The Drosophila U7 snRNP proteins Lsm10 and Lsm11 are required for histone pre-mRNA processing and play an essential role in development

Histone locus bodies: a paradigm for how nuclear biomolecular condensates control cell cycle regulated gene expression

Histone locus bodies (HLBs) are biomolecular condensates that assemble at replication-dependent (RD) histone genes in animal cells. These genes produce unique mRNAs that are not polyadenylated and instead end in a conserved 3' stem loop critical for coordinated production of histone proteins during S phase of the cell cycle. Several evolutionarily conserved factors necessary for synthesis of RD histone mRNAs concentrate only in the HLB. Moreover, because HLBs are present throughout the cell cycle even though RD histone genes are only expressed during S phase, changes in HLB composition during cell cycle progression drive much of the cell cycle regulation of RD histone gene expression. Thus, HLBs provide a powerful opportunity to determine the cause-and-effect relationships between nuclear body formation and cell cycle regulated gene expression. In this review, we focus on progress during the last five years that has advanced our understanding of HLB biology.

A bioinformatics screen reveals hox and chromatin remodeling factors at the Drosophila histone locus

BACKGROUND

Cells orchestrate histone biogenesis with strict temporal and quantitative control. To efficiently regulate histone biogenesis, the repetitive Drosophila melanogaster replication-dependent histone genes are arrayed and clustered at a single locus. Regulatory factors concentrate in a nuclear body known as the histone locus body (HLB), which forms around the locus. Historically, HLB factors are largely discovered by chance, and few are known to interact directly with DNA. It is therefore unclear how the histone genes are specifically targeted for unique and coordinated regulation.

RESULTS

To expand the list of known HLB factors, we performed a candidate-based screen by mapping 30 publicly available ChIP datasets of 27 unique factors to the Drosophila histone gene array. We identified novel transcription factor candidates, including the Drosophila Hox proteins Ultrabithorax (Ubx), Abdominal-A (Abd-A), and Abdominal-B (Abd-B), suggesting a new pathway for these factors in influencing body plan morphogenesis. Additionally, we identified six other factors that target the histone gene array: JIL-1, hormone-like receptor 78 (Hr78), the long isoform of female sterile homeotic (1) (fs(1)h) as well as the general transcription factors TBP associated factor 1 (TAF-1), Transcription Factor IIB (TFIIB), and Transcription Factor IIF (TFIIF).

CONCLUSIONS

Our foundational screen provides several candidates for future studies into factors that may influence histone biogenesis. Further, our study emphasizes the powerful reservoir of publicly available datasets, which can be mined as a primary screening technique.

Genome-wide scan for selective sweeps identifies novel loci associated with resistance to mastitis in German Holstein cattle

Domestication and selection significantly changed phenotypic and behavioural traits in modern domestic animals. In this study, to identify the genomic regions associated with mastitis, genomic data of German Holstein dairy cattle were analysed. The samples were genotyped using the Bovine 50 K SNP chip. For each defined healthy and sick group, 133 samples from 13,276 genotyped dairy cows were selected based on mastitis random residual effects. Grouping was done to infer selection signatures based on XP-EHH statistic. The results revealed that for the top 0.01 percentile of the obtained XP-EHH values, five genomic regions on chromosomes 8, 11, 12, 14 and 26 of the control group, and four regions on chromosomes 3, 4 (two regions) and 22 of the case group, have been under selection. Also, consideration of the top 0.1 percentile of the XP-EHH values, clarified 21 and 15 selective sweeps in the control and case group, respectively. This study identified some genomic regions containing potential candidate genes associated with resistance and susceptibility to mastitis, immune system and inflammation, milk traits, udder morphology and different types of cancers. In addition, these regions overlap with some quantitative trait loci linked to clinical mastitis, immunoglobulin levels, somatic cell score, udder traits, milk fat and protein, milk yield, milking speed and veterinary treatments. It is noteworthy that we found two regions in the healthy group (on chromosomes 12 and 14) with strong signals, which were not described previously. It is likely that future research could link these identified genomic regions to mastitis. The results of the current study contribute to the identification of causal mutations, genomic regions and genes affecting mastitis incidence in dairy cows.

A region of SLBP outside the mRNA-processing domain is essential for deposition of histone mRNA into the Drosophila egg

Replication-dependent histone mRNAs are the only cellular mRNAs that are not polyadenylated, ending in a stemloop instead of a polyA tail, and are normally regulated coordinately with DNA replication. Stemloop-binding protein (SLBP) binds the 3' end of histone mRNA, and is required for processing and translation. During Drosophila oogenesis, large amounts of histone mRNAs and proteins are deposited in the developing oocyte. The maternally deposited histone mRNA is synthesized in stage 10B oocytes after the nurse cells complete endoreduplication. We report that in wild-type stage 10B oocytes, the histone locus bodies (HLBs), formed on the histone genes, produce histone mRNAs in the absence of phosphorylation of Mxc, which is normally required for histone gene expression in S-phase cells. Two mutants of SLBP, one with reduced expression and another with a 10-amino-acid deletion, fail to deposit sufficient histone mRNA in the oocyte, and do not transcribe the histone genes in stage 10B. Mutations in a putative SLBP nuclear localization sequence overlapping the deletion phenocopy the deletion. We conclude that a high concentration of SLBP in the nucleus of stage 10B oocytes is essential for histone gene transcription.This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Drosophila histone locus body assembly and function involves multiple interactions

The histone locus body (HLB) assembles at replication-dependent (RD) histone loci and concentrates factors required for RD histone mRNA biosynthesis. The Drosophila melanogaster genome has a single locus comprised of ∼100 copies of a tandemly arrayed 5-kB repeat unit containing one copy of each of the 5 RD histone genes. To determine sequence elements required for D. melanogaster HLB formation and histone gene expression, we used transgenic gene arrays containing 12 copies of the histone repeat unit that functionally complement loss of the ∼200 endogenous RD histone genes. A 12x histone gene array in which all H3-H4 promoters were replaced with H2a-H2b promoters (12x^PR) does not form an HLB or express high levels of RD histone mRNA in the presence of the endogenous histone genes. In contrast, this same transgenic array is active in HLB assembly and RD histone gene expression in the absence of the endogenous RD histone genes and rescues the lethality caused by homozygous deletion of the RD histone locus. The HLB formed in the absence of endogenous RD histone genes on the mutant 12x array contains all known factors present in the wild-type HLB including CLAMP, which normally binds to GAGA repeats in the H3-H4 promoter. These data suggest that multiple protein–protein and/or protein–DNA interactions contribute to HLB formation, and that the large number of endogenous RD histone gene copies sequester available factor(s) from attenuated transgenic arrays, thereby preventing HLB formation and gene expression on these arrays.

ALYREF links 3'-end processing to nuclear export of non-polyadenylated mRNAs

The RNA-binding protein ALYREF plays key roles in nuclear export and also 3'-end processing of polyadenylated mRNAs, but whether such regulation also extends to non-polyadenylated RNAs is unknown. Replication-dependent (RD)-histone mRNAs are not polyadenylated, but instead end in a stem-loop (SL) structure. Here, we demonstrate that ALYREF prevalently binds a region next to the SL on RD-histone mRNAs. SL-binding protein (SLBP) directly interacts with ALYREF and promotes its recruitment. ALYREF promotes histone pre-mRNA 3'-end processing by facilitating U7-snRNP recruitment through physical interaction with the U7-snRNP-specific component Lsm11. Furthermore, ALYREF, together with other components of the TREX complex, enhances histone mRNA export. Moreover, we show that 3'-end processing promotes ALYREF recruitment and histone mRNA export. Together, our results point to an important role of ALYREF in coordinating 3'-end processing and nuclear export of non-polyadenylated mRNAs.

Birth and Death of Histone mRNAs

In metazoans, histone mRNAs are not polyadenylated but end in a conserved stem-loop. Stem-loop binding protein (SLBP) binds to the stem-loop and is required for all steps in histone mRNA metabolism. The genes for the five histone proteins are linked. A histone locus body (HLB) forms at each histone gene locus. It contains factors essential for transcription and processing of histone mRNAs, and couples transcription and processing. The active form of U7 snRNP contains the HLB component FLASH (FLICE-associated huge protein), the histone cleavage complex (HCC), and a subset of polyadenylation factors including the endonuclease CPSF73. Histone mRNAs are rapidly degraded when DNA replication is inhibited by a 3' to 5' pathway that requires extensive uridylation of mRNA decay intermediates.

Histone locus regulation by the Drosophila dosage compensation adaptor protein CLAMP

Rieder et al. report that conserved GA repeat cis elements within the bidirectional histone3–histone4 promoter direct histone locus body (HLB) formation in Drosophila. In addition, the CLAMP zinc finger protein binds these GA repeat motifs, increases chromatin accessibility, enhances histone gene transcription, and promotes HLB formation.

The conserved histone locus body (HLB) assembles prior to zygotic gene activation early during development and concentrates factors into a nuclear domain of coordinated histone gene regulation. Although HLBs form specifically at replication-dependent histone loci, the cis and trans factors that target HLB components to histone genes remained unknown. Here we report that conserved GA repeat cis elements within the bidirectional histone3–histone4 promoter direct HLB formation in Drosophila. In addition, the CLAMP (chromatin-linked adaptor for male-specific lethal [MSL] proteins) zinc finger protein binds these GA repeat motifs, increases chromatin accessibility, enhances histone gene transcription, and promotes HLB formation. We demonstrated previously that CLAMP also promotes the formation of another domain of coordinated gene regulation: the dosage-compensated male X chromosome. Therefore, CLAMP binding to GA repeat motifs promotes the formation of two distinct domains of coordinated gene activation located at different places in the genome.

An in vivo genetic screen for genes involved in spliced leader trans-splicing indicates a crucial role for continuous de novo spliced leader RNP assembly

Spliced leader (SL) trans-splicing is a critical element of gene expression in a number of eukaryotic groups. This process is arguably best understood in nematodes, where biochemical and molecular studies in Caenorhabditis elegans and Ascaris suum have identified key steps and factors involved. Despite this, the precise details of SL trans-splicing have yet to be elucidated. In part, this is because the systematic identification of the molecules involved has not previously been possible due to the lack of a specific phenotype associated with defects in this process. We present here a novel GFP-based reporter assay that can monitor SL1 trans-splicing in living C. elegans. Using this assay, we have identified mutants in sna-1 that are defective in SL trans-splicing, and demonstrate that reducing function of SNA-1, SNA-2 and SUT-1, proteins that associate with SL1 RNA and related SmY RNAs, impairs SL trans-splicing. We further demonstrate that the Sm proteins and pICln, SMN and Gemin5, which are involved in small nuclear ribonucleoprotein assembly, have an important role in SL trans-splicing. Taken together these results provide the first in vivo evidence for proteins involved in SL trans-splicing, and indicate that continuous replacement of SL ribonucleoproteins consumed during trans-splicing reactions is essential for effective trans-splicing.

A platform for interrogating cancer-associated p53 alleles

p53 is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer. Compelling evidence argues that full transformation involves loss of growth suppression encoded by wild-type p53 together with poorly understood oncogenic activity encoded by missense mutations. Furthermore, distinguishing disease alleles from natural polymorphisms is an important clinical challenge. To interrogate the genetic activity of human p53 variants, we leveraged the Drosophila model as an in vivo platform. We engineered strains that replace the fly p53 gene with human alleles, producing a collection of stocks that are, in effect, 'humanized' for p53 variants. Like the fly counterpart, human p53 transcriptionally activated a biosensor and induced apoptosis after DNA damage. However, all humanized strains representing common alleles found in cancer patients failed to complement in these assays. Surprisingly, stimulus-dependent activation of hp53 occurred without stabilization, demonstrating that these two processes can be uncoupled. Like its fly counterpart, hp53 formed prominent nuclear foci in germline cells but cancer-associated p53 variants did not. Moreover, these same mutant alleles disrupted hp53 foci and inhibited biosensor activity, suggesting that these properties are functionally linked. Together these findings establish a functional platform for interrogating human p53 alleles and suggest that simple phenotypes could be used to stratify disease variants.

Coordinating cell cycle-regulated histone gene expression through assembly and function of the Histone Locus Body

Metazoan replication-dependent (RD) histone genes encode the only known cellular mRNAs that are not polyadenylated. These mRNAs end instead in a conserved stem-loop, which is formed by an endonucleolytic cleavage of the pre-mRNA. The genes for all 5 histone proteins are clustered in all metazoans and coordinately regulated with high levels of expression during S phase. Production of histone mRNAs occurs in a nuclear body called the Histone Locus Body (HLB), a subdomain of the nucleus defined by a concentration of factors necessary for histone gene transcription and pre-mRNA processing. These factors include the scaffolding protein NPAT, essential for histone gene transcription, and FLASH and U7 snRNP, both essential for histone pre-mRNA processing. Histone gene expression is activated by Cyclin E/Cdk2-mediated phosphorylation of NPAT at the G1-S transition. The concentration of factors within the HLB couples transcription with pre-mRNA processing, enhancing the efficiency of histone mRNA biosynthesis.

Concentrating pre-mRNA processing factors in the histone locus body facilitates efficient histone mRNA biogenesis

Concentrating factors in nuclear bodies is thought to promote efficient gene expression. Tatomer et al. show that the histone locus body (HLB) concentrates pre-mRNA processing factors at replication-dependent histone genes, resulting in optimal 3′ end formation of histone mRNAs coupled with transcription termination.

The histone locus body (HLB) assembles at replication-dependent histone genes and concentrates factors required for histone messenger RNA (mRNA) biosynthesis. FLASH (Flice-associated huge protein) and U7 small nuclear RNP (snRNP) are HLB components that participate in 3′ processing of the nonpolyadenylated histone mRNAs by recruiting the endonuclease CPSF-73 to histone pre-mRNA. Using transgenes to complement a FLASH mutant, we show that distinct domains of FLASH involved in U7 snRNP binding, histone pre-mRNA cleavage, and HLB localization are all required for proper FLASH function in vivo. By genetically manipulating HLB composition using mutations in FLASH, mutations in the HLB assembly factor Mxc, or depletion of the variant histone H2aV, we find that failure to concentrate FLASH and/or U7 snRNP in the HLB impairs histone pre-mRNA processing. This failure results in accumulation of small amounts of polyadenylated histone mRNA and nascent read-through transcripts at the histone locus. Thus, the HLB concentrates FLASH and U7 snRNP, promoting efficient histone mRNA biosynthesis and coupling 3′ end processing with transcription termination.

Organ identity specification factor WGE localizes to the histone locus body and regulates histone expression to ensure genomic stability in Drosophila

Over-expression of Winged-Eye (WGE) in the Drosophila eye imaginal disc induces an eye-to-wing transformation. Endogenous WGE is required for organ development, and wge-deficient mutants exhibit growth arrest at the larval stage, suggesting that WGE is critical for normal growth. The function of WGE, however, remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the subcellular localization of WGE to gain insight into its endogenous function. Immunostaining showed that WGE localized to specific nuclear foci called the histone locus body (HLB), an evolutionarily conserved nuclear body required for S phase-specific histone mRNA production. Histone mRNA levels and protein levels in cytosolic fractions were aberrantly up-regulated in wge mutant larva, suggesting a role for WGE in regulating histone gene expression. Genetic analyses showed that wge suppresses position-effect variegation, and that WGE and a HLB component Mute appears to be synergistically involved in heterochromatin formation. Further supporting a role in chromatin regulation, wge-deficient mutants showed derepression of retrotransposons and increased γH2Av signals, a DNA damage marker. These findings suggest that WGE is a component of HLB in Drosophila with a role in heterochromatin formation and transposon silencing. We propose that WGE at HLB contributes to genomic stability and development by regulating heterochromatin structure via histone gene regulation.

Drosophila Symplekin localizes dynamically to the histone locus body and tricellular junctions

The scaffolding protein Symplekin is part of multiple complexes involved in generating and modifying the 3' end of mRNAs, including cleavage-polyadenylation, histone pre-mRNA processing and cytoplasmic polyadenylation. To study these functions in vivo, we examined the localization of Symplekin during development and generated mutations of the Drosophila Symplekin gene. Mutations in Symplekin that reduce Symplekin protein levels alter the efficiency of both poly A(+) and histone mRNA 3' end formation resulting in lethality or sterility. Histone mRNA synthesis takes place at the histone locus body (HLB) and requires a complex composed of Symplekin and several polyadenylation factors that associates with the U7 snRNP. Symplekin is present in the HLB in the early embryo when Cyclin E/Cdk2 is active and histone genes are expressed and is absent from the HLB in cells that have exited the cell cycle. During oogenesis, Symplekin is preferentially localized to HLBs during S-phase in endoreduplicating follicle cells when histone mRNA is synthesized. After the completion of endoreplication, Symplekin accumulates in the cytoplasm, in addition to the nucleoplasm, and localizes to tricellular junctions of the follicle cell epithelium. This localization depends on the RNA binding protein ypsilon schachtel. CPSF-73 and a number of mRNAs are localized at this same site, suggesting that Symplekin participates in cytoplasmic polyadenylation at tricellular junctions.

The role of nuclear bodies in gene expression and disease

This review summarizes the current understanding of the role of nuclear bodies in regulating gene expression. The compartmentalization of cellular processes, such as ribosome biogenesis, RNA processing, cellular response to stress, transcription, modification and assembly of spliceosomal snRNPs, histone gene synthesis and nuclear RNA retention, has significant implications for gene regulation. These functional nuclear domains include the nucleolus, nuclear speckle, nuclear stress body, transcription factory, Cajal body, Gemini of Cajal body, histone locus body and paraspeckle. We herein review the roles of nuclear bodies in regulating gene expression and their relation to human health and disease.

Pearls are novel Cajal body-like structures in the Xenopus germinal vesicle that are dependent on RNA pol III transcription

We have identified novel nuclear bodies, which we call pearls, in the giant oocyte nuclei of Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis. Pearls are attached to the lampbrush chromosomes at specific loci that are transcribed by RNA polymerase III, and they disappear after inhibition of polymerase III activity. Pearls are enriched for small Cajal body-specific RNAs (scaRNAs), which are guide RNAs that modify specific nucleotides on splicing snRNAs. Surprisingly, snRNAs themselves are not present in pearls, suggesting that pearls are not functionally equivalent to Cajal bodies in other systems, which contain both snRNAs and scaRNAs. We suggest that pearls may function in the processing of RNA polymerase III transcripts, such as tRNA, 5S rRNA, and other short non-coding RNAs.

A sequence in the Drosophila H3-H4 Promoter triggers histone locus body assembly and biosynthesis of replication-coupled histone mRNAs

Compartmentalization of RNA biosynthetic factors into nuclear bodies (NBs) is a ubiquitous feature of eukaryotic cells. How NBs initially assemble and ultimately affect gene expression remains unresolved. The histone locus body (HLB) contains factors necessary for replication-coupled histone messenger RNA transcription and processing and associates with histone gene clusters. Using a transgenic assay for ectopic Drosophila HLB assembly, we show that a sequence located between, and transcription from, the divergently transcribed H3-H4 genes nucleates HLB formation and activates other histone genes in the histone gene cluster. In the absence of transcription from the H3-H4 promoter, "proto-HLBs" (containing only a subset of HLB components) form, and the adjacent histone H2a-H2b genes are not expressed. Proto-HLBs also transiently form in mutant embryos with the histone locus deleted. We conclude that HLB assembly occurs through a stepwise process involving stochastic interactions of individual components that localize to a specific sequence in the H3-H4 promoter.

Genomics of mature and immature olfactory sensory neurons

The continuous replacement of neurons in the olfactory epithelium provides an advantageous model for investigating neuronal differentiation and maturation. By calculating the relative enrichment of every mRNA detected in samples of mature mouse olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), immature OSNs, and the residual population of neighboring cell types, and then comparing these ratios against the known expression patterns of >300 genes, enrichment criteria that accurately predicted the OSN expression patterns of nearly all genes were determined. We identified 847 immature OSN-specific and 691 mature OSN-specific genes. The control of gene expression by chromatin modification and transcription factors, and neurite growth, protein transport, RNA processing, cholesterol biosynthesis, and apoptosis via death domain receptors, were overrepresented biological processes in immature OSNs. Ion transport (ion channels), presynaptic functions, and cilia-specific processes were overrepresented in mature OSNs. Processes overrepresented among the genes expressed by all OSNs were protein and ion transport, ER overload response, protein catabolism, and the electron transport chain. To more accurately represent gradations in mRNA abundance and identify all genes expressed in each cell type, classification methods were used to produce probabilities of expression in each cell type for every gene. These probabilities, which identified 9,300 genes expressed in OSNs, were 96% accurate at identifying genes expressed in OSNs and 86% accurate at discriminating genes specific to mature and immature OSNs. This OSN gene database not only predicts the genes responsible for the major biological processes active in OSNs, but also identifies thousands of never before studied genes that support OSN phenotypes.

Cajal bodies: where form meets function

The cell nucleus contains dozens of subcompartments that separate biochemical processes into confined spaces. Cajal bodies (CBs) were discovered more than 100 years ago, but only extensive research in the past decades revealed the surprising complexity of molecular and cellular functions taking place in these structures. Many protein and RNA species are modified and assembled within CBs, which have emerged as a meeting place and factory for ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles involved in splicing, ribosome biogenesis and telomere maintenance. Recently, a distinct structure near histone gene clusters--the Histone locus body (HLB)--was discovered. Involved in histone mRNA 3'-end formation, HLBs can share several components with CBs. Whether the appearance of distinct HLBs is simply a matter of altered affinity between these structures or of an alternate mode of CB assembly is unknown. However, both structures share basic assembly properties, in which transcription plays a decisive role in initiation. After this seeding event, additional components associate in random order. This appears to be a widespread mechanism for body assembly. CB assembly encompasses an additional layer of complexity, whereby a set of pre-existing substructures can be integrated into mature CBs. We propose this as a multi-seeding model of CB assembly.

Interaction between FLASH and Lsm11 is essential for histone pre-mRNA processing in vivo in Drosophila

Metazoan replication-dependent histone mRNAs are the only nonpolyadenylated cellular mRNAs. Formation of the histone mRNA 3' end requires the U7 snRNP, which contains Lsm10 and Lsm11, and FLASH, a processing factor that binds Lsm11. Here, we identify sequences in Drosophila FLASH (dFLASH) that bind Drosophila Lsm11 (dLsm11), allow localization of dFLASH to the nucleus and histone locus body (HLB), and participate in histone pre-mRNA processing in vivo. Amino acids 105-154 of dFLASH bind to amino acids 1-78 of dLsm11. A two-amino acid mutation of dLsm11 that prevents dFLASH binding but does not affect localization of U7 snRNP to the HLB cannot rescue the lethality or histone pre-mRNA processing defects resulting from an Lsm11 null mutation. The last 45 amino acids of FLASH are required for efficient localization to the HLB in Drosophila cultured cells. Removing the first 64 amino acids of FLASH has no effect on processing in vivo. Removal of 13 additional amino acids of dFLASH results in a dominant negative protein that binds Lsm11 but inhibits processing of histone pre-mRNA in vivo. Inhibition requires the Lsm11 binding site, suggesting that the mutant dFLASH protein sequesters the U7 snRNP in an inactive complex and that residues between 64 and 77 of dFLASH interact with a factor required for processing. Together, these studies demonstrate that direct interaction between dFLASH and dLsm11 is essential for histone pre-mRNA processing in vivo and for proper development and viability in flies.

Muscle wasted: a novel component of the Drosophila histone locus body required for muscle integrity

Skeletal muscles arise by cellular differentiation and regulated gene expression. Terminal differentiation programmes such as muscle growth, extension and attachment to the epidermis, lead to maturation of the muscles. These events require changes in chromatin organization as genes are differentially regulated. Here, we identify and characterise muscle wasted (mute), a novel component of the Drosophila histone locus body (HLB). We demonstrate that a mutation in mute leads to severe loss of muscle mass and an increase in levels of normal histone transcripts. Importantly, Drosophila Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (Mef2), a central myogenic differentiation factor, and how, an RNA binding protein required for muscle and tendon cell differentiation, are downregulated. Mef2 targets are, in turn, misregulated. Notably, the degenerating muscles in mute mutants show aberrant localisation of heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1). We further show a genetic interaction between mute and the Stem-loop binding protein (Slbp) and a loss of muscle striations in Lsm11 mutants. These data demonstrate a novel role of HLB components and histone processing factors in the maintenance of muscle integrity. We speculate that mute regulates terminal muscle differentiation possibly through heterochromatic reorganisation.

Molecular mechanisms of eukaryotic pre-mRNA 3' end processing regulation

Messenger RNA (mRNA) 3′ end formation is a nuclear process through which all eukaryotic primary transcripts are endonucleolytically cleaved and most of them acquire a poly(A) tail. This process, which consists in the recognition of defined poly(A) signals of the pre-mRNAs by a large cleavage/polyadenylation machinery, plays a critical role in gene expression. Indeed, the poly(A) tail of a mature mRNA is essential for its functions, including stability, translocation to the cytoplasm and translation. In addition, this process serves as a bridge in the network connecting the different transcription, capping, splicing and export machineries. It also participates in the quantitative and qualitative regulation of gene expression in a variety of biological processes through the selection of single or alternative poly(A) signals in transcription units. A large number of protein factors associates with this machinery to regulate the efficiency and specificity of this process and to mediate its interaction with other nuclear events. Here, we review the eukaryotic 3′ end processing machineries as well as the comprehensive set of regulatory factors and discuss the different molecular mechanisms of 3′ end processing regulation by proposing several overlapping models of regulation.