Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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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)

The activity of cyclin-dependent protein kinases (cdks) is physiologically regulated by phosphorylation, association with the specific cyclin subunits, and repression by specific cdk inhibitors. All three physiological regulatory mechanisms are specific for one or more cdks, but none is known to be substrate specific. In contrast, synthetic cdk peptide inhibitors that specifically inhibit cdk phosphorylation of only some substrates, "aptamers," have been described. Here, we show that PC4, a naturally occurring transcriptional coactivator, competitively inhibits cdk-1, -2, and -7-mediated phosphorylation of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII), but it does not inhibit phosphorylation of other substrates of the same kinases. Interestingly, the phosphorylated form of PC4 is devoid of kinase inhibitory activity. We also show that wild-type PC4 but not the kinase inhibitory-deficient mutant of PC4 represses transcription in vivo. Our results point to a novel role for PC4 as a specific inhibitor of RNAPII phosphorylation.
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PMID:Human PC4 is a substrate-specific inhibitor of RNA polymerase II phosphorylation. 1069 95

Transcription factor (TF) IID, comprised of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TBP-associated factors (TAFs), is a general transcription factor required for RNA polymerase II (pol II) transcription on most eukaryotic genes. Recent findings that TAFs may not be globally required for activator-dependent transcription in vivo and in vitro and that both TAF-dependent and TAF-independent promoters are found in yeast suggest that transcriptional activation can occur through at least two different pathways, depending on the presence or absence of TAFs. Using order-of-addition and template challenge assays performed in a human cell-free transcription system reconstituted with recombinant general transcription factors (TFIIB, TBP, TFIIE, TFIIF), a recombinant general cofactor (PC4), and highly purified epitope-tagged multiprotein complexes (TFIID, TFIIH, pol II), we demonstrate that when TBP is used as the TATA-binding factor transcriptional activators such as Gal4-VP16 and human papillomavirus E2 mainly function by facilitating pol II entry to the promoter region. In contrast, when TFIID is used as the TATA-binding factor, promoter recognition by TFIID appears to be the rate-limiting step facilitated by transcriptional activators during preinitiation complex assembly. Using protein-protein pull-down and far-Western analyses, we further show that the presence of TAFs in TFIID facilitates the recruitment of pol II by transcriptional activators, thereby switching the rate-limiting step from pol II entry to promoter recognition. Our findings thus provide distinct molecular mechanisms for TAF-independent and TAF-dependent activation.
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PMID:TATA-binding protein-associated factors enhance the recruitment of RNA polymerase II by transcriptional activators. 1145 28

Mediator is a general cofactor implicated in the functions of many transcriptional activators. Although Mediator with different protein compositions has been isolated, it remains unclear how Mediator facilitates activator-dependent transcription, independent of its general stimulation of basal transcription. To define the mechanisms of Mediator function, we isolated two forms of human Mediator complexes (Mediator-P.5 and Mediator-P.85) and demonstrated that Mediator-P.5 clearly functions by enhancing activator-mediated recruitment of RNA polymerase II (pol II), whereas Mediator-P.85 works mainly by stimulating overall basal transcription. The coactivator function of Mediator-P.5 was not impaired when TATA-binding protein (TBP) was used in place of TFIID, but it was abolished when another general cofactor, PC4, was omitted from the reaction or when Mediator-P.5 was added after pol II entry into the preinitiation complex. Moreover, Mediator- P.5 is able to enhance TBP binding to the TATA box in an activator-dependent manner. Our data provides biochemical evidence that Mediator functions by facilitating activator-mediated recruitment of pol II and also promoter recognition by TBP, both of which can occur in the absence of TBP-associated factors in TFIID.
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PMID:Human mediator enhances activator-facilitated recruitment of RNA polymerase II and promoter recognition by TATA-binding protein (TBP) independently of TBP-associated factors. 1291 44

Transcription and processing of mRNA precursors are coordinated events that require numerous complex interactions to ensure that they are successfully executed. We described previously an unexpected association between a transcription factor, PC4 (or Sub1 in yeast), and an mRNA polyadenylation factor, CstF-64 (Rna15 in yeast), and provided evidence that this was important for efficient transcription elongation. Here we provide insight into the mechanism by which this occurs. We show that Sub1 and Rna15 are recruited to promoters and present along the length of several yeast genes. Allele-specific genetic interactions between SUB1 and genes encoding an RNA polymerase II (RNAP II)-specific kinase (KIN28) and phosphatase (FCP1) suggest that Sub1 influences and/or is sensitive to the phosphorylation status of elongating RNAP II. Remarkably, we find that cells lacking Sub1 display decreased accumulation of Fcp1, altered RNAP II phosphorylation and decreased crosslinking of RNAP II to transcribed genes. Our data provide evidence that Rna15 and Sub1 are present along the length of several genes and that Sub1 facilitates elongation by influencing enzymes that modify RNAP II.
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PMID:The transcriptional coactivator PC4/Sub1 has multiple functions in RNA polymerase II transcription. 1569 59

Downstream core promoter elements are an expanding class of regulatory sequences that add considerable diversity to the promoter architecture of RNA polymerase II-transcribed genes. We set out to determine the factors necessary for downstream promoter element (DPE)-dependent transcription and find that, against expectations, TFIID and the GTFs are not sufficient. Instead, the protein kinase CK2 and the coactivator PC4 establish DPE-specific transcription in an in vitro transcription system containing TFIID, Mediator, and the GTFs. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses using the DPE-dependent IRF-1 and TAF7 promoters demonstrated that CK2, and PC4 are present on these promoters in vivo. In contrast, neither PC4 nor CK2 were detected on the TAF1-dependent cyclin D promoter, which contains a DCE type of downstream element. Our findings also demonstrate that CK2 activity alters TFIID-dependent recognition of DCE sequences. These data establish that CK2 acts as a switch, converting the transcriptional machinery from functioning on one type of downstream element to another.
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PMID:Functional characterization of core promoter elements: DPE-specific transcription requires the protein kinase CK2 and the PC4 coactivator. 1589 30

In eukaryotes, the core promoter serves as a platform for the assembly of transcription preinitiation complex (PIC) that includes TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIID, TFIIE, TFIIF, TFIIH, and RNA polymerase II (pol II), which function collectively to specify the transcription start site. PIC formation usually begins with TFIID binding to the TATA box, initiator, and/or downstream promoter element (DPE) found in most core promoters, followed by the entry of other general transcription factors (GTFs) and pol II through either a sequential assembly or a preassembled pol II holoenzyme pathway. Formation of this promoter-bound complex is sufficient for a basal level of transcription. However, for activator-dependent (or regulated) transcription, general cofactors are often required to transmit regulatory signals between gene-specific activators and the general transcription machinery. Three classes of general cofactors, including TBP-associated factors (TAFs), Mediator, and upstream stimulatory activity (USA)-derived positive cofactors (PC1/PARP-1, PC2, PC3/DNA topoisomerase I, and PC4) and negative cofactor 1 (NC1/HMGB1), normally function independently or in combination to fine-tune the promoter activity in a gene-specific or cell-type-specific manner. In addition, other cofactors, such as TAF1, BTAF1, and negative cofactor 2 (NC2), can also modulate TBP or TFIID binding to the core promoter. In general, these cofactors are capable of repressing basal transcription when activators are absent and stimulating transcription in the presence of activators. Here we review the roles of these cofactors and GTFs, as well as TBP-related factors (TRFs), TAF-containing complexes (TFTC, SAGA, SLIK/SALSA, STAGA, and PRC1) and TAF variants, in pol II-mediated transcription, with emphasis on the events occurring after the chromatin has been remodeled but prior to the formation of the first phosphodiester bond.
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PMID:The general transcription machinery and general cofactors. 1685 67

The multiprotein Mediator coactivator complex is universally required for transcription of metazoan genes. It has been proposed to function by interfacing between transcriptional activators and the RNA polymerase II machinery. However, in vitro transcription systems reconstituted from homogeneous preparations of RNA polymerase II, the general transcription initiation factors, and the cofactor PC4 display relatively robust activator (HNF-4)-dependent activity, which, nonetheless, can be further stimulated by Mediator. By contrast, an unfractionated nuclear extract-based system in which Mediator has been immunodepleted displays a near-absolute dependence on ectopic Mediator. Here, we identified and purified an activity, MSA-2, that confers extract-like Mediator responsiveness to our reconstituted system. Mass spectrometric analyses identified its two constituent polypeptides as hSpt5 and hSpt4, which also comprise the elongation factor DSIF. Mechanistically, MSA-2/DSIF acts by restricting overall transcription in the pure system, thereby imposing a strong Mediator dependence. Our data thus point to potential mechanisms for Mediator function beyond its presently believed role in promoting the initial formation of the RNA polymerase II-containing preinitiation complex.
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PMID:Identification of a regulator of transcription elongation as an accessory factor for the human Mediator coactivator. 1740 43

B cells produce Ig H chain (IgH) mRNA and protein, primarily of the membrane-bound specific form. Plasma cells produce 20- to 50-fold higher amounts of IgH mRNA, most processed to the secretory specific form; this shift is mediated by substantial changes in RNA processing but only a small increase in IgH transcription rate. We investigated RNA polymerase II (RNAP-II) loading and phosphorylation of its C-terminal domain (CTD) on the IgG2a H chain gene, comparing two mouse cell lines representing B (A20) and plasma cells (AxJ) that express the identical H chain gene whose RNA is processed in different ways. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation and real-time PCR, we detected increased RNAP-II and Ser-2 and Ser-5 phosphorylation of RNAP-II CTD close to the IgH promoter in plasma cells. We detected increased association of several 3' end-processing factors, ELL2 and PC4, at the 5' end of the IgH gene in AxJ as compared with A20 cells. Polymerase progress and factor associations were inhibited by 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside, a drug that interferes with the addition of the Ser-2 to the CTD of RNAP-II. Taken together, these data indicate a role for CTD phosphorylation and polyadenylation/ELL2/PC4 factor loading on the polymerase in the choice of the secretory poly(A) site for the IgH gene.
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PMID:Increased phosphorylation of the carboxyl-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II and loading of polyadenylation and cotranscriptional factors contribute to regulation of the ig heavy chain mRNA in plasma cells. 1802 12

Transcription of a proto-oncogene c-fos is induced rapidly to high levels by various extracellular stimuli. To explore the molecular mechanism of c-fos gene induction, we established a defined in vitro transcription system for the c-fos promoter that consists of purified activators (SRF, Elk-1, cAMP-responsive element-binding protein, and ATF1), general transcription factors, and RNA polymerase II. In this reconstituted transcription system, activation of c-fos transcription was highly dependent upon coactivators such as PC4 and Mediator, indicating a very weak activation potential of the activators in the context of an unaltered promoter structure. This heightened coactivator dependence, however, allowed us to identify from HeLa nuclear extract a coactivator-like activity termed transcriptional regulator of c-fos (TREF) that enhanced c-fos transcription but not GAL4-VP16-dependent transcription. TREF cooperated with Mediator to enhance c-fos transcription by approximately 60-fold over its basal level and, like Mediator, stimulated activator-independent (basal) transcription as well. Further purification of TREF revealed that it consists of at least three distinct components, one of which was purified to near homogeneity and identified as heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein R. Recombinant heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein R enhanced transcription from the c-fos promoter and displayed cooperativity with PC4 and Mediator, thus demonstrating its direct transcriptional activity.
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PMID:Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein R enhances transcription from the naturally configured c-fos promoter in vitro. 1958 Dec 95

Human PC4 and the yeast ortholog Sub1 have multiple functions in RNA polymerase II transcription. Genome-wide mapping revealed that Sub1 is present on Pol III-transcribed genes. Sub1 was found to interact with components of the Pol III transcription system and to stimulate the initiation and reinitiation steps in a system reconstituted with all recombinant factors. Sub1 was required for optimal Pol III gene transcription in exponentially growing cells.
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PMID:Genome-wide location analysis reveals a role for Sub1 in RNA polymerase III transcription. 1970 10


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