Project description:H3 ChIP and input DNA were hybridized to Affymetrix GeneChip S. cerevisiae Tiling 1.0R Array Genome-wide mapping of nucleosomes generated by micrococcal nuclease (MNase) suggests that yeast promoter and terminator regions are very depleted of nucleosomes, predominantly because their DNA sequences intrinsically disfavor nucleosome formation. However, MNase has strong DNA sequence specificity that favors cleavage at promoters and terminators and accounts for some of the correlation between occupancy patterns of nucleosomes assembled in vivo and in vitro. Using an improved method for measuring nucleosome occupancy in vivo that does not involve MNase, we confirm that promoter regions are strongly depleted of nucleosomes, but find that terminator regions are much less depleted than expected. Unlike at promoter regions, nucleosome occupancy at terminators is strongly correlated with the orientation of and distance to adjacent genes. In addition, nucleosome occupancy at terminators is strongly affected by growth conditions, indicating that it is not primarily determined by intrinsic histone-DNA interactions. Rapid removal of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) causes increased nucleosome occupancy at terminators, strongly suggesting a transcription-based mechanism of nucleosome depletion. However, the distinct behavior of terminator regions and their corresponding coding regions suggests that nucleosome depletion at terminators is not simply associated with passage of Pol II, but rather involves a distinct mechanism linked to 3’ end formation.
Project description:Transcription termination in bacteria can occur either via Rho-dependent or independent (intrinsic) mechanisms. Intrinsic terminators are composed of a stem-loop RNA structure followed by a uridine stretch and are known to terminate in a precise manner. In contrast, Rho-dependent terminators have more loosely defined characteristics and are thought to terminate in a diffuse manner. While transcripts ending in an intrinsic terminator are protected from 3’-5’ exonuclease digestion due to the stem-loop structure of the terminator, it remains unclear what protects Rho-dependent transcripts from being degraded. In this study, we mapped the exact steady-state RNA 3’ ends of hundreds of E. coli genes terminated either by Rho-dependent or independent mechanisms. We found that transcripts generated from Rho-dependent termination have precise 3’-ends at steady state. These termini were localized immediately downstream of energetically stable stem-loop structures, which were not followed by uridine rich sequences. We provide evidence that these structures protect Rho-dependent transcripts from 3’-5’ exonucleases such as PNPase and RNase II, and present data localizing the Rho-utilization (rut) sites immediately downstream of these protective structures. This study represents the first extensive in-vivo map of exact RNA 3’-ends of Rho-dependent transcripts in E. coli.
Project description:RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription involves initiation from promoters, transcript elongation through the gene body, and cessation of transcription in the downstream terminator regions. In contrast to bacteria, where terminators often contain specific DNA elements to direct RNAP dissociation1, termination by RNAPII is thought to be driven entirely by protein co-factors1-3. Here we use biochemical reconstitution to shed new light on RNAPII termination. Unexpectedly, transcription through a terminator region by pure RNAPII results in a significant amount of intrinsic polymerase dissociation at specific sequences containing T-tracts. A combination of biochemistry and single molecule analysis indicates that such intrinsic termination involves pausing without backtracking prior to spontaneous RNAPII dissociation from the DNA template. Importantly, while the ‘torpedo’ Rat1-Rai1 RNA exonuclease (XRN2 in humans) works inefficiently on paused or stopped polymerases, it greatly stimulates intrinsic termination. By contrast, elongation factor Spt4-Spt5 (DSIF in humans) suppresses such termination. Genome-wide analysis in yeast using 3’-end sequencing further supports the idea that transcriptional termination occurs by transcript cleavage at the polyA site exposing a new RNA-end that allows loading of the Rat1-Rai1 torpedo, which then catches up with a destabilised RNAPII at intrinsic termination sites containing T-tracts to terminate transcription.
Project description:RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription involves initiation from promoters, transcript elongation through the gene body, and cessation of transcription in the downstream terminator regions. In contrast to bacteria, where terminators often contain specific DNA elements to direct RNAP dissociation1, termination by RNAPII is thought to be driven entirely by protein co-factors1-3. Here we use biochemical reconstitution to shed new light on RNAPII termination. Unexpectedly, transcription through a terminator region by pure RNAPII results in a significant amount of intrinsic polymerase dissociation at specific sequences containing T-tracts. A combination of biochemistry and single molecule analysis indicates that such intrinsic termination involves pausing without backtracking prior to spontaneous RNAPII dissociation from the DNA template. Importantly, while the ‘torpedo’ Rat1-Rai1 RNA exonuclease (XRN2 in humans) works inefficiently on paused or stopped polymerases, it greatly stimulates intrinsic termination. By contrast, elongation factor Spt4-Spt5 (DSIF in humans) suppresses such termination. Genome-wide analysis in yeast using 3’-end sequencing further supports the idea that transcriptional termination occurs by transcript cleavage at the polyA site exposing a new RNA-end that allows loading of the Rat1-Rai1 torpedo, which then catches up with a destabilised RNAPII at intrinsic termination sites containing T-tracts to terminate transcription.
Project description:Canonical bacterial intrinsic terminators do not require additional factors for efficient transcription termination, although the general transcription elongation factor NusA was known to increase the termination efficiency slightly in vitro. We found that the effect of NusA varies widely among different terminators and identified a subclass of weak non-canonical terminators that largely depend on NusA for recognition by RNA polymerase. Using genome-wide 3â end-mapping on an engineered Bacillus subtilis NusA depletion strain, we identified >2000 intrinsic terminators, hundreds of which are NusA-dependent. Our in vitro and in vivo characterization showed that terminators with weak RNA hairpins and distal U-tract interruptions tend to be NusA-dependent. Our observations indicate that the lethality associated with deletion of nusA is caused by global readthrough of NusA-dependent terminators, resulting in misregulation of physiologically important downstream genes. We also show that nusA expression is autoregulated by a transcription attenuation mechanism that is mediated by NusA-dependent termination. 3' end-mapping and mRNA profiling of stationary phase B. subtilis NusA-depletion (PLBS802) strain in NusA expressing and depleted conditions, 6 replicates each.
Project description:Canonical bacterial intrinsic terminators do not require additional factors for efficient transcription termination, although the general transcription elongation factor NusA was known to increase the termination efficiency slightly in vitro. We found that the effect of NusA varies widely among different terminators and identified a subclass of weak non-canonical terminators that largely depend on NusA for recognition by RNA polymerase. Using genome-wide 3’ end-mapping on an engineered Bacillus subtilis NusA depletion strain, we identified >2000 intrinsic terminators, hundreds of which are NusA-dependent. Our in vitro and in vivo characterization showed that terminators with weak RNA hairpins and distal U-tract interruptions tend to be NusA-dependent. Our observations indicate that the lethality associated with deletion of nusA is caused by global readthrough of NusA-dependent terminators, resulting in misregulation of physiologically important downstream genes. We also show that nusA expression is autoregulated by a transcription attenuation mechanism that is mediated by NusA-dependent termination.
Project description:To investigate the architecture of the E. coli K-12 transcriptome, we used two RNA-Seq technologies to analyze strand-specific transcription at single-nucleotide resolution. We analyzed the data by using an organizational schema to annotate the promoters and terminators that define transcription units across the genome. Our results showed that most (ca. two-thirds) operons have a single promoter and terminator, whereas one-third of operons contain multiple transcription units. We found substantial evidence for differential gene expression within complex operons, which we categorized based on operon architecture.
Project description:To investigate the architecture of the E. coli K-12 transcriptome, we used two RNA-Seq technologies to analyze strand-specific transcription at single-nucleotide resolution. We analyzed the data by using an organizational schema to annotate the promoters and terminators that define transcription units across the genome. Our results showed that most (ca. two-thirds) operons have a single promoter and terminator, whereas one-third of operons contain multiple transcription units. We found substantial evidence for differential gene expression within complex operons, which we categorized based on operon architecture. E. coli K-12 strain MG1655 substrain BW38028 and isogenic rpoS mutant were cultured in minimal glucose media and the total transcriptome of log and stationary phase samples was sequenced.