Transcription-independent functions of an RNA polymerase II subunit, Rpb2, during genome rearrangement in the ciliate, Oxytricha trifallax.

ABSTRACT: The RNA polymerase II (Pol-II) holoenzyme, responsible for messenger RNA production, typically consists of 10-12 subunits. Our laboratory previously demonstrated that maternally deposited, long, noncoding, template RNAs are essential for programmed genome rearrangements in the ciliate Oxytricha trifallax. Here we show that such RNAs are bidirectionally transcribed and transported to the zygotic nucleus. The gene encoding the second-largest subunit of Pol-II, Rpb2, has undergone gene duplication, and the two paralogs, Rpb2-a and -b, display different expression patterns. Immunoprecipitation of double-stranded RNAs identified an association with Rpb2-a. Through immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we show that Rpb2-a in early zygotes appears surprisingly unassociated with other Pol II

SUBMITTER: Khurana JS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4096365 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature