Project description:Large heteromeric multiprotein complexes play pivotal roles at every step of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Among them, the 20-subunits basal transcription factor TFIID nucleates RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex at gene promoters. Here, by combining systematic RNA-immunoprecipitation experiments, single-molecule imaging, proteomics and structure-function analyses, we show that TFIID is built using co-translational assembly. We discovered that all early steps of TFIID assembly, involving protein heterodimerization, happen during protein synthesis. Strikingly, we identify TAF1 – the largest protein in the complex – as a flexible scaffold subunit that co-translationally recruits preassembled TFIID submodules found populating the cytoplasm of cells. Consequently, TAF1 depletion leads to a cytoplasmic accumulation of TFIID building blocks. Altogether, our data suggest a multistep hierarchical model for TFIID biogenesis that culminates with the co-translational assembly on nascent TAF1 polypeptide, that works as a ‘driver’ subunit. We envision that this assembly strategy could be shared with other large heteromeric protein complexes.
Project description:TFIID is a central player in activated transcription initiation. Recent evidence suggests that the role and composition of TFIID is more diverse than previously understood. To investigate the effects of changing the composition of TFIID in a simple system we depleted TAF1 from Drosophila cells and determined the consequences on metal induced transcription at an inducible gene, Metallothionein B (MtnB). We observe a marked increase in the levels of both the mature message and pre-mRNA in TAF1 depleted cells. Under conditions of continued metal exposure, we show that TAF1 depletion increases the magnitude of the initial transcription burst, but has no effect on the timing of that burst. We also show that TAF1 depletion causes delay in the shut-off of transcription upon removal of the stimulus. Thus TAFs are involved in both establishing an upper limit of transcription during induction and efficiently turning the gene off once the inducer is removed. Using genomewide nascent-seq we identify hundreds of genes that are controlled in a similar manner indicating that the findings at this inducible gene are likely generalizable to a large set of promoters. There is a long-standing appreciation for the importance of the spatial and temporal control of transcription. Here we uncover an important third dimension of control, the magnitude of the response. Our results show that the magnitude of the transcriptional response to the same signaling event, even at the same promoter, can vary greatly depending on the composition of the TFIID complex in the cell. Nascent RNA was sequenced from replicate samples of Drosophila S2 cells treated with double-stranded RNA directed against E. coli LacI (Control) or against Drosophlia TAF1 (experimental). Reads per kilo-base per million (RPKM) was determined for each gene and the control and experimental samples were compared to determine the genes that were affected by the depletion of TAF1.
Project description:TFIID plays a central role in regulating the expression of most eukaryotic genes. Of the 14 TAF subunits that compose TFIID, TAF1 is one of the largest and most functionally diverse. Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) TAF1 reportedly possesses at least four distinct activities including a histone acetyltransferase, and TBP, TAF, and promoter binding. Establishing the importance of each region in gene expression through deletion analysis has been hampered by the cellular requirement of TAF1 for viability. To circumvent this limitation we introduced galactose-inducible deletion derivatives of previously defined functional regions of TAF1 into a temperature sensitive taf1ts2 yeast strain. After galactose-induction and temperature inactivation of the temperature-sensitive allele, we examined the properties and phenotypes of the mutants, including their impact on genome-wide transcription. Virtually all TAF1-dependent genes, which comprise ~90% of the yeast genome, displayed a strong dependency upon all regions of TAF1 that were tested. This might reflect the need for each region of TAF1 to stabilize TAF1 against degradation or that all TAF1-dependent genes require the many activities of TAF1. Paradoxically, deletion of the region of TAF1 that is important for promoter binding interfered with the expression of many genes that are normally TFIID-independent/SAGA-dominated, suggesting that this region normally prevents TAF1 (TFIID) from interfering with the expression of SAGA-regulated genes. Keywords: genetic modification
Project description:General transcription factors (GTFs) are required for RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to initiate transcription at promoters. In this study, we determined the effects of acute depletion of TBP, TAF1, TAF4, TFIIB, and XPB in HAP1 cells. We performed precision nuclear run-on sequencing (PRO-Seq) and quantified nascent transcripts arising from more than 70,000 promoters. The average dependencies for each factor across all promoters varied widely even though levels of depletions were similar. Many of the effects could be attributed to the presence or absence of core promoter elements. Depletion of TBP had a large effect on only a small fraction of Pol II and Pol III promoters. TFIIB depletion also led to readthrough transcription downstream of the 3′ ends of genes. We conclude that promoter activity is influenced by recruitment of TFIID, sequence-specific transcription factors, and interaction of the preinitiation complex (PIC) with the +1 nucleosome.
Project description:Previous studies suggested that expression of most yeast mRNAs is dominated by either transcription factor TFIID or SAGA. We reexamined this longstanding problem by rapid depletion of TFIID subunits and measurement of changes in nascent transcription. We find that transcription of nearly all mRNAs is strongly dependent on TFIID function. Degron-dependent depletion of Tafs 1,2,7,11, and 13 showed similar transcription decreases for genes in the Taf1-depleted, Taf1-enriched, TATA-containing and TATA-less gene classes. The magnitude of TFIID-dependence varies with growth conditions, although this variation is similar at all gene classes. Many studies have suggested differences in gene regulatory mechanisms between TATA and TATA-less genes and these differences have been attributed in part to differential dependence on SAGA or TFIID. Our work indicates that TFIID contributes significantly to expression of nearly all yeast mRNAs and that differences in regulation between these two gene classes is due to other properties.
Project description:TFIID is a central player in activated transcription initiation. Recent evidence suggests that the role and composition of TFIID is more diverse than previously understood. To investigate the effects of changing the composition of TFIID in a simple system we depleted TAF1 from Drosophila cells and determined the consequences on metal induced transcription at an inducible gene, Metallothionein B (MtnB). We observe a marked increase in the levels of both the mature message and pre-mRNA in TAF1 depleted cells. Under conditions of continued metal exposure, we show that TAF1 depletion increases the magnitude of the initial transcription burst, but has no effect on the timing of that burst. We also show that TAF1 depletion causes delay in the shut-off of transcription upon removal of the stimulus. Thus TAFs are involved in both establishing an upper limit of transcription during induction and efficiently turning the gene off once the inducer is removed. Using genomewide nascent-seq we identify hundreds of genes that are controlled in a similar manner indicating that the findings at this inducible gene are likely generalizable to a large set of promoters. There is a long-standing appreciation for the importance of the spatial and temporal control of transcription. Here we uncover an important third dimension of control, the magnitude of the response. Our results show that the magnitude of the transcriptional response to the same signaling event, even at the same promoter, can vary greatly depending on the composition of the TFIID complex in the cell.
Project description:TFIID and SAGA share a common set of TAFs, regulate chromatin, and deliver TBP to promoters. Here we examine their relationship within the context of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome-wide regulatory network. We find that while TFIID and SAGA make overlapping contributions to the expression of all genes, TFIID function predominates at ~90% and SAGA at ~10% of the measurable genome. Strikingly, SAGA-dominated genes are largely stress-induced and TAF-independent, and are down-regulated by the coordinate action of a variety of chromatin, TBP, and RNA polymerase II regulators. In contrast, the TFIID-dominated class is less regulated, but is highly dependent upon TAFs including those shared between TFIID and SAGA. These two distinct modes of transcription regulation might reflect the need to balance inducible stress responses with the steady output of housekeeping genes. Keywords = Taf1 Keywords = Spt3 Keywords = Gcn5
Project description:The multisubunit TFIID plays a direct role in transcription initiation by binding to core promoter elements and directing preinitiation complex assembly. Although TFIID may also function as a coactivator through direct interactions with promoter-bound activators, mechanistic aspects of this poorly defined function remain unclear. Here biochemical studies show a direct TFIID-E protein interaction that (i) is mediated through interaction of a novel E protein activation domain (AD3) with the TAF homology (TAFH) domain of TAF4, (ii) is critical for activation of a natural target gene by an E protein and (iii) mechanistically, acts by enhancing TFIID binding to the core promoter. Complementary assays establish a gene-specific role for the TAFH domain in TFIID recruitment and gene activation in vivo. These results firmly establish TAF4 as a bona fide E protein coactivator, as well as a mechanism involving facilitated TFIID binding through direct interaction with an E protein activation domain. Genome-wide profiling of mRNA levels in MEF lines with Taf4 loxp/- (ctrl), Taf4 -/- (ko), Taf4 -/- Tg:hTAF4 wt, and Taf4 -/- Tg: hTAF4 ? (TAFH-deleted).
Project description:TFIID and SAGA share a common set of TAFs, regulate chromatin, and deliver TBP to promoters. Here we examine their relationship within the context of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome-wide regulatory network. We find that while TFIID and SAGA make overlapping contributions to the expression of all genes, TFIID function predominates at ~90% and SAGA at ~10% of the measurable genome. Strikingly, SAGA-dominated genes are largely stress-induced and TAF-independent, and are down-regulated by the coordinate action of a variety of chromatin, TBP, and RNA polymerase II regulators. In contrast, the TFIID-dominated class is less regulated, but is highly dependent upon TAFs including those shared between TFIID and SAGA. These two distinct modes of transcription regulation might reflect the need to balance inducible stress responses with the steady output of housekeeping genes. Keywords = Taf1 Keywords = Spt3 Keywords = Gcn5 Keywords: other
Project description:The nuclear receptor HNF4A regulates embryonic and post-natal hepatocyte gene expression. Using hepatocyte-specific inactivation in mice, we show that the TAF4 subunit of TFIID acts as a cofactor for HNF4A in vivo and that HNF4A interacts directly with the TAF4-TAF12 heterodimer in vitro. In vivo, TAF4 is required to maintain HNF4A-directed embryonic gene expression at post-natal stages and for HNF4A-directed activation of post-natal gene expression. TAF4 promotes HNF4A occupancy of functional cis-regulatory elements located adjacent to the transcription start sites of post-natal expressed genes and for pre-initiation complex formation required for their expression. Promoter-proximal HNF4A-TFIID interactions are therefore required for pre-initiation complex formation and stable HNF4A occupancy of regulatory elements as two concomitant mutually dependent processes. RNA profiles in wild-type and Taf4-/- livers by deep sequencing