MPI Campus Seminar: How can an elongation factor convince the RNA polymerase to move along?
MPI Campus Seminar
- Datum: 20.01.2021
- Uhrzeit: 11:00 - 12:00
- Vortragende(r): Kristina Zumer
- Department of Molecular Biology
- Ort: Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie (MPIBPC)
- Raum: Online
- Gastgeber: S. Glöggler, A. Godec, A. Faesen, J. Liepe, S. Meek, A. Stein, M. Wilczek, S. Karpitschka, D. Zwicker, M. Oudelaar, L. Andreas
- Kontakt: stefan.gloeggler@mpibpc.mpg.de
The majority of human genes is transcribed to RNA by the RNA polymerase II (Pol II). Transcription is a multi-step process that is also closely linked with maturation of the RNA transcript. The main phases of transcription in metazoans are: initiation, promoter-proximal pausing, elongation and termination. This is in contrast to yeast, where promoter-proximal pausing is not observed. Also, elongation is one of the longest phases of transcription that is much longer in higher eukaryotes than in yeast.
Transcription elongation can be regulated by the controlled release from pausing, thereby controlling the number of polymerases entering transcription elongation and by the regulation of elongation velocity. The activated elongation complex is composed of the Pol II and associated elongation factors: SPT5, PAF1 complex and SPT6.
We investigated how the PAF1 complex and SPT6 influence Pol II transcription in cells by individually rapidly depleting several PAF1 complex subunits and SPT6 and monitoring activity and occupancy of Pol II. We find that all these factors stimulate transcription, although in different ways. Loss of PAF1 complex subunit, RTF1, lead to decreased transcription velocity, whereas loss of SPT6 impaired progression through nucleosomes. Our results also provide further evidence of two barriers to transcription elongation at the beginning of genes, the promoter-proximal pause site and the +1 nucleosome.
Transcription elongation can be regulated by the controlled release from pausing, thereby controlling the number of polymerases entering transcription elongation and by the regulation of elongation velocity. The activated elongation complex is composed of the Pol II and associated elongation factors: SPT5, PAF1 complex and SPT6.
We investigated how the PAF1 complex and SPT6 influence Pol II transcription in cells by individually rapidly depleting several PAF1 complex subunits and SPT6 and monitoring activity and occupancy of Pol II. We find that all these factors stimulate transcription, although in different ways. Loss of PAF1 complex subunit, RTF1, lead to decreased transcription velocity, whereas loss of SPT6 impaired progression through nucleosomes. Our results also provide further evidence of two barriers to transcription elongation at the beginning of genes, the promoter-proximal pause site and the +1 nucleosome.