A pre-initiation complex at the 3'-end of genes drives antisense transcription independent of divergent sense transcription.

ABSTRACT: The precise nature of antisense transcripts in eukaryotes such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae remains elusive. Here we show that the 3' regions of genes possess a promoter architecture, including a pre-initiation complex (PIC), which mirrors that at the 5' region and which is much more pronounced at genes with a defined antisense transcript. Remarkably, for genes with an antisense transcript, average levels of PIC components at the 3' region are ∼60% of those at the 5' region. Moreover, at these genes, average levels of nascent antisense transcription are ∼45% of sense transcription. We find that this 3' promoter architecture persists for highly transcribed antisense transcripts where there are only low levels of transcription in the divergent sense direction, suggesting that the 3' regions o

SUBMITTER: Murray SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3315312 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature