A single cluster of RNA Polymerase II molecules is stably associated with active genes.

ABSTRACT: In eukaryotic nuclei, transcription is associated with the clustering of RNA Polymerase II (RNAPII) molecules. The mechanisms underlying cluster formation, their interactions with genes, and their impact on transcriptional activity remain heavily debated. Here we take advantage of the naturally occurring increase in transcriptional activity during Zygotic Genome Activation (ZGA) in Drosophila melanogaster embryos to characterize the functional roles of RNAPII clusters in a developmental context. Using single-molecule tracking and lattice light-sheet microscopy, we find that RNAPII cluster formation depends on transcription initiation, and that cluster lifetimes depend on transcriptional activity when not constrained by interphase duration. We show that single clusters are stably ass

SUBMITTER: Mukherjee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11844394 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature