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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)

We describe an in vitro system that emulates the specific and efficient transcriptional termination associated with the human gastrin gene terminator in vivo. The system involves a dC-tailed DNA template containing the gastrin gene terminator sequence, purified RNA polymerase II, and purified elongation factor TFIIS. In this system, the basal level of termination by RNA polymerase II at the gastrin gene terminator is specifically enhanced by netropsin, an (A + T)-rich minor groove-binding peptide. This enhanced termination is maintained even with TFIIS, which normally suppresses termination at this site. In vitro termination is terminator sequence-specific. Mutant sequences that reduce or abolish termination in vivo show corresponding reductions in activity in the in vitro system. This in vitro emulation of in vivo activities of wild-type and mutant terminators strongly suggests that netropsin and a putative termination factor may share some aspects of their biochemical mechanisms. The general applicability of this system to the study of RNA polymerase II elongation and termination is suggested by the enhancement of termination seen at both the gastrin and human histone H3.3 gene terminators.
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PMID:Netropsin specifically enhances RNA polymerase II termination at terminator sites in vitro. 131 32

Eukaryotic RNA polymerase II recognizes certain DNA sequences as effective signals for transcription termination in vitro. Previously, we have shown that such termination occurs within T-rich sequences; however, not all T runs stop the enzyme nor is the efficiency of termination correlated with the length of the T run. Here we have investigated the sequence elements that signal transcription termination by purified RNA polymerase II. We have examined terminators located within introns of the human histone H3.3 gene and the human c-myc gene. Deletion analysis of the H3.3 termination region indicates that the sequences between -6 and +24 relative to the strongest termination site are sufficient to cause transcription termination. The minimal termination signal at this site has been localized to the sequence TTTTTTTC-CCTTTTTT in the nontranscribed strand. A similar but nonidentical sequence has been defined for the c-myc termination site. Since RNA polymerase II terminates transcription only within the first run of T residues in these sequences, at least part of the termination signal lies in downstream nontranscribed DNA sequences. Restriction fragment mobility analysis indicates that the H3.3 termination region contains a bend in the DNA helix. Oligonucleotides containing the minimal termination signals also cause restriction fragments to migrate with anomalous mobility. A region of the SV40 genome containing a previously characterized bend also causes RNA polymerase II to terminate transcription. We suggest that a structural element causing a bend in the DNA helix may be part of the signal for transcription termination by purified RNA polymerase II.
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PMID:Analysis of the signals for transcription termination by purified RNA polymerase II. 215 81

Purified RNA polymerase II terminates transcription in vitro at sites within genes which also block transcript elongation in vivo. Studies on a termination site within the first intron of the human histone H3.3 gene have shown that transcription elongation factor SII can promote read-through at this site when the polymerase initiates transcription from a promoter in the presence of the accessory initiation factors. Using 3'-extended templates to direct specific initiation by purified RNA polymerase II, we show here that purified SII is sufficient to effect read-through of this terminator by the purified polymerase alone. Thus, the interaction of purified SII with an elongation complex containing only the polymerase, the template, and the nascent transcript can change the termination properties of RNA polymerase II and can effect read-through of a region that blocks elongation in the cell.
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PMID:Purified elongation factor SII is sufficient to promote read-through by purified RNA polymerase II at specific termination sites in the human histone H3.3 gene. 238 69

We have studied the role of sequence context upon RNA polymerase II arrest by a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer using an in vitro transcription system consisting of templates containing a specifically located cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) and purified RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) and initiation factors. We selected a model sequence containing a well characterized site for RNAP II arrest in vitro, the human histone H3.3 gene arrest site. The 13-base pair core of the arrest sequence contains two runs of T in the nontranscribed strand that impose a bend in the DNA. We hypothesized that arrest of RNAP II might be affected by the presence of a CPD, based upon the observation that a CPD located at the center of a dA6.dT6 tract eliminates bending (Wang, C.-I., and Taylor, J.-S. (1991) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 88, 9072-9076). We examined the normal H3.3 sequence and a mutant sequence containing a T --> G transversion, which reduces bending and efficiency of arrest. We show that a CPD in the transcribed strand at either of two locations in the arrest site is a potent block to transcription. However, a CPD in the nontranscribed strand only transiently pauses RNAP II. The CPD in concert with a mutation in the arrest site can reduce the extent of bending of the DNA and improve readthrough efficiency. These results demonstrate the potential importance of sequence context for the effect of CPDs within transcribed sequences.
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PMID:Nucleotide sequence context effect of a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer upon RNA polymerase II transcription. 939 15

We have characterized the properties of immunopurified transcription complexes arrested at a specifically located cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) using enzymatic probes and an in vitro transcription system with purified RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) and initiation factors. To help understand how RNAP II distinguishes between a natural impediment and a lesion in the DNA to initiate a repair event, we have compared the conformation of RNAP II complexes arrested at a CPD with complexes arrested at a naturally occurring elongation impediment. The footprint of RNAP II arrested at a CPD, using exonuclease III and T4 DNA polymerase's 3'-->5' exonuclease, covers approximately 35 base pairs and is asymmetrically located around the dimer. A similar footprint is observed when RNAP II is arrested at the human histone H3.3 arrest site. Addition of elongation factor SII to RNAP II arrested at a CPD produced shortened transcripts of discrete lengths up to 25 nucleotides shorter than those seen without SII. After addition of photolyase and exposure to visible light, some of the transcripts could be reelongated beyond the dimer, suggesting that SII-mediated transcript cleavage accompanied significant RNAP II backup, thereby providing access of the repair enzyme to the arresting CPD.
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PMID:Structural characterization of RNA polymerase II complexes arrested by a cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer in the transcribed strand of template DNA. 1044 84

Variant histone H3.3 is incorporated into nucleosomes by a mechanism that does not require DNA replication and has also been implicated as a potential mediator of epigenetic memory of active transcriptional states. In this study, we have used chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis to show that H3.3 is found mainly at the promoters of transcriptionally active genes. We also show that H3.3 combines with H3 acetylation and K4 methylation to form a stable mark that persists during mitosis. Our results suggest that H3.3 is deposited principally through the action of chromatin-remodelling complexes associated with transcriptional initiation, with deposition mediated by RNA polymerase II elongation having only a minor role.
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PMID:Variant histone H3.3 marks promoters of transcriptionally active genes during mammalian cell division. 1577 21

Histones of multicellular organisms are assembled into chromatin primarily during DNA replication. When chromatin assembly occurs at other times, the histone H3.3 variant replaces canonical H3. Here we introduce a new strategy for profiling epigenetic patterns on the basis of H3.3 replacement, using microarrays covering roughly one-third of the Drosophila melanogaster genome at 100-bp resolution. We identified patterns of H3.3 replacement over active genes and transposons. H3.3 replacement occurred prominently at sites of abundant RNA polymerase II and methylated H3 Lys4 throughout the genome and was enhanced on the dosage-compensated male X chromosome. Active genes were depleted of histones at promoters and were enriched in H3.3 from upstream to downstream of transcription units. We propose that deposition and inheritance of actively modified H3.3 in regulatory regions maintains transcriptionally active chromatin.
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PMID:Genome-scale profiling of histone H3.3 replacement patterns. 1619 16

We applied genome-wide profiling to successive salt-extracted fractions of micrococcal nuclease-treated Drosophila chromatin. Chromatin fractions extracted with 80 mM or 150 mM NaCl after digestion contain predominantly mononucleosomes and represent classical "active" chromatin. Profiles of these low-salt soluble fractions display phased nucleosomes over transcriptionally active genes that are locally depleted of histone H3.3 and correspond closely to profiles of histone H2Av (H2A.Z) and RNA polymerase II. This correspondence suggests that transcription can result in loss of H3.3+H2Av nucleosomes and generate low-salt soluble nucleosomes. Nearly quantitative recovery of chromatin is obtained with 600 mM NaCl; however, the remaining insoluble chromatin is enriched in actively transcribed regions. Salt-insoluble chromatin likely represents oligonucleosomes that are attached to large protein complexes. Both low-salt extracted and insoluble chromatin are rich in sequences that correspond to epigenetic regulatory elements genome-wide. The presence of active chromatin at both extremes of salt solubility suggests that these salt fractions capture bound and unbound intermediates in active processes, thus providing a simple, powerful strategy for mapping epigenome dynamics.
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PMID:Genome-wide profiling of salt fractions maps physical properties of chromatin. 1908 6

Insulator elements play a role in gene regulation that is potentially linked to nuclear organization. Boundary element-associated factors (BEAFs) 32A and 32B associate with hundreds of sites on Drosophila polytene chromosomes. We hybridized DNA isolated by chromatin immunoprecipitation to genome tiling microarrays to construct a genome-wide map of BEAF binding locations. A distinct difference in the association of 32A and 32B with chromatin was noted. We identified 1,820 BEAF peaks and found that more than 85% were less than 300 bp from transcription start sites. Half are between head-to-head gene pairs. BEAF-associated genes are transcriptionally active as judged by the presence of RNA polymerase II, dimethylated histone H3 K4, and the alternative histone H3.3. Forty percent of these genes are also associated with the polymerase negative elongation factor NELF. Like NELF-associated genes, most BEAF-associated genes are highly expressed. Using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, we found that the expression levels of most BEAF-associated genes decrease in embryos and cultured cells lacking BEAF. These results provide an unexpected link between BEAF and transcription, suggesting that BEAF plays a role in maintaining most associated promoter regions in an environment that facilitates high transcription levels.
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PMID:Genome-wide mapping of boundary element-associated factor (BEAF) binding sites in Drosophila melanogaster links BEAF to transcription. 1938 Apr 83

The histone variant H3.3 and the canonical histone H3.1, which differ in only 4- to 5-aa positions, are coexpressed in complex multicellular eukaryotes from fly to human and plant. H3.3 is mainly associated with active chromatin by replacing H3.1 through chaperones such as histone regulator A, death domain associated protein DAXX, thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked homolog ATRX, or proto-oncogene protein DEK and plays important roles in the germline, epigenetic memory, and reprogramming. However, the signals within H3.3 that serve as a guide for its dynamic deposition or depletion in plant chromatin are not clear. Here, we show that Arabidopsis histone H3.3 differs from H3.1 by 4-aa sites: amino acids 31, 41, 87, and 90. Although histone H3.1 is highly enriched in chromocenters, H3.3 is present in nucleolar foci in addition to being diffusely distributed in the nucleoplasm. We have evaluated the function of the 4 aa that differ between H3.1 and H3.3. We show that amino acid residue 87, and to some extent residue 90, of Arabidopsis histone H3.3 are critical for its deposition into rDNA arrays. When RNA polymerase I-directed nucleolar transcription is inhibited, wild type H3.3, but not H3.3 containing mutations at residues 31 and 41, is depleted from the rDNA arrays. Together, our results are consistent with a model in which amino acids 87 and 90 in the core domain of H3.3 guide nucleosome assembly, whereas amino acids 31 and 41 in the N-terminal tail of Arabidopsis H3.3 guide nucleosome disassembly in nucleolar rDNA.
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PMID:Four amino acids guide the assembly or disassembly of Arabidopsis histone H3.3-containing nucleosomes. 2167 Mar 3


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