Evolution of promoter-proximal pausing enabled a new layer of transcription control (original) (raw)
Related papers
Ubiquitous Transcriptional Pausing Is Independent of RNA Polymerase Backtracking
Cell, 2003
that interact with the transcription elongation complex 1 Department of Biological Sciences (TEC) (e.g., N and Q; Richardson and Greenblatt, 1996; Stanford University Roberts et al., 1998; Weisberg and Gottesman, 1999; Stanford, California 94305 and references therein). Finally, frequent pausing is ob-2 Department of Applied Physics served during the transcription of genomic DNA (Kassa-Stanford University vetis and Chamberlin, 1981; Matsuzaki et al., 1994; Adel-Stanford, California 94305 man et al., 2002). For bacterial RNAP, such pauses are 3 Department of Bacteriology thought to limit the overall rate of transcription, thereby University of Wisconsin synchronizing transcription with translation (translating Madison, Wisconsin 53706 ribosomes release paused RNAPs), and allowing Rho-4 Department of Biochemistry catalyzed termination of transcription should translation Brandeis University fail (Landick et al., 1985; Richardson and Greenblatt, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454 1996). Both bulk (Kassavetis and Chamberlin, 1981; Theissen et al., 1990; Matsuzaki et al., 1994; Wang et al., 1995) Summary and single-molecule (Davenport et al., 2000; Adelman et al., 2002; Forde et al., 2002) transcription experiments RNA polymerase (RNAP) transcribes DNA discontinu-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 1997
RNA secondary structures (hairpins) that form as the nascent RNA emerges from RNA polymerase are important components of many signals that regulate transcription, including some pause sites, all ρ-independent terminators, and some antiterminators. At the his leader pause site, a 5-bp-stem, 8-nt-loop pause RNA hairpin forms 11 nt from the RNA 3′ end and stabilizes a transcription complex conformation slow to react with NTP substrate. This stabilization appears to depend at least in part on an interaction with RNA polymerase. We tested for RNA hairpin interaction with the paused polymerase by crosslinking 5-iodoUMP positioned specifically in the hairpin loop. In the paused conformation, strong and unusual crosslinking of the pause hairpin to β904–950 replaced crosslinking to β′ and to other parts of β that occurred in nonpaused complexes prior to hairpin formation. These changes in nascent RNA interactions may inhibit reactive alignment of the RNA 3′ end in the paused complex and be related to events at ρ-independent terminators.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1997
RNA secondary structures (hairpins) that form as the nascent RNA emerges from RNA polymerase are important components of many signals that regulate transcription, including some pause sites, all -independent terminators, and some antiterminators. At the his leader pause site, a 5-bp-stem, 8-nt-loop pause RNA hairpin forms 11 nt from the RNA 3 end and stabilizes a transcription complex conformation slow to react with NTP substrate. This stabilization appears to depend at least in part on an interaction with RNA polymerase. We tested for RNA hairpin interaction with the paused polymerase by crosslinking 5-iodoUMP positioned specifically in the hairpin loop. In the paused conformation, strong and unusual crosslinking of the pause hairpin to 904-950 replaced crosslinking to  and to other parts of  that occurred in nonpaused complexes prior to hairpin formation. These changes in nascent RNA interactions may inhibit reactive alignment of the RNA 3 end in the paused complex and be related to events at -independent terminators.
Genome-wide Single-Molecule Footprinting Reveals High RNA Polymerase II Turnover at Paused Promoters
Molecular cell, 2017
Transcription initiation entails chromatin opening followed by pre-initiation complex formation and RNA polymerase II recruitment. Subsequent polymerase elongation requires additional signals, resulting in increased residence time downstream of the start site, a phenomenon referred to as pausing. Here, we harnessed single-molecule footprinting to quantify distinct steps of initiation in vivo throughout the Drosophila genome. This identifies the impact of promoter structure on initiation dynamics in relation to nucleosomal occupancy. Additionally, perturbation of transcriptional initiation reveals an unexpectedly high turnover of polymerases at paused promoters-an observation confirmed at the level of nascent RNAs. These observations argue that absence of elongation is largely caused by premature termination rather than by stable polymerase stalling. In support of this non-processive model, we observe that induction of the paused heat shock promoter depends on continuous initiation. ...
Nature communications, 2018
Transcription by RNA polymerase (RNAP) is interspersed with sequence-dependent pausing. The processes through which paused states are accessed and stabilized occur at spatiotemporal scales beyond the resolution of previous methods, and are poorly understood. Here, we combine high-resolution optical trapping with improved data analysis methods to investigate the formation of paused states at enhanced temporal resolution. We find that pause sites reduce the forward transcription rate of nearly all RNAP molecules, rather than just affecting the subset of molecules that enter long-lived pauses. We propose that the reduced rates at pause sites allow time for the elongation complex to undergo conformational changes required to enter long-lived pauses. We also find that backtracking occurs stepwise, with states backtracked by at most one base pair forming quickly, and further backtracking occurring slowly. Finally, we find that nascent RNA structures act as modulators that either enhance o...
Structural and mechanistic basis of σ-dependent transcriptional pausing
2022
In σ-dependent transcriptional pausing, the transcription initiation factor σ, translocating with RNA polymerase (RNAP), makes sequence-specific protein-DNA interactions with a promoter-like sequence element in the transcribed region, inducing pausing. It has been proposed that, in σ-dependent pausing, the RNAP active center can access off-pathway “backtracked” states that are substrates for the transcript-cleavage factors of the Gre family, and on-pathway “scrunched” states that mediate pause escape. Here, using site-specific protein-DNA photocrosslinking to define positions of the RNAP trailing and leading edges and of σ relative to DNA at the λPR’ promoter, we show directly that σ-dependent pausing in the absence of GreB in vitro predominantly involves a state backtracked by 2-4 bp, and that σ-dependent pausing in the presence of GreB in vitro and in vivo predominantly involves a state scrunched by 2-3 bp. Analogous experiments with a library of 47 (∼16,000) transcribed-region se...
RNA polymerase II pauses and associates with pre-mRNA processing factors at both ends of genes
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2007
We investigated co-transcriptional recruitment of pre-mRNA processing factors to human genes. Capping factors associate with paused RNA pol II at the 5′ ends of quiescent genes. They also track throughout actively transcribed genes, and accumulate with paused polymerase in the 3′ flanking region. 3′ processing factors CstF and CPSF are maximally recruited 0.5-1.5 kb downstream of poly (A) sites where they coincide with capping factors, Spt5, and Ser2 hyperphosphorylated, paused pol II. 3′ end processing factors also localize at transcription start sites, and this early recruitment is enhanced after polymerase arrest with DRB. These results suggest that promoters may help specify recruitment of 3′ end processing factors. We propose a dual pausing model where elongation arrests near the transcription start site and in the 3′ flank to allow co-transcriptional processing by factors recruited to the pol II ternary complex.
Origin of RNA Polymerase II pause in eumetazoans: Insights from Hydra
Journal of Biosciences, 2020
Multicellular organisms have evolved sophisticated mechanisms for responding to various developmental, environmental and physical stimuli by regulating transcription. The correlation of distribution of RNA Polymerase II (RNA Pol II) with transcription is well established in higher metazoans, however genome-wide information about its distribution in early metazoans, such as Hydra, is virtually absent. To gain insights into RNA Pol II-mediated transcription and chromatin organization in Hydra, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-coupled highthroughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) for RNA Pol II and Histone H3. Strikingly, we found that Hydra RNA Pol II is uniformly distributed across the entire gene body, as opposed to its counterparts in bilaterians such as human and mouse. Furthermore, correlation with transcriptome data revealed that the levels of RNA Pol II correlate with the magnitude of gene expression. Strikingly, the characteristic peak of RNA Pol II pause typically observed in bilaterians at the transcription start sites (TSSs) was not observed in Hydra. The RNA Pol II traversing ratio in Hydra was found to be intermediate to yeast and bilaterians. The search for factors involved in RNA Pol II pause revealed that RNA Pol II pausing machinery was most likely acquired first in Cnidaria. However, only a small subset of genes exhibited the promoter proximal RNP Pol II pause. Interestingly, the nucleosome occupancy is highest over the subset of paused genes as compared to total Hydra genes, which is another indication of paused RNA Pol II at these genes. Thus, this study provides evidence for the molecular basis of RNA Pol II pause early during the evolution of multicellular organisms.
RNA polymerase is poised for activation across the genome
Nature Genetics, 2007
Regulation of gene expression is integral to the development and survival of all organisms. Transcription begins with the assembly of a pre-initiation complex at the gene promoter 1 , followed by initiation of RNA synthesis and the transition to productive elongation 2-4 . In many cases, recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) to a promoter is necessary and sufficient for activation of genes. However, there are a few notable exceptions to this paradigm, including heat shock genes and several proto-oncogenes, whose expression is attenuated by regulated stalling of polymerase elongation within the promoter-proximal region 5-13 . To determine the importance of polymerase stalling for transcription regulation, we carried out a genome-wide search for Drosophila melanogaster genes with Pol II stalled within the promoter-proximal region. Our data show that stalling is widespread, occurring at hundreds of genes that respond to stimuli and developmental signals. This finding indicates a role for regulation of polymerase elongation in the transcriptional responses to dynamic environmental and developmental cues.