Partners of Rpb8p, a small subunit shared by yeast RNA polymerases I, II and III

Structure of the recombinant RNA polymerase from African Swine Fever Virus

African Swine Fever Virus is a Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Large DNA Virus that causes an incurable haemorrhagic fever in pigs with a high impact on global food security. ASFV replicates in the cytoplasm of the infected cell and encodes its own transcription machinery that is independent of cellular factors, however, not much is known about how this system works at a molecular level. Here, we present methods to produce recombinant ASFV RNA polymerase, functional assays to screen for inhibitors, and high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of the ASFV RNAP in different conformational states. The ASFV RNAP bears a striking resemblance to RNAPII with bona fide homologues of nine of its twelve subunits. Key differences include the fusion of the ASFV assembly platform subunits RPB3 and RPB11, and an unusual C-terminal domain of the stalk subunit vRPB7 that is related to the eukaryotic mRNA cap 2´-O-methyltransferase 1. Despite the high degree of structural conservation with cellular RNA polymerases, the ASFV RNAP is resistant to the inhibitors rifampicin and alpha-amanitin. The cryo-EM structures and fully recombinant RNAP system together provide an important tool for the design, development, and screening of antiviral drugs in a low biosafety containment environment.

Never a dull enzyme, RNA polymerase II

RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is composed of 12 subunits that collaborate to synthesize mRNA within the nucleus. Pol II is widely recognized as a passive holoenzyme, with the molecular functions of its subunits largely ignored. Recent studies employing auxin-inducible degron (AID) and multi-omics techniques have revealed that the functional diversity of Pol II is achieved through the differential contributions of its subunits to various transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes. By regulating these processes in a coordinated manner through its subunits, Pol II can optimize its activity for diverse biological functions. Here, we review recent progress in understanding Pol II subunits and their dysregulation in diseases, Pol II heterogeneity, Pol II clusters and the regulatory roles of RNA polymerases.

Three human RNA polymerases interact with TFIIH via a common RPB6 subunit

In eukaryotes, three RNA polymerases (RNAPs) play essential roles in the synthesis of various types of RNA: namely, RNAPI for rRNA; RNAPII for mRNA and most snRNAs; and RNAPIII for tRNA and other small RNAs. All three RNAPs possess a short flexible tail derived from their common subunit RPB6. However, the function of this shared N-terminal tail (NTT) is not clear. Here we show that NTT interacts with the PH domain (PH-D) of the p62 subunit of the general transcription/repair factor TFIIH, and present the structures of RPB6 unbound and bound to PH-D by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Using available cryo-EM structures, we modelled the activated elongation complex of RNAPII bound to TFIIH. We also provide evidence that the recruitment of TFIIH to transcription sites through the p62-RPB6 interaction is a common mechanism for transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) of RNAPI- and RNAPII-transcribed genes. Moreover, point mutations in the RPB6 NTT cause a significant reduction in transcription of RNAPI-, RNAPII- and RNAPIII-transcribed genes. These and other results show that the p62-RPB6 interaction plays multiple roles in transcription, TC-NER, and cell proliferation, suggesting that TFIIH is engaged in all RNAP systems.

Structural basis of RNA polymerase inhibition by viral and host factors

RNA polymerase inhibition plays an important role in the regulation of transcription in response to environmental changes and in the virus-host relationship. Here we present the high-resolution structures of two such RNAP-inhibitor complexes that provide the structural bases underlying RNAP inhibition in archaea. The Acidianus two-tailed virus encodes the RIP factor that binds inside the DNA-binding channel of RNAP, inhibiting transcription by occlusion of binding sites for nucleic acid and the transcription initiation factor TFB. Infection with the Sulfolobus Turreted Icosahedral Virus induces the expression of the host factor TFS4, which binds in the RNAP funnel similarly to eukaryotic transcript cleavage factors. However, TFS4 allosterically induces a widening of the DNA-binding channel which disrupts trigger loop and bridge helix motifs. Importantly, the conformational changes induced by TFS4 are closely related to inactivated states of RNAP in other domains of life indicating a deep evolutionary conservation of allosteric RNAP inhibition.

Biogenesis of RNA Polymerases in Yeast

Eukaryotic RNA polymerases (RNA pols) transcriptional processes have been extensively investigated, and the structural analysis of eukaryotic RNA pols has been explored. However, the global assembly and biogenesis of these heteromultimeric complexes have been narrowly studied. Despite nuclear transcription being carried out by three RNA polymerases in eukaryotes (five in plants) with specificity in the synthesis of different RNA types, the biogenesis process has been proposed to be similar, at least for RNA pol II, to that of bacteria, which contains only one RNA pol. The formation of three different interacting subassembly complexes to conform the complete enzyme in the cytoplasm, prior to its nuclear import, has been assumed. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, recent studies have examined in depth the biogenesis of RNA polymerases by characterizing some elements involved in the assembly of these multisubunit complexes, some of which are conserved in humans. This study reviews the latest studies governing the mechanisms and proteins described as being involved in the biogenesis of RNA polymerases in yeast.

Comparative CRISPR type III-based knockdown of essential genes in hyperthermophilic Sulfolobales and the evasion of lethal gene silencing

CRISPR type III systems, which are abundantly found in archaea, recognize and degrade RNA in their specific response to invading nucleic acids. Therefore, these systems can be harnessed for gene knockdown technologies even in hyperthermophilic archaea to study essential genes. We show here the broader usability of this posttranscriptional silencing technology by expanding the application to further essential genes and systematically analysing and comparing silencing thresholds and escape mutants. Synthetic guide RNAs expressed from miniCRISPR cassettes were used to silence genes involved in cell division (cdvA), transcription (rpo8), and RNA metabolism (smAP2) of the two crenarchaeal model organisms Saccharolobus solfataricus and Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Results were systematically analysed together with those obtained from earlier experiments of cell wall biogenesis (slaB) and translation (aif5A). Comparison of over 100 individual transformants revealed gene-specific silencing maxima ranging between 40 and 75%, which induced specific knockdown phenotypes leading to growth retardation. Exceedance of this threshold by strong miniCRISPR constructs was not tolerated and led to specific mutation of the silencing miniCRISPR array and phenotypical reversion of cultures. In two thirds of sequenced reverted cultures, the targeting spacers were found to be precisely excised from the miniCRISPR array, indicating a still hypothetical, but highly active recombination system acting on the dynamics of CRISPR spacer arrays. Our results indicate that CRISPR type III - based silencing is a broadly applicable tool to study in vivo functions of essential genes in Sulfolobales which underlies a specific mechanism to avoid malignant silencing overdose.

Structure-Based Deep Mining Reveals First-Time Annotations for 46 Percent of the Dark Annotation Space of the 9,671-Member Superproteome of the Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses

We conducted an exhaustive search for three-dimensional structural homologs to the proteins of 20 key phylogenetically distinct nucleocytoplasmic DNA viruses (NCLDV). Structural matches covered 429 known protein domain superfamilies, with the most highly represented being ankyrin repeat, P-loop NTPase, F-box, protein kinase, and membrane occupation and recognition nexus (MORN) repeat. Domain superfamily diversity correlated with genome size, but a diversity of around 200 superfamilies appeared to correlate with an abrupt switch to paralogization. Extensive structural homology was found across the range of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II subunits and their associated basal transcription factors, with the coordinated gain and loss of clusters of subunits on a virus-by-virus basis. The total number of predicted endonucleases across the 20 NCLDV was nearly quadrupled from 36 to 132, covering much of the structural and functional diversity of endonucleases throughout the biosphere in DNA restriction, repair, and homing. Unexpected findings included capsid protein-transcription factor chimeras; endonuclease chimeras; enzymes for detoxification; antimicrobial peptides and toxin-antitoxin systems associated with symbiosis, immunity, and addiction; and novel proteins for membrane abscission and protein turnover.IMPORTANCE We extended the known annotation space for the NCLDV by 46%, revealing high-probability structural matches for fully 45% of the 9,671 query proteins and confirming up to 98% of existing annotations per virus. The most prevalent protein families included ankyrin repeat- and MORN repeat-containing proteins, many of which included an F-box, suggesting extensive host cell modulation among the NCLDV. Regression suggested a minimum requirement for around 36 protein structural superfamilies for a viable NCLDV, and beyond around 200 superfamilies, genome expansion by the acquisition of new functions was abruptly replaced by paralogization. We found homologs to herpesvirus surface glycoprotein gB in cytoplasmic viruses. This study provided the first prediction of an endonuclease in 10 of the 20 viruses examined; the first report in a virus of a phenolic acid decarboxylase, proteasomal subunit, or cysteine knot (defensin) protein; and the first report of a prokaryotic-type ribosomal protein in a eukaryotic virus.

Genetic analysis reveals functions of atypical polyubiquitin chains

Although polyubiquitin chains linked through all lysines of ubiquitin exist, specific functions are well-established only for lysine-48 and lysine-63 linkages in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To uncover pathways regulated by distinct linkages, genetic interactions between a gene deletion library and a panel of lysine-to-arginine ubiquitin mutants were systematically identified. The K11R mutant had strong genetic interactions with threonine biosynthetic genes. Consistently, we found that K11R mutants import threonine poorly. The K11R mutant also exhibited a strong genetic interaction with a subunit of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC), suggesting a role in cell cycle regulation. K11-linkages are important for vertebrate APC function, but this was not previously described in yeast. We show that the yeast APC also modifies substrates with K11-linkages in vitro, and that those chains contribute to normal APC-substrate turnover in vivo. This study reveals comprehensive genetic interactomes of polyubiquitin chains and characterizes the role of K11-chains in two biological pathways.

Inositol-phosphate signaling as mediator for growth and sexual reproduction in Podospora anserina

The molecular pathways involved in the development of multicellular fruiting bodies in fungi are still not well known. Especially, the interplay between the mycelium, the female tissues and the zygotic tissues of the fruiting bodies is poorly documented. Here, we describe PM154, a new strain of the model ascomycetes Podospora anserina able to mate with itself and that enabled the easy recovery of new mutants affected in fruiting body development. By complete genome sequencing of spod1, one of the new mutants, we identified an inositol phosphate polykinase gene as essential, especially for fruiting body development. A factor present in the wild type and diffusible in mutant hyphae was able to induce the development of the maternal tissues of the fruiting body in spod1, but failed to promote complete development of the zygotic ones. Addition of myo-inositol in the growth medium was able to increase the number of developing fruiting bodies in the wild type, but not in spod1. Overall, the data indicated that inositol and inositol polyphosphates were involved in promoting fruiting body maturation, but also in regulating the number of fruiting bodies that developed after fertilization. The same effect of inositol was seen in two other fungi, Sordaria macrospora and Chaetomium globosum. Key role of the inositol polyphosphate pathway during fruiting body maturation appears thus conserved during the evolution of Sordariales fungi.

Integrative structure modeling of macromolecular assemblies from proteomics data

Proteomics techniques have been used to generate comprehensive lists of protein interactions in a number of species. However, relatively little is known about how these interactions result in functional multiprotein complexes. This gap can be bridged by combining data from proteomics experiments with data from established structure determination techniques. Correspondingly, integrative computational methods are being developed to provide descriptions of protein complexes at varying levels of accuracy and resolution, ranging from complex compositions to detailed atomic structures.

A comparative analysis of DNA barcode microarray feature size

Background

Microarrays are an invaluable tool in many modern genomic studies. It is generally perceived that decreasing the size of microarray features leads to arrays with higher resolution (due to greater feature density), but this increase in resolution can compromise sensitivity.

Results

We demonstrate that barcode microarrays with smaller features are equally capable of detecting variation in DNA barcode intensity when compared to larger feature sizes within a specific microarray platform. The barcodes used in this study are the well-characterized set derived from the Yeast KnockOut (YKO) collection used for screens of pooled yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) deletion mutants. We treated these pools with the glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin as a test compound. Three generations of barcode microarrays at 30, 8 and 5 μm features sizes independently identified the primary target of tunicamycin to be ALG7.

Conclusion

We show that the data obtained with 5 μm feature size is of comparable quality to the 30 μm size and propose that further shrinking of features could yield barcode microarrays with equal or greater resolving power and, more importantly, higher density.

Budding yeast SSD1-V regulates transcript levels of many longevity genes and extends chronological life span in purified quiescent cells

Ssd1 is an RNA-binding protein that affects literally hundreds of different processes and is polymorphic in both wild and lab yeast strains. We have used transcript microarrays to compare mRNA levels in an isogenic pair of mutant (ssd1-d) and wild-type (SSD1-V) cells across the cell cycle. We find that 15% of transcripts are differentially expressed, but there is no correlation with those mRNAs bound by Ssd1. About 20% of cell cycle regulated transcripts are affected, and most show sharper amplitudes of oscillation in SSD1-V cells. Many transcripts whose gene products influence longevity are also affected, the largest class of which is involved in translation. Ribosomal protein mRNAs are globally down-regulated by SSD1-V. SSD1-V has been shown to increase replicative life span currency and we show that SSD1-V also dramatically increases chronological life span (CLS). Using a new assay of CLS in pure populations of quiescent prototrophs, we find that the CLS for SSD1-V cells is twice that of ssd1-d cells.

Structural evolution of multisubunit RNA polymerases

Evolutionarily related multisubunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs) facilitate gene transcription throughout the three domains of life. During the past seven years an increasing number of bacterial and eukaryotic RNAP structures have been solved; however, the archaeal enzyme remained elusive. Two reports from the Murakami and Cramer laboratories have now filled this gap in our knowledge and enable us to hypothesize about the evolution of the structure and function of RNAPs.

Orthologs of the small RPB8 subunit of the eukaryotic RNA polymerases are conserved in hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeota and "Korarchaeota"

Although most of the key components of the transcription apparatus, and in particular, RNA polymerase (RNAP) subunits, are conserved between archaea and eukaryotes, no archaeal homologs of the small RPB8 subunit of eukaryotic RNAP have been detected. We report that orthologs of RPB8 are encoded in all sequenced genomes of hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeota and a recently sequenced "korarchaeal" genome, but not in Euryarchaeota or the mesophilic crenarchaeon Cenarchaeum symbiosum. These findings suggest that all 12 core subunits of eukaryotic RNAPs were already present in the last common ancestor of the extant archaea.

Structure and function of archaeal RNA polymerases

RNA polymerases (RNAPs) are essential to all life forms and therefore deserve our special attention. The archaeal RNAP is closely related to eukaryotic RNAPII in terms of subunit composition and architecture, promoter elements and basal transcription factors required for the initiation and elongation phase of transcription. RNAPs of this class are large and sophisticated enzymes that interact in a complex manner with DNA/RNA scaffolds, substrates NTPs and a plethora of transcription factors - interactions that often result in an allosteric regulation of RNAP activity. The 12 subunits of RNAP play distinct roles including RNAP assembly and stability, catalysis and functional contacts with exogenous factors. Due to the availability of structural information of RNAPs at high-resolution and wholly recombinant archaeal transcription systems, we are beginning to understand the molecular mechanisms of archaeal RNAPs and transcription in great detail.

BRCA1 ubiquitinates RPB8 in response to DNA damage

The breast and ovarian tumor suppressor BRCA1 catalyzes untraditional polyubiquitin chains that could be a signal for processes other than proteolysis. However, despite intense investigations, the mechanisms regulated by the enzyme activity remain only partially understood. Here, we report that BRCA1-BARD1 mediates polyubiquitination of RPB8, a common subunit of RNA polymerases, in response to DNA damage. A proteomics screen identified RPB8 as a protein modified after epirubicin treatment in BRCA1-dependent manner. RPB8 interacted with BRCA1-BARD1 and was polyubiquitinated by BRCA1-BARD1 in vivo and in vitro. BRCA1-BARD1 did not destabilize RPB8 in vivo but rather caused an increase in the amount of soluble RPB8. Importantly, RPB8 was polyubiquitinated immediately after UV irradiation in a manner sensitive to BRCA1 knockdown by RNA interference. Substitution of five lysine residues of RPB8 with arginine residues abolished its ability to be ubiquitinated while preserving its polymerase activity. HeLa cell lines stably expressing this ubiquitin-resistant form of RPB8 exhibited UV hypersensitivity accompanied by up-regulated caspase activity. Our findings suggest that ubiquitination of a common subunit of RNA polymerases is a mechanism underlying BRCA1-dependent cell survival after DNA damage.

Functional organization of the Rpb5 subunit shared by the three yeast RNA polymerases

Rpb5, a subunit shared by the three yeast RNA polymerases, combines a eukaryotic N-terminal module with a globular C-end conserved in all non-bacterial enzymes. Conditional and lethal mutants of the moderately conserved eukaryotic module showed that its large N-terminal helix and a short motif at the end of the module are critical in vivo. Lethal or conditional mutants of the C-terminal globe altered the binding of Rpb5 to Rpb1-beta25/26 (prolonging the Bridge helix) and Rpb1-alpha44/47 (ahead of the Switch 1 loop and binding Rpb5 in a two-hybrid assay). The large intervening segment of Rpb1 is held across the DNA Cleft by Rpb9, consistent with the synergy observed for rpb5 mutants and rpb9Delta or its RNA polymerase I rpa12Delta counterpart. Rpb1-beta25/26, Rpb1-alpha44/45 and the Switch 1 loop were only found in Rpb5-containing polymerases, but the Bridge and Rpb1-alpha46/47 helix bundle were universally conserved. We conclude that the main function of the dual Rpb5-Rpb1 binding and the Rpb9-Rpb1 interaction is to hold the Bridge helix, the Rpb1-alpha44/47 helix bundle and the Switch 1 loop into a closely packed DNA-binding fold around the transcription bubble, in an organization shared by the two other nuclear RNA polymerases and by the archaeal and viral enzymes.

Ancient origin, functional conservation and fast evolution of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase III

RNA polymerase III contains seventeen subunits in yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe) and in human cells. Twelve of them are akin to the core RNA polymerase I or II. The five other are RNA polymerase III-specific and form the functionally distinct groups Rpc31-Rpc34-Rpc82 and Rpc37-Rpc53. Currently sequenced eukaryotic genomes revealed significant homology to these seventeen subunits in Fungi, Animals, Plants and Amoebozoans. Except for subunit Rpc31, this also extended to the much more distantly related genomes of Alveolates and Excavates, indicating that the complex subunit organization of RNA polymerase III emerged at a very early stage of eukaryotic evolution. The Sch.pombe subunits were expressed in S.cerevisiae null mutants and tested for growth. Ten core subunits showed heterospecific complementation, but the two largest catalytic subunits (Rpc1 and Rpc2) and all five RNA polymerase III-specific subunits (Rpc82, Rpc53, Rpc37, Rpc34 and Rpc31) were non-functional. Three highly conserved RNA polymerase III-specific domains were found in the twelve-subunit core structure. They correspond to the Rpc17-Rpc25 dimer, involved in transcription initiation, to an N-terminal domain of the largest subunit Rpc1 important to anchor Rpc31, Rpc34 and Rpc82, and to a C-terminal domain of Rpc1 that presumably holds Rpc37, Rpc53 and their Rpc11 partner.

Structural, Biochemical, and Dynamic Characterizations of the hRPB8 Subunit of Human RNA Polymerases

The RPB8 subunit is present in all three types of eukaryotic RNA polymerases and is highly conserved during evolution. It is an essential subunit required for the transcription of nuclear genes, but the detailed mechanism including its interactions with different subunits and oligonucleotides remains largely unclear. Herein, we report the three-dimensional structure of human RPB8 (hRPB8) at high resolution determined by NMR spectroscopy. The protein fold comprises an eight-stranded beta-barrel, six short helices, and a large unstructured Omega-loop. The overall structure of hRPB8 is similar to that of yRPB8 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and belongs to the oligonucleotide/oligosaccharide-binding fold. However, several features of the tertiary structures are notably different between the two proteins. In particular, hRPB8 has a more clustered positively charged binding interface with the largest subunit RPB1 of the RNA polymerases. We employed biochemical methods to detect its interactions with different single-stranded DNA sequences. In addition, single-stranded DNA titration experiments were performed to identify the residues involved in nonspecific binding with different DNA sequences. Furthermore, we characterized the millisecond time scale conformational flexibility of hRPB8 upon its binding to single-stranded DNA. The current results demonstrate that hRPB8 interacts with single-stranded DNA nonspecifically and adopts significant conformational changes, and the hRPB8/single-stranded DNA complex is a fast exchanging system. The solution structure in conjunction with the biochemical and dynamic studies reveal new aspects of this subunit in the molecular assembly and the biological function of the human nuclear RNA polymerases.

Rpc25, a conserved RNA polymerase III subunit, is critical for transcription initiation

Rpc25 is a strongly conserved subunit of RNA polymerase III with homology to Rpa43 in RNA polymerase I, Rpb7 in RNA polymerase II and the archaeal RpoE subunit. A central domain of Rpc25 can replaced the corresponding region of Rpb7 with little or no growth defect, underscoring the functional relatedness of these proteins. Rpc25 forms a heterodimer with Rpc17, another conserved component of RNA polymerase III. A conditional mutant (rpc25-S100P) impairs this interaction. rpc25-S100P and another conditional mutant obtained by complementation with the Schizosaccharomyces pombe subunit (rpc25-Sp) were investigated for the properties of their purified RNA polymerase III. The mutant enzymes were defective in the specific synthesis of pre-tRNA transcripts but acted at a wild-type level on poly[d(A-T)] templates. They were also indistinguishable from wild type in transcript elongation, cleavage and termination. These data indicate that Rpc25 is needed for transcription initiation but is not critical for the elongating properties of RNA polymerase III.

Mechanism of p21-activated kinase 6-mediated inhibition of androgen receptor signaling

PAK6 was first identified as an androgen receptor (AR)-interacting protein able to inhibit AR-mediated transcriptional responses. PAK6 is a serine/threonine kinase belonging to the p21-activated kinase (PAK) family implicated in actin reorganization and cell motility, gene transcription, apoptosis, and cell transformation. We investigated the biochemical basis for inhibition of AR signaling by PAK6. We compared the kinase activity of PAK6 with two other well characterized members of the PAK family, PAK1 and PAK4. Like PAK4, PAK6 possesses a constitutive basal kinase activity that, unlike PAK1, is not modulated by the binding of active Rac or Cdc42 GTPases. In order to test the involvement of PAK6 kinase activity in suppression of AR-mediated transcription, we generated kinase-dead (K436A) and kinase-active (S531N) mutants of PAK6. We show that PAK6 kinase activity is required for effective PAK6-induced repression of AR signaling. Suppression does not depend upon GTPase binding to PAK6 and is not mimicked by the closely related PAK1 and PAK4 isoforms. Kinase-dependent inhibition by PAK6 extended to the enhanced AR-mediated transcription seen in the presence of coactivating molecules and to the action of AR coinhibitors. Active PAK6 inhibited nuclear translocation of the stimulated AR, suggesting a possible mechanism for inhibition of AR responsiveness. Finally, we observe that autophosphorylated, active PAK6 protein is differently expressed among prostate cancer cell lines. Modulation of PAK6 activity may be responsible for regulation of AR signaling in various forms of prostate cancer.

Giardia lamblia RNA polymerase II: amanitin-resistant transcription

Giardia lamblia is an early branching eukaryote, and although distinctly eukaryotic in its cell and molecular biology, transcription and translation in G. lamblia demonstrate important differences from these processes in higher eukaryotes. The cyclic octapeptide amanitin is a relatively selective inhibitor of eukaryotic RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) and is commonly used to study RNAP II transcription. Therefore, we measured the sensitivity of G. lamblia RNAP II transcription to alpha-amanitin and found that unlike most other eukaryotes, RNAP II transcription in Giardia is resistant to 1 mg/ml amanitin. In contrast, 50 microg/ml amanitin inhibits 85% of RNAP III transcription activity using leucyl-tRNA as a template. To better understand transcription in G. lamblia, we identified 10 of the 12 known eukaryotic rpb subunits, including all 10 subunits that are required for viability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The amanitin motif (amanitin binding site) of Rpb1 from G. lamblia has amino acid substitutions at six highly conserved sites that have been associated with amanitin resistance in other organisms. These observations of amanitin resistance of Giardia RNA polymerase II support previous proposals of the mechanism of amanitin resistance in other organisms and provide a molecular framework for the development of novel drugs with selective activity against G. lamblia.

Lack of mitochondrial citrate synthase discloses a new meiotic checkpoint in a strict aerobe

Mitochondrial citrate synthase (mCS) is the initial enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Despite the key position of this protein in respiratory metabolism, very few studies have addressed the question of the effects of the absence of mCS in development. Here we report on the characterization of 15 point mutations and a complete deletion of the cit1 gene, which encodes mCS in the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina. This gene was identified genetically through a systematic search for suppressors of the metabolic defect of the peroxisomal pex2 mutants. The cit1 mutant strains exhibit no visible vegetative defects. However, they display an unexpected developmental phenotype: in homozygous crosses, cit1 mutations impair meiosis progression beyond the diffuse stage, a key stage of meiotic prophase. Enzyme assays, immunofluorescence and western blotting experiments show that the presence of the mCS protein is more important for completion of meiosis than its well-known enzyme activity. Combined with observations made in budding yeast, our data suggest that there is a general metabolic checkpoint at the diffuse stage in eukaryotes.

Hmo1, an HMG-box protein, belongs to the yeast ribosomal DNA transcription system

Hmo1 is one of seven HMG-box proteins of Saccharo myces cerevisiae. Null mutants have a limited effect on growth. Hmo1 overexpression suppresses rpa49-Delta mutants lacking Rpa49, a non-essential but conserved subunit of RNA polymerase I corresponding to the animal RNA polymerase I factor PAF53. This overexpression strongly increases de novo rRNA synthesis. rpa49-Delta hmo1-Delta double mutants are lethal, and this lethality is bypassed when RNA polymerase II synthesizes rRNA. Hmo1 co-localizes with Fob1, a known rDNA-binding protein, defining a narrow territory adjacent to the nucleoplasm that could delineate the rDNA nucleolar domain. These data identify Hmo1 as a genuine RNA polymerase I factor acting synergistically with Rpa49. As an HMG-box protein, Hmo1 is remotely related to animal UBF factors. hmo1-Delta and rpa49-Delta are lethal with top3-Delta DNA topoisomerase (type I) mutants and are suppressed in mutants lacking the Sgs1 DNA helicase. They are not affected by top1-Delta defective in Top1, the other eukaryotic type I topoisomerase. Conversely, rpa34-Delta mutants lacking Rpa34, a non-essential subunit associated with Rpa49, are lethal in top1-Delta but not in top3-Delta.

The Rpb9 subunit of RNA polymerase II binds transcription factor TFIIE and interferes with the SAGA and elongator histone acetyltransferases

Rpb9 is a small subunit of yeast RNA polymerase II participating in elongation and formed of two conserved zinc domains. rpb9 mutants are viable, with a strong sensitivity to nucleotide-depleting drugs. Deleting the C-terminal domain down to the first 57 amino acids has no detectable growth defect. Thus, the critical part of Rpb9 is limited to a N-terminal half that contacts the lobe of the second largest subunit (Rpb2) and forms a beta-addition motif with the "jaw" of the largest subunit (Rpb1). Rpb9 has homology to the TFIIS elongation factor, but mutants inactivated for both proteins are indistinguishable from rpb9 single mutants. In contrast, rpb9 mutants are lethal in cells lacking the histone acetyltransferase activity of the RNA polymerase II Elongator and SAGA factors. In a two-hybrid test, Rpb9 physically interacts with Tfa1, the largest subunit of TFIIE. The interacting fragment, comprising amino acids 62-164 of Tfa1, belongs to a conserved zinc motif. Tfa1 is immunoprecipitated by RNA polymerase II. This co-purification is strongly reduced in rpb9-Delta, suggesting that Rpb9 contributes to the recruitment of TFIIE on RNA polymerase II.