TG, D'Orso I. KAP1 Is a Chromatin Reader that Couples Steps of RNA Polymerase II Transcription to Sustain Oncogenic Programs. Mol Cell 2020; 78:1133-1151.e14. [PMID: 32402252 PMCID: PMC7305985 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.04.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Precise control of the RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) cycle, including pausing and pause release, maintains transcriptional homeostasis and organismal functions. Despite previous work to understand individual transcription steps, we reveal a mechanism that integrates RNA Pol II cycle transitions. Surprisingly, KAP1/TRIM28 uses a previously uncharacterized chromatin reader cassette to bind hypo-acetylated histone 4 tails at promoters, guaranteeing continuous progression of RNA Pol II entry to and exit from the pause state. Upon chromatin docking, KAP1 first associates with RNA Pol II and then recruits a pathway-specific transcription factor (SMAD2) in response to cognate ligands, enabling gene-selective CDK9-dependent pause release. This coupling mechanism is exploited by tumor cells to aberrantly sustain transcriptional programs commonly dysregulated in cancer patients. The discovery of a factor integrating transcription steps expands the functional repertoire by which chromatin readers operate and provides mechanistic understanding of transcription regulation, offering alternative therapeutic opportunities to target transcriptional dysregulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Curtis W Bacon
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Biological Chemistry Graduate Program, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashwini Challa
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Usman Hyder
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Ashutosh Shukla
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Aditi N Borkar
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Juan Bayo
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional, Facultad de Ciencias Biomédicas, CONICET, Universidad Austral, Derqui-Pilar, Buenos Aires 1629, Argentina
| | - Jiuyang Liu
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Shwu-Yuan Wu
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Cheng-Ming Chiang
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Pharmacology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Tatiana G Kutateladze
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Iván D'Orso
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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38
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Uriostegui-Arcos M, Aguayo-Ortiz R, Valencia-Morales MDP, Melchy-Pérez E, Rosenstein Y, Dominguez L, Zurita M. Disruption of TFIIH activities generates a stress gene expression response and reveals possible new targets against cancer. Open Biol 2020; 10:200050. [PMID: 32543350 PMCID: PMC7333893 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.200050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Disruption of the enzymatic activities of the transcription factor TFIIH by the small molecules Triptolide (TPL) or THZ1 could be used against cancer. Here, we used the MCF10A-ErSrc oncogenesis model to compare the effect of TFIIH inhibitors between transformed cells and their progenitors. We report that tumour cells exhibited highly increased sensitivity to TPL or THZ1 and that the combination of both had a synergic effect. TPL affects the interaction between XPB and p52, causing a reduction in the levels of XPB, p52 and p8, but not other TFIIH subunits. RNA-Seq and RNAPII-ChIP-Seq experiments showed that although the levels of many transcripts were reduced, the levels of a significant number were increased after TPL treatment, with maintained or increased RNAPII promoter occupancy. A significant number of these genes encode for factors that have been related to tumour growth and metastasis, suggesting that transformed cells might rapidly develop resistance to TPL/THZ inhibitors. Some of these genes were also overexpressed in response to THZ1, of which depletion enhances the toxicity of TPL, and are possible new targets against cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maritere Uriostegui-Arcos
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca Morelos 62250, Mexico
| | - Rodrigo Aguayo-Ortiz
- Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
- Center for Arrhythmia Research, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - María del Pilar Valencia-Morales
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca Morelos 62250, Mexico
| | - Erika Melchy-Pérez
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca Morelos 62250, Mexico
| | - Yvonne Rosenstein
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular y Bioprocesos, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca Morelos 62250, Mexico
| | - Laura Dominguez
- Departamento de Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Química, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico
| | - Mario Zurita
- Departamento de Genética del Desarrollo y Fisiología Molecular, Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca Morelos 62250, Mexico
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39
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Thomas QA, Ard R, Liu J, Li B, Wang J, Pelechano V, Marquardt S. Transcript isoform sequencing reveals widespread promoter-proximal transcriptional termination in Arabidopsis. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2589. [PMID: 32444691 PMCID: PMC7244574 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16390-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription converts the DNA sequence of a single gene into multiple transcript isoforms that may carry alternative functions. Gene isoforms result from variable transcription start sites (TSSs) at the beginning and polyadenylation sites (PASs) at the end of transcripts. How alternative TSSs relate to variable PASs is poorly understood. Here, we identify both ends of RNA molecules in Arabidopsis thaliana by transcription isoform sequencing (TIF-seq) and report four transcript isoforms per expressed gene. While intragenic initiation represents a large source of regulated isoform diversity, we observe that ~14% of expressed genes generate relatively unstable short promoter-proximal RNAs (sppRNAs) from nascent transcript cleavage and polyadenylation shortly after initiation. The location of sppRNAs correlates with the position of promoter-proximal RNAPII stalling, indicating that large pools of promoter-stalled RNAPII may engage in transcriptional termination. We propose that promoter-proximal RNAPII stalling-linked to premature transcriptional termination may represent a checkpoint that governs plant gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Angelo Thomas
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ryan Ard
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Jinghan Liu
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Bingnan Li
- SciLifeLab, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Jingwen Wang
- SciLifeLab, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Vicent Pelechano
- SciLifeLab, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Sebastian Marquardt
- Copenhagen Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark.
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40
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Lyons DE, McMahon S, Ott M. A combinatorial view of old and new RNA polymerase II modifications. Transcription 2020; 11:66-82. [PMID: 32401151 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2020.1762468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The production of mRNA is a dynamic process that is highly regulated by reversible post-translational modifications of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II. The CTD is a highly repetitive domain consisting mostly of the consensus heptad sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Phosphorylation of serine residues within this repeat sequence is well studied, but modifications of all residues have been described. Here, we focus on integrating newly identified and lesser-studied CTD post-translational modifications into the existing framework. We also review the growing body of work demonstrating crosstalk between different CTD modifications and the functional consequences of such crosstalk on the dynamics of transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle E Lyons
- Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sarah McMahon
- Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Melanie Ott
- Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco , San Francisco, CA, USA
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41
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Fant CB, Levandowski CB, Gupta K, Maas ZL, Moir J, Rubin JD, Sawyer A, Esbin MN, Rimel JK, Luyties O, Marr MT, Berger I, Dowell RD, Taatjes DJ. TFIID Enables RNA Polymerase II Promoter-Proximal Pausing. Mol Cell 2020; 78:785-793.e8. [PMID: 32229306 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription is governed by the pre-initiation complex (PIC), which contains TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIID, TFIIE, TFIIF, TFIIH, RNAPII, and Mediator. After initiation, RNAPII enzymes pause after transcribing less than 100 bases; precisely how RNAPII pausing is enforced and regulated remains unclear. To address specific mechanistic questions, we reconstituted human RNAPII promoter-proximal pausing in vitro, entirely with purified factors (no extracts). As expected, NELF and DSIF increased pausing, and P-TEFb promoted pause release. Unexpectedly, the PIC alone was sufficient to reconstitute pausing, suggesting RNAPII pausing is an inherent PIC function. In agreement, pausing was lost upon replacement of the TFIID complex with TATA-binding protein (TBP), and PRO-seq experiments revealed widespread disruption of RNAPII pausing upon acute depletion (t = 60 min) of TFIID subunits in human or Drosophila cells. These results establish a TFIID requirement for RNAPII pausing and suggest pause regulatory factors may function directly or indirectly through TFIID.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charli B Fant
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Kapil Gupta
- School of Biochemistry, Bristol Research Centre for Synthetic Biology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Zachary L Maas
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - John Moir
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jonathan D Rubin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Andrew Sawyer
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Meagan N Esbin
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Jenna K Rimel
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Olivia Luyties
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Michael T Marr
- Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
| | - Imre Berger
- School of Biochemistry, Bristol Research Centre for Synthetic Biology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Robin D Dowell
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA; BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Dylan J Taatjes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
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42
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Abbas A, Padmanabhan R, Romigh T, Eng C. PTEN modulates gene transcription by redistributing genome-wide RNA polymerase II occupancy. Hum Mol Genet 2020; 28:2826-2834. [PMID: 31127935 PMCID: PMC6735678 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddz112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Revised: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Control of gene expression is one of the most complex yet continuous physiological processes impacting cellular homeostasis. RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is tightly regulated at promoter-proximal regions by intricate dynamic processes including Pol II pausing, release into elongation and premature termination. Pol II pausing is a phenomenon where Pol II complex pauses within 30–60 nucleotides after initiating the transcription. Negative elongation factor (NELF) and DRB sensitivity inducing factor (DSIF) contribute in the establishment of Pol II pausing, and positive transcription elongation factor b releases (P-TEFb) paused complex after phosphorylating DSIF that leads to dissociation of NELF. Pol II pausing is observed in most expressed genes across the metazoan. The precise role of Pol II pausing is not well understood; however, it’s required for integration of signals for gene regulation. In the present study, we investigated the role of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in genome-wide transcriptional regulation using PTEN overexpression and PTEN knock-down models. Here we identify that PTEN alters the expression of hundreds of genes, and its restoration establishes genome-wide Pol II promoter-proximal pausing in PTEN null cells. Furthermore, PTEN re-distributes Pol II occupancy across the genome and possibly impacts Pol II pause duration, release and elongation rate in order to enable precise gene regulation at the genome-wide scale. Our observations demonstrate an imperative role of PTEN in global transcriptional regulation that will provide a new direction to understand PTEN-associated pathologies and its management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Abbas
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Roshan Padmanabhan
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Todd Romigh
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Charis Eng
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA.,Germline High Risk Focus Group, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
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43
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Elrod ND, Henriques T, Huang KL, Tatomer DC, Wilusz JE, Wagner EJ, Adelman K. The Integrator Complex Attenuates Promoter-Proximal Transcription at Protein-Coding Genes. Mol Cell 2020; 76:738-752.e7. [PMID: 31809743 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.10.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The transition of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) from initiation to productive elongation is a central, regulated step in metazoan gene expression. At many genes, Pol II pauses stably in early elongation, remaining engaged with the 25- to 60-nt-long nascent RNA for many minutes while awaiting signals for release into the gene body. However, 15%-20% of genes display highly unstable promoter Pol II, suggesting that paused polymerase might dissociate from template DNA at these promoters and release a short, non-productive mRNA. Here, we report that paused Pol II can be actively destabilized by the Integrator complex. Specifically, we present evidence that Integrator utilizes its RNA endonuclease activity to cleave nascent RNA and drive termination of paused Pol II. These findings uncover a previously unappreciated mechanism of metazoan gene repression, akin to bacterial transcription attenuation, wherein promoter-proximal Pol II is prevented from entering productive elongation through factor-regulated termination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Elrod
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Telmo Henriques
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kai-Lieh Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Deirdre C Tatomer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Eric J Wagner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77550, USA.
| | - Karen Adelman
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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44
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Tatomer DC, Wilusz JE. Attenuation of Eukaryotic Protein-Coding Gene Expression via Premature Transcription Termination. COLD SPRING HARBOR SYMPOSIA ON QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2020; 84:83-93. [PMID: 32086332 DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2019.84.039644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
A complex network of RNA transcripts is generated from eukaryotic genomes, many of which are processed in unexpected ways. Here, we highlight how premature transcription termination events at protein-coding gene loci can simultaneously lead to the generation of short RNAs and attenuate production of full-length mRNA transcripts. We recently showed that the Integrator (Int) complex can be selectively recruited to protein-coding gene loci, including Drosophila metallothionein A (MtnA), where the IntS11 RNA endonuclease cleaves nascent transcripts near their 5' ends. Such premature termination events catalyzed by Integrator can repress the expression of some full-length mRNAs by more than 100-fold. Transcription at small nuclear RNA (snRNA) loci is likewise terminated by Integrator cleavage, but protein-coding and snRNA gene loci have notably distinct dependencies on Integrator subunits. Additional mechanisms that attenuate eukaryotic gene outputs via premature termination have been discovered, including by the cleavage and polyadenylation machinery in a manner controlled by U1 snRNP. These mechanisms appear to function broadly across the transcriptome. This suggests that synthesis of full-length transcripts is not always the default option and that premature termination events can lead to a variety of transcripts, some of which may have important and unexpected biological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deirdre C Tatomer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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45
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46
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Elrod ND, Henriques T, Huang KL, Tatomer DC, Wilusz JE, Wagner EJ, Adelman K. The Integrator Complex Attenuates Promoter-Proximal Transcription at Protein-Coding Genes. Mol Cell 2019; 76:738-752.e7. [PMID: 31809743 DOI: 10.1101/725507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Revised: 09/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The transition of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) from initiation to productive elongation is a central, regulated step in metazoan gene expression. At many genes, Pol II pauses stably in early elongation, remaining engaged with the 25- to 60-nt-long nascent RNA for many minutes while awaiting signals for release into the gene body. However, 15%-20% of genes display highly unstable promoter Pol II, suggesting that paused polymerase might dissociate from template DNA at these promoters and release a short, non-productive mRNA. Here, we report that paused Pol II can be actively destabilized by the Integrator complex. Specifically, we present evidence that Integrator utilizes its RNA endonuclease activity to cleave nascent RNA and drive termination of paused Pol II. These findings uncover a previously unappreciated mechanism of metazoan gene repression, akin to bacterial transcription attenuation, wherein promoter-proximal Pol II is prevented from entering productive elongation through factor-regulated termination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D Elrod
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Telmo Henriques
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kai-Lieh Huang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77550, USA
| | - Deirdre C Tatomer
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Jeremy E Wilusz
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Eric J Wagner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX 77550, USA.
| | - Karen Adelman
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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47
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Kinyamu HK, Bennett BD, Bushel PR, Archer TK. Proteasome inhibition creates a chromatin landscape favorable to RNA Pol II processivity. J Biol Chem 2019; 295:1271-1287. [PMID: 31806706 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.011174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Proteasome activity is required for diverse cellular processes, including transcriptional and epigenetic regulation. However, inhibiting proteasome activity can lead to an increase in transcriptional output that is correlated with enriched levels of trimethyl H3K4 and phosphorylated forms of RNA polymerase (Pol) II at the promoter and gene body. Here, we perform gene expression analysis and ChIP followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with the proteasome inhibitor MG132, and we further explore genome-wide effects of proteasome inhibition on the chromatin state and RNA Pol II transcription. Analysis of gene expression programs and chromatin architecture reveals that chemically inhibiting proteasome activity creates a distinct chromatin state, defined by spreading of the H3K4me3 mark into the gene bodies of differentially-expressed genes. The distinct H3K4me3 chromatin profile and hyperacetylated nucleosomes at transcription start sites establish a chromatin landscape that facilitates recruitment of Ser-5- and Ser-2-phosphorylated RNA Pol II. Subsequent transcriptional events result in diverse gene expression changes. Alterations of H3K36me3 levels in the gene body reflect productive RNA Pol II elongation of transcripts of genes that are induced, underscoring the requirement for proteasome activity at multiple phases of the transcriptional cycle. Finally, by integrating genomics data and pathway analysis, we find that the differential effects of proteasome inhibition on the chromatin state modulate genes that are fundamental for cancer cell survival. Together, our results uncover underappreciated downstream effects of proteasome inhibitors that may underlie targeting of distinct chromatin states and key steps of RNA Pol II-mediated transcription in cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Karimi Kinyamu
- Chromatin and Gene Expression Section, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, North Carolina 27709
| | - Brian D Bennett
- Chromatin and Gene Expression Section, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, North Carolina 27709.,Integrative Bioinformatics Support Group, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, North Carolina 27709
| | - Pierre R Bushel
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, North Carolina 27709
| | - Trevor K Archer
- Chromatin and Gene Expression Section, Epigenetics and Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Durham, North Carolina 27709
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48
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The RNA Polymerase II Core Promoter in Drosophila. Genetics 2019; 212:13-24. [PMID: 31053615 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription by RNA polymerase II initiates at the core promoter, which is sometimes referred to as the "gateway to transcription." Here, we describe the properties of the RNA polymerase II core promoter in Drosophila The core promoter is at a strategic position in the expression of genes, as it is the site of convergence of the signals that lead to transcriptional activation. Importantly, core promoters are diverse in terms of their structure and function. They are composed of various combinations of sequence motifs such as the TATA box, initiator (Inr), and downstream core promoter element (DPE). Different types of core promoters are transcribed via distinct mechanisms. Moreover, some transcriptional enhancers exhibit specificity for particular types of core promoters. These findings indicate that the core promoter is a central component of the transcriptional apparatus that regulates gene expression.
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Kamieniarz-Gdula K, Proudfoot NJ. Transcriptional Control by Premature Termination: A Forgotten Mechanism. Trends Genet 2019; 35:553-564. [PMID: 31213387 PMCID: PMC7471841 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The concept of early termination as an important means of transcriptional control has long been established. Even so, its role in metazoan gene expression is underappreciated. Recent technological advances provide novel insights into premature transcription termination (PTT). This process is frequent, widespread, and can occur close to the transcription start site (TSS), or within the gene body. Stable prematurely terminated transcripts contribute to the transcriptome as instances of alternative polyadenylation (APA). Independently of transcript stability and function, premature termination opposes the formation of full-length transcripts, thereby negatively regulating gene expression, especially of transcriptional regulators. Premature termination can be beneficial or harmful, depending on its context. As a result, multiple factors have evolved to control this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinga Kamieniarz-Gdula
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland; Center for Advanced Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89c, 61-614 Poznań, Poland.
| | - Nick J Proudfoot
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK
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Abstract
In this review, Core et al. discuss the recent advances in our understanding of the early steps in Pol II transcription, highlighting the events and factors involved in the establishment and release of paused Pol II. They also discuss a number of unanswered questions about the regulation and function of Pol II pausing. Precise spatio–temporal control of gene activity is essential for organismal development, growth, and survival in a changing environment. Decisive steps in gene regulation involve the pausing of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) in early elongation, and the controlled release of paused polymerase into productive RNA synthesis. Here we describe the factors that enable pausing and the events that trigger Pol II release into the gene. We also discuss open questions in the field concerning the stability of paused Pol II, nucleosomes as obstacles to elongation, and potential roles of pausing in defining the precision and dynamics of gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leighton Core
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Institute of Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA
| | - Karen Adelman
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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