Project description:ChIP-chip was performed to identify the genomic binding locations for the termination factors Nrd1, and Rtt103, and for RNA polymerase (Pol) II phosphorylated at the tyrosine 1 and threonine 4 position of its C-terminal domain (CTD). In different phases of the transcription cycle, Pol II recruits different factors via its CTD, which consists of heptapeptide repeats with the sequence Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7. Here we show that the CTD of transcribing yeast Pol II is phosphorylated at Tyr1, and that this impairs recruitment of termination factors. Tyr1 phosphorylation levels rise downstream of the transcription start site (TSS), and decrease before the polyadenylation (pA) site. Tyr1-phosphorylated gene bodies are depleted of CTD-binding termination factors Nrd1, Pcf11, and Rtt103. Tyr1 phosphorylation blocks CTD binding by these termination factors, but stimulates binding of elongation factor Spt6. These results show that CTD modifications can not only stimulate but also block factor recruitment, and lead to an extended CTD code for transcription cycle coordination.
Project description:In Saccharomyces cerevisiae short non-coding RNA (ncRNA) generated by RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) are terminated by the NRD complex consisting of Nrd1, Nab3 and Sen1. We now show that Pcf11, a component of the cleavage and polyadenylation complex (CPAC), is generally required for NRD-dependent transcription termination through the action of its CTD interacting domain (CID). Pcf11 localizes downstream of Nrd1 on NRD terminators, and its recruitment depends on Nrd1. Furthermore mutation of the Pcf11 CID results in Nrd1 retention on chromatin, delayed degradation of ncRNA and restricts Pol II CTD Ser2 phosphorylation and Sen1-Pol II interaction. Finally, the pcf11-13 and sen1-1 mutant phenotypes are very similar as both accumulate RNA:DNA hybrids and display Pol II pausing downstream of NRD terminators. We predict a mechanism whereby Nrd1 and Pcf11 exchange on chromatin facilitates Pol II pausing and CTD Ser2-P phosphorylation. This in turn promotes Sen1 activity that is required for NRD-dependent transcription termination in vivo.
Project description:The carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of Rpb1, the largest component of the 12-subunit RNA polymerase II, consists of repeating Y1S2P3T4S5P6S7 heptapeptides (26 repeats in budding yeast). Each stage of transcription relies on the ordered recruitment and exchange of specific protein complexes that act on RNA polymerase II, its nascent transcripts, and the underlying chromatin. This dynamic process is orchestrated via patterned post-translational modifications of the CTD. To characterize the role of phosphorylation on Thr4, we examined the effect of Rpb1 alleles in which Thr4 was substituted with an alanine (T4A) or the phospho-mimic glutamate (T4E). Substitutions were made across all heptad repeats of the CTD.
We affinity purified HA-tagged Rpb1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains bearing WT, T4A, and T4E CTDs. A control strain (Z26) lacking the HA-tagged Rpb1 was subjected to an identical affinity enrichment procedure. Three biological replicates were acquired for each type of affinity purification and analyzed independently. After TCA-precipitation, proteins were urea-denatured, reduced, alkylated, then digested with endoproteinase LysC followed by trypsin. The resulting peptide mixtures were analyzed by Multidimensional Protein Identification Technology (MudPIT). Label-free quantitative proteomics was used to identify and quantify the relative abundance of affinity-enriched complexes.
Project description:In Saccharomyces cerevisiae short non-coding RNA (ncRNA) generated by RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) are terminated by the NRD complex consisting of Nrd1, Nab3 and Sen1. We now show that Pcf11, a component of the cleavage and polyadenylation complex (CPAC), is generally required for NRD-dependent transcription termination through the action of its CTD interacting domain (CID). Pcf11 localizes downstream of Nrd1 on NRD terminators, and its recruitment depends on Nrd1. Furthermore mutation of the Pcf11 CID results in Nrd1 retention on chromatin, delayed degradation of ncRNA and restricts Pol II CTD Ser2 phosphorylation and Sen1-Pol II interaction. Finally, the pcf11-13 and sen1-1 mutant phenotypes are very similar as both accumulate RNA:DNA hybrids and display Pol II pausing downstream of NRD terminators. We predict a mechanism whereby Nrd1 and Pcf11 exchange on chromatin facilitates Pol II pausing and CTD Ser2-P phosphorylation. This in turn promotes Sen1 activity that is required for NRD-dependent transcription termination in vivo. ChIP-seq with antibody against pol II in wild type and Pcf11 mutants: Pcf11-2, Pcf11-9 and Pcf11-13 grown at 25C and 37C along with input samples
Project description:Transcription termination is key to gene regulation as it prevents transcription interference with neighboring genes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, termination at protein-coding genes is coupled to the cleavage of the nascent transcript, while most non-coding RNA transcription relies on a cleavage-independent termination pathway involving Nrd1, Nab3 and the helicase Sen1 (NNS pathway). In both pathways, the recruitment of termination factors involves phosphorylated forms of the RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain (CTD) but the contribution of individual CTD residues was never systematically investigated. Here, we investigated the impact of mutating phosphorylation sites in the CTD on termination. We observed widespread termination defects at protein-coding genes in mutants for Ser2 or Thr4 but rare defects in Tyr1 mutants for this class of genes. Instead, mutating Tyr1, or its phosphatase Glc7, led to widespread termination defects at non-coding genes known to terminate via the NNS pathway. These defects can be suppressed by slowing down transcription, suggesting that Tyr1 mediates termination via the regulation of elongation or pausing. Our work redefines the role of Tyr1 in termination at protein-coding genes in budding yeast and highlights its key role in termination by the NNS pathway.