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Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

High levels of gene transcription by RNA polymerase II depend on high rates of transcription initiation and reinitiation. Initiation requires recruitment of the complete transcription machinery to a promoter, a process facilitated by activators and chromatin remodelling factors. Reinitiation probably occurs through a different pathway. After initiation, a subset of the transcription machinery remains at the promoter, forming a platform for assembly of a second transcription complex. Here we describe the isolation of a reinitiation intermediate that includes transcription factors TFIID, TFIIA, TFIIH, TFIIE and Mediator. This intermediate can act as a scaffold for formation of a functional reinitiation complex. Formation of this scaffold is dependent on ATP and TFIIH. The scaffold is stabilized in the presence of the activator Gal4-VP16, but not Gal4-AH, suggesting a new role for some activators and Mediator in promoting high levels of transcription.
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PMID:A transcription reinitiation intermediate that is stabilized by activator. 1108 79

TFIIA and TATA-binding protein (TBP) associate directly at the TATA element of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II. In vivo, TBP is complexed with approximately 14 TBP-associated factors (TAFs) to form the general transcription factor TFIID. How TFIIA and TFIID communicate is not well understood. We show that in addition to making direct contacts with TBP, yeast TAF40 interacts directly and specifically with TFIIA. Mutational analyses of the Toa2 subunit of TFIIA indicate that loss of functional interaction between TFIIA and TAF40 results in conditional growth phenotypes and defects in transcription. These results demonstrate that the TFIIA-TAF40 interaction is important in vivo and indicate a functional role for TAF40 as a bridging factor between TFIIA and TFIID.
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PMID:TFIIA interacts with TFIID via association with TATA-binding protein and TAF40. 1123 11

General transcription factors TFIIA, B, D, E, F, H, and RNA polymerase II (Pol II) are required for accurate initiation of Pol II transcription. The TATA binding protein (TBP), a subunit of TFIID, is responsible for recognition of the TATA box, a core element shared by a category of class II promoters [1]. Recently, novel TBP-like factors (TLFs) have been described in metazoan organisms [2]. In spite of the numerous in vitro studies describing the general role of TBP in RNA polymerase II (Pol lI) transcription initiation, the precise function of TBP and the newly described TLF is poorly understood in vivo. We inhibited TBP and TLF function in zebrafish embryos to study the role of these factors during zygotic transcription. A dominant-negative variant of TLF mRNA and a TBP morpholino antisense oligo was used to block either TLF or TBP function. Both TBP- or TLF-blocked embryos developed normally until the midblastula stage; however, they then failed to gastrulate. Several zygotic regulatory genes were downregulated by a block in either TBP or TLF function, while others were differentially affected. These results suggest that TBP is not universally required for Pol II transcription in vertebrates and that there is a differential requirement for TBP and TLF during early embryogenesis.
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PMID:TBP is not universally required for zygotic RNA polymerase II transcription in zebrafish. 1125 Jan 59

A topological model for transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) has recently been proposed. This model stipulates that wrapping of the promoter DNA around RNAPII and the general initiation factors TBP, TFIIB, TFIIE, TFIIF and TFIIH induces a torsional strain in the DNA double helix that facilitates strand separation and open complex formation. In this report, we show that TFIIA, a factor previously shown to both stimulate basal transcription and have co-activator functions, is located near the cross-point of the DNA loop where it can interact with TBP, TFIIE56, TFIIE34, and the RNAPII-associated protein (RAP) 74. In addition, we demonstrate that TFIIA can stimulate basal transcription by stimulating the functions of both TFIIE34 and RAP74 during the initiation step of the transcription reaction. These results provide novel insights into mechanisms of TFIIA function.
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PMID:Structural and functional interactions of transcription factor (TF) IIA with TFIIE and TFIIF in transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II. 1150 74

TFIIB is an RNA polymerase II general transcription factor (GTF) that has also been implicated in the mechanism of action of certain promoter-specific activators (see, for examples, [1-11]). TFIIB enters the preinitiation complex (PIC) primarily through contact with the TATA box binding protein (TBP), an interaction mediated by three TBP residues [12-14]. To study the role of TFIIB in transcription activation in vivo, we randomly mutagenized these three residues in yeast TBP and screened for promoter-specific activation mutants. One mutant bearing a single conservative substitution, TBP-E186D, is the focus of this study. As expected, TBP-E186D binds normally to the TATA box but fails to support the entry of TFIIB into the PIC. Cells expressing TBP-E186D are viable but have a severe slow-growth phenotype. Whole-genome expression analysis indicates that transcription of 17% of yeast genes are compromised by this mutation. Chimeric promoter analysis indicates that the region of the gene that confers sensitivity to the TBP-E186D mutation is the UAS (upstream activating sequence), which contains the activator binding sites. Most interestingly, other TBP mutants that interfere with different interactions (TFIIB, TFIIA, or the TATA box) and a TFIIB mutant defective for interaction with TBP all manifest distinct and selective promoter-specific activation defects. Our results implicate the entry of TFIIB into the PIC as a critical step in the activation of certain promoters and reveal diverse mechanisms of transcription activation.
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PMID:Promoter-specific activation defects by a novel yeast TBP mutant compromised for TFIIB interaction. 1171 23

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a cytokine critical for the proper stimulation of T-cells during the mammalian immune response. Shortly after T-cell stimulation, transcription of the IL-2 gene is upregulated. Here, we studied the kinetic mechanism of basal transcription at the IL-2 promoter using a human in vitro RNA polymerase II transcription system. We experimentally divided the transcription reaction into discrete steps, including preinitiation complex formation, initiation, escape commitment, and promoter escape. Using pre-steady state approaches, we measured the rate at which each of these steps occurs. We found that the rate of functional preinitiation complex formation limits the overall rate of transcription at the IL-2 promoter under the conditions described here. Furthermore, we found that the recruitment of TFIIF and RNA polymerase II to a TFIID/TFIIA/TFIIB/promoter complex dictates the rate of preinitiation complex formation. The rate of synthesis of 28 nt RNA from preinitiation complexes was rapid compared to the rate of preinitiation complex formation. Moreover, we found that the synthesis of a four nucleotide RNA was necessary and sufficient to rapidly complete the escape commitment step of transcription at the IL-2 promoter. Comparative experiments with the adenovirus major late promoter revealed that, while the overall mechanism of transcription is the same at the two promoters, promoter sequence and/or architecture dictate the rate of promoter escape. We present a kinetic model for a single round of basal transcription at the IL-2 promoter that provides insight into mechanisms by which the IL-2 gene is transcriptionally regulated.
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PMID:Kinetic and mechanistic analysis of the RNA polymerase II transcrption reaction at the human interleukin-2 promoter. 1174 17

DNA sequences that determine transcriptional regulation of a typical eukaryotic gene consist of a core promoter, which serves as a binding site for the GTF TFIID, and regulatory promoter or enhancer sequences, which bind transcriptional activators. The RNA polymerase II transcription machinery consists of over 50 proteins which are thought to bind to the core promoter in as few as two steps: binding of TFIIA-TFIID, followed by binding of a large pre-assembled holoenzyme complex consisting of the remaining GTFs, RNA polymerase II and associated regulatory proteins. Activators function to increase binding of the transcription machinery to the promoter in at least two ways: (i) simple protein-protein interactions with activators increases the affinity of the transcription machinery for the promoter, and (ii) some activators stabilize a conformation of the TFIIA-TFIID-DNA complex that enhances binding of the holoenzyme. Recent studies have identified many co-activators that function with activators to increase transcription by the RNA polymerase II transcription machinery. Although some co-activators may serve as bridges to connect activators with the transcription machinery, the mechanism of action of many co-activators has not yet been determined.
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PMID:Regulation of the initiation of eukaryotic transcription. 1175 55

When targeted to sequences adjacent to a TATA element, pyrrole-imidazole (Py-Im) polyamides inhibit the DNA binding activity of TATA box binding protein (TBP) and basal transcription by RNA polymerase II. In the present study, we scanned the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 promoter for polyamide inhibition of TBP binding and transcription using a series of DNA constructs in which a polyamide binding site was placed at various distances from the TATA box. Polyamide interference with either TBP-DNA or TFIID-TFIIA-DNA contacts both upstream and downstream of the TATA element resulted in inhibition of transcription. Our results define important protein-DNA interactions outside of the TATA element and suggest that transcription inhibition of selected gene promoters can be achieved with polyamides that target unique sequences within these promoters at a distance from the TATA element. Our studies also demonstrate the utility of the Py-Im polyamides for discovery of functionally important protein-DNA contacts involved in transcription.
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PMID:Promoter scanning for transcription inhibition with DNA-binding polyamides. 1186 52

The assembly and stability of the RNA polymerase II transcription preinitiation complex on a eukaryotic core promoter involves the effects of TFIIA on the interaction between TATA-binding protein (TBP) and DNA. To extend our understanding of these interactions, we characterized properties of ALF, a germ cell-specific TFIIA-like factor. ALF was able to stabilize the binding of TBP to DNA, but it could not stabilize TBP mutants A184E, N189E, E191R, and R205E nor could it facilitate binding of the TBP-like factor TRF2/TLF to a consensus TATA element. However, phosphorylation of ALF with casein kinase II resulted in the partial restoration of complex formation using mutant TBPs. Studies of ALF-TBP complexes formed on the Adenovirus Major Late (AdML) promoter revealed protection of the TATA box and upstream sequences from -38 to -20 (top strand) and -40 to -22 (bottom strand). The half-life and apparent K(D) of this complex was determined to be 650 min and 4.8 +/- 2.7 nm, respectively. The presence of ALF or TFIIA did not significantly alter the ability of TBP to bind TATA elements from several testis-specific genes. Finally, analysis of the distinct, nonhomologous internal regions of ALF and TFIIAalpha/beta using circular dichroism spectroscopy provided the first evidence to suggest that these domains are unordered, a result consistent with other genetic and biochemical properties. Overall, the results show that while the sequence and regulation of the ALF gene are distinct from its somatic cell counterpart TFIIAalpha/beta, the TFIIAgamma-dependent interactions of these factors with TBP are nearly indistinguishable in vitro. Thus, a role for ALF in the assembly and stabilization of initiation complexes in germ cells is likely to be similar or identical to the role of TFIIA in somatic cells.
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PMID:The germ cell-specific transcription factor ALF. Structural properties and stabilization of the TATA-binding protein (TBP)-DNA complex. 1210 78

Transcription in eukaryotic cells requires the remodeling of chromatin and the assembly of functional preinitiation complexes (PICs), which contain the general transcription factors (GTFs), RNA polymerase II (Pol II), and coactivators. Genetic and biochemical studies have implicated the multisubunit Mediator coactivator complex (Med) as a critical component of the PIC, a direct target of activators, and a checkpoint for regulated gene expression during differentiation, development (reviewed in ), signaling, and oncogenesis. In this report, we show that a complex containing the activator GAL4-VP16, Med, and TFIID/TFIIA (DA) recruits pol II and the remaining GTFs to a model promoter in vitro. A preassembled DAMed complex bypasses the requirement for an activator. We also demonstrate that coordinated assembly of DAMed is essential to establishing a functional PIC. We conclude that the DAMed complex generates a platform that supports activated levels of PIC assembly and transcription.
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PMID:Assembly of a mediator/TFIID/TFIIA complex bypasses the need for an activator. 1272 37


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