Splicing- and cleavage-independent requirement of RNA polymerase II CTD for mRNA release from the transcription site.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic cells have a surveillance mechanism that identifies aberrantly processed pre-mRNAs and prevents their flow to the cytoplasm by tethering them near the site of transcription. Here we provide evidence that mRNA release from the transcription site requires the heptad repeat structure of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II. The mammalian CTD, which is essential for normal co-transcriptional maturation of mRNA precursors, comprises 52 heptad repeats. We show that a truncated CTD containing 31 repeats (heptads 1-23, 36-38, and 48-52) is sufficient to support transcription, splicing, cleavage, and polyadenylation. Yet, the resulting mRNAs are mostly retained in the vicinity of the gene after transcriptional shutoff. The retained mRNAs maintain the ability to recruit compon

SUBMITTER: Custodio N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2064756 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature