Project description:The end of the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription cycle is strictly regulated to ensure proper mRNA maturation and prevent interference between neighboring genes. Pol II slowing downstream of the cleavage and polyadenylation signal (CPS) leads to recruitment of cleavage and polyadenylation factors and termination, but how this chain of events is initiated remains unclear. In a chemical-genetic screen we identified protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) isoforms as substrates of human positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), the cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (Cdk9)-cyclin T1 complex. Here we show that Cdk9 and PP1 govern phosphorylation of the conserved transcription factor Spt5 in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Cdk9 phosphorylates both Spt5 and a negative regulatory site on the PP1 isoform Dis2. Sites phosphorylated by Cdk9 in the Spt5 carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) are dephosphorylated by Dis2 in vitro, and Cdk9 inhibition in vivo leads to rapid Spt5 dephosphorylation that is retarded by concurrent Dis2 inactivation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis indicates that Spt5 is dephosphorylated as transcription complexes traverse the CPS, prior to or concomitant with Pol II pausing. A Dis2-inactivating mutation stabilizes Spt5 phosphorylation (pSpt5) on chromatin, promotes transcription beyond the normal termination zone detected by precision run-on transcription and sequencing (PRO-seq), and is suppressed by ablation of Cdk9 target sites in Spt5. These results support a model whereby the transition of Pol II from elongation to termination is regulated by opposing activities of Cdk9 and Dis2 towards their common substrate Spt5—a bistable switch analogous to a Cdk1-PP1 module that controls exit from mitosis.
Project description:CDK9 is a critical kinase required for the productive transcription of protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II). As part of P-TEFb, CDK9 phosphorylates the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of pol II and elongation factors, including SPT5, which allows pol II to elongate past the early elongation checkpoint (EEC) encountered soon after initiation. We show that, in addition to halting pol II at the EEC, loss of CDK9 activity causes premature termination of transcription across the last exon, loss of polyadenylation factors from chromatin, and loss of polyadenylation of nascent transcripts. Inhibition of the phosphatase PP2A abrogates the premature termination and loss of polyadenylation caused by CDK9 inhibition, indicating that this kinase/phosphatase pair regulates transcription elongation and RNA processing at the end of protein-coding genes. Our phosphoproteomic analyses after CDK9 inhibition, using either DRB or an analog-sensitive CDK9 cell line, confirm the splicing factor SF3B1 as an additional key target of this kinase. These results emphasize the important roles that CDK9 plays in coupling transcription elongation and termination to RNA maturation downstream of the EEC. As part of this project, we characterized the interactome of SF3B1 in HeLa cells in duplicate.
Project description:CDK9 is a critical kinase required for the productive transcription of protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II) in higher eukaryotes. Phosphorylation of targets including the elongation factor SPT5 and the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA pol II allow the polymerase to pass an early elongation checkpoint (EEC), which is encountered soon after initiation. In addition to halting RNA polymerase II at the EEC, CDK9 inhibition also causes premature termination of transcription across the last exon, loss of polyadenylation factors from chromatin, and loss of polyadenylation of nascent transcripts. Inhibition of the phosphatase PP2A abrogates the premature termination and loss of polyadenylation caused by CDK9 inhibition, suggesting that CDK9 and PP2A, working together, regulate the coupling of elongation and transcription termination to RNA maturation. Our phosphoproteomic analyses, using either DRB or an analog-sensitive CDK9 cell line confirm the splicing factor SF3B1 as an additional key target of this kinase. CDK9 inhibition causes loss of interaction of splicing and export factors with SF3B1, suggesting that CDK9 also helps to co-ordinates coupling of splicing and export to transcription.
Project description:CDK9 is a kinase critical for the productive transcription of protein-coding genes by RNA polymerase II (pol II). As part of P-TEFb, CDK9 phosphorylates the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of pol II and elongation factors, which allows pol II to elongate past the early elongation checkpoint (EEC) encountered soon after initiation. We show that, in addition to halting pol II at the EEC, loss of CDK9 activity causes premature termination of transcription across the last exon, loss of polyadenylation factors from chromatin, and loss of polyadenylation of nascent transcripts. Inhibition of the phosphatase PP2A abrogates the premature termination and loss of polyadenylation caused by CDK9 inhibition, indicating that this kinase/phosphatase pair regulates transcription elongation and RNA processing at the end of protein-coding genes. We also confirm the splicing factor SF3B1 as a target of CDK9 and show that SF3B1 in complex with polyadenylation factors is lost from chromatin after CDK9 inhibition. These results emphasize the important roles that CDK9 plays in coupling transcription elongation and termination to RNA maturation downstream of the EEC.
Project description:The Pol II transcription cycle is ordered by CDKs and phosphatases. In fission yeast, Cdk9 phosphorylates carboxy-terminal repeats (CTRs) of Spt5 while inhibiting PP1 during elongation. Transcription past the cleavage and polyadenylation signal (CPS) coincides with PP1-dependent Spt5 dephosphorylation and leads to Pol II pausing with phosphorylated CTD-Ser2 (pSer2). Here we show this switch is conserved in humans: Cdk9 inhibition decreases phosphorylation of both PP1g and Spt5-Thr806 (pThr806), and induces pSer2 upstream of the CPS, whereas PP1 depletion increases pThr806. Moreover, in unperturbed cells, pThr806 is diminished in 3’-paused complexes where pSer2 is maximal. Cdk9 also phosphorylates Spt5 on Ser666, a PP1-refractory site between conserved KOW4 and KOW5 motifs; pSer666 increases upon promoter-proximal pause release and, in contrast to pThr806, persists beyond the CPS. We identify PP4—another target of inhibitory phosphorylation by Cdk9—as a pSer666 phosphatase. PP4 and PP1g are enriched at 5’ and 3’ ends of genes, respectively, consistent with pSer666 and pThr806 distributions. Therefore, distinct Cdk9-phosphatase switches operate on Spt5 at different steps in transcription.
Project description:Termination of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is a key step, that is important for 3’end formation of functional mRNA, mRNA release and Pol II recycling. Even so, this underlying termination mechanism is not yet understood. Here, we demonstrate that the conserved and essential termination factor Seb1 interacts with Pol II near the end of the RNA exit channel and the Rpb4/7 stalk. Furthermore, the Seb1 interaction surface with Pol II largely overlaps with that of the elongation factor Spt5. Notably, Seb1 co-transcriptional recruitment is dependent on Spt5 de-phosphorylation by the conserved PP1 phosphatase Dis2, which also de-phosphorylates threonine 4 within the Pol II heptad repeated C-terminal domain. We propose that Dis2 orchestrates the transition from elongation to termination phase during the transcription cycle by mediating elongation to termination factor exchange and de-phosphorylation of Pol II C-terminal domain.
Project description:Upon recruitment to active enhancers and promoters, RNA polymerase II (Pol_II) generates short non-coding transcripts of unclear function. The mechanisms that control the length and the amount of ncRNAs generated by cis-regulatory elements are largely unknown. Here, we show that the adapter protein WDR82 and its associated complexes actively limit such non-coding transcription. WDR82 targets the SET1/COMPASS H3K4 methyltransferase and the nuclear Protein Phosphatase 1 (PP1) complexes to the initiating Pol_II. WDR82 and PP1 also interact with components of the transcriptional termination and RNA processing machineries. Depletion of WDR82, SET1 or the PP1 subunit required for its nuclear import caused distinct but overlapping transcription termination defects at highly expressed genes, active enhancers and promoters, thus enabling the increased synthesis of unusually long ncRNAs. These data indicate that transcription initiated from cis-regulatory elements is tightly coordinated with termination mechanisms that impose the synthesis of short RNAs. polyA-mRNAs or 4sU-labeled RNAs from BMDMs, either untreated or treated for with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for the indicated time. Experiments were carried out in cells containing either a short hairpin targeting either of these: 1) Wdr82; 2) Set1a+Set1b; 3) Pnuts; or the empty vector (LMP) or a scrambled as a control. When specified, cells were pre-treated with 5,6-Dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB) in order to prevent RNA polymerase II elongation.