Genetic exploration of interactive domains in RNA polymerase II subunits.

The two large subunits of RNA polymerase II, RPB1 and RPB2, contain regions of extensive homology to the two large subunits of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. These homologous regions may represent separate protein domains with unique functions. We investigated whether suppressor genetics could provide evidence for interactions between specific segments of RPB1 and RPB2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A plasmid shuffle method was used to screen thoroughly for mutations in RPB2 that suppress a temperature-sensitive mutation, rpb1-1, which is located in region H of RPB1. All six RPB2 mutations that suppress rpb1-1 were clustered in region I of RPB2. The location of these mutations and the observation that they were allele specific for suppression of rpb1-1 suggests an interaction between region H of RPB1 and region I of RPB2. A similar experiment was done to isolate and map mutations in RPB1 that suppress a temperature-sensitive mutation, rpb2-2, which occurs in region I of RPB2. These suppressor mutations were not clustered in a particular region. Thus, fine structure suppressor genetics can provide evidence for interactions between specific segments of two proteins, but the results of this type of analysis can depend on the conditional mutation to be suppressed.     

RNA polymerase II subunit composition, stoichiometry, and phosphorylation.

RNA polymerase II subunit composition, stoichiometry, and phosphorylation were investigated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by attaching an epitope coding sequence to a well-characterized RNA polymerase II subunit gene (RPB3) and by immunoprecipitating the product of this gene with its associated polypeptides. The immunopurified enzyme catalyzed alpha-amanitin-sensitive RNA synthesis in vitro. The 10 polypeptides that immunoprecipitated were identical in size and number to those previously described for RNA polymerase II purified by conventional column chromatography. The relative stoichiometry of the subunits was deduced from knowledge of the sequence of the subunits and from the extent of labeling with [35S]methionine. Immunoprecipitation from 32P-labeled cell extracts revealed that three of the subunits, RPB1, RPB2, and RPB6, are phosphorylated in vivo. Phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of RPB1 could be distinguished; approximately half of the RNA polymerase II molecules contained a phosphorylated RPB1 subunit. These results more precisely define the subunit composition and phosphorylation of a eucaryotic RNA polymerase II enzyme.     

Mutations in the three largest subunits of yeast RNA polymerase II that affect enzyme assembly.

Mutations in the three largest subunits of yeast RNA polymerase II (RPB1, RPB2, and RPB3) were investigated for their effects on RNA polymerase II structure and assembly. Among 23 temperature-sensitive mutations, 6 mutations affected enzyme assembly, as assayed by immunoprecipitation of epitope-tagged subunits. In all six assembly mutants, RNA polymerase II subunits synthesized at the permissive temperature were incorporated into stably assembled, immunoprecipitable enzyme and remained stably associated when cells were shifted to the nonpermissive temperature, whereas subunits synthesized at the nonpermissive temperature were not incorporated into a completely assembled enzyme. The observation that subunit subcomplexes accumulated in assembly-mutant cells at the nonpermissive temperature led us to investigate whether these subcomplexes were assembly intermediates or merely byproducts of mutant enzyme instability. The time course of assembly of RPB1, RPB2, and RPB3 was investigated in wild-type cells and subsequently in mutant cells. Glycerol gradient fractionation of extracts of cells pulse-labeled for various times revealed that a subcomplex of RPB2 and RPB3 appears soon after subunit synthesis and can be chased into fully assembled enzyme. The RPB2-plus-RPB3 subcomplexes accumulated in all RPB1 assembly mutants at the nonpermissive temperature but not in an RPB2 or RPB3 assembly mutant. These data indicate that RPB2 and RPB3 form a complex that subsequently interacts with RPB1 during the assembly of RNA polymerase II.     

Effect of mutations in a zinc-binding domain of yeast RNA polymerase C (III) on enzyme function and subunit association.

The conserved amino-terminal region of the largest subunit of yeast RNA polymerase C is capable of binding zinc ions in vitro. By oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, we show that the putative zinc-binding motif CX2CX6-12CXGHXGX24-37CX2C, present in the largest subunit of all eukaryotic and archaebacterial RNA polymerases, is essential for the function of RNA polymerase C. All mutations in the invariant cysteine and histidine residues conferred a lethal phenotype. We also obtained two conditional thermosensitive mutants affecting this region. One of these produced a form of RNA polymerase C which was thermosensitive and unstable in vitro. This instability was correlated with the loss of three of the subunits which are specific to RNA polymerase C: C82, C34, and C31.     

Human RNA polymerase II subunit hsRPB7 functions in yeast and influences stress survival and cell morphology.

Using a screen to identify human genes that promote pseudohyphal conversion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we obtained a cDNA encoding hsRPB7, a human homologue of the seventh largest subunit of yeast RNA polymerase II (RPB7). Overexpression of yeast RPB7 in a comparable strain background caused more pronounced cell elongation than overexpression of hsRPB7. hsRPB7 sequence and function are strongly conserved with its yeast counterpart because its expression can rescue deletion of the essential RPB7 gene at moderate temperatures. Further, immuno-precipitation of RNA polymerase II from yeast cells containing hsRPB7 revealed that the hsRPB7 assembles the complete set of 11 other yeast subunits. However, at temperature extremes and during maintenance at stationary phase, hsRPB7-containing yeast cells lose viability rapidly, stress-sensitive phenotypes reminiscent of those associated with deletion of the RPB4 subunit with which RPB7 normally complexes. Two-hybrid analysis revealed that although hsRPB7 and RPB4 interact, the association is of lower affinity than the RPB4-RPB7 interaction, providing a probable mechanism for the failure of hsRPB7 to fully function in yeast cells at high and low temperatures. Finally, surprisingly, hsRPB7 RNA in human cells is expressed in a tissue-specific pattern that differs from that of the RNA polymerase II largest subunit, implying a potential regulatory role for hsRPB7. Taken together, these results suggest that some RPB7 functions may be analogous to those possessed by the stress-specific prokaryotic sigma factor rpoS.     

Human GTPases Associate with RNA Polymerase II To Mediate Its Nuclear Import

Small GTPases share a biochemical mechanism and act as binary molecular switches. One important function of small GTPases in the cell is nucleocytoplasmic transport of both proteins and RNA. Here, we show the stable association of human GPN1 and GPN3, small GTPases related to Ran, with RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) isolated from either the cytoplasmic or nuclear fraction. GPN1 and GPN3 directly interact with RNAPII subunit 7 (RPB7)/RPB4 and the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNAPII. Depletion of GPN1 or GPN3 using small interfering RNAs led to decreased RNAPII levels in the nucleus and an accumulation of this enzyme in the cytoplasm of human cells. Furthermore, isolation of a GPN1/GPN3/RNAPII complex from stable cell lines expressing a dominant negative GPN1 harboring mutations in the GTP-binding pocket demonstrated a role for these proteins in nuclear import of RNAPII. Thus, GPN1/GPN3 define a new family of small GTPases that are specialized for the transport of RNA polymerase II into the nucleus.     

RNA polymerase II subunit RPB4 is essential for high- and low-temperature yeast cell growth.

RPB4 encodes the fourth-largest RNA polymerase II subunit in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The RPB4 gene was cloned and sequenced, and its identity was confirmed by amino acid sequence analysis of tryptic peptides from the purified subunit. The RPB4 DNA sequence predicted a protein of 221 amino acids with a molecular mass of 25,414 daltons. The central 100 amino acids of the RPB4 protein were found to be similar to a segment of the major sigma subunit in Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Deletion of RPB4 produced cells that were heat and cold sensitive but could grow, albeit slowly, at intermediate temperatures. RNA polymerase II lacking the RPB4 subunit exhibited markedly reduced activity in crude extracts in vitro. The RPB4 subunit, although not essential for mRNA synthesis or enzyme assembly, was essential for normal levels of RNA polymerase II activity and indispensable for cell viability over a wide temperature range.     

The Rpb4 Subunit of Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe RNA Polymerase II Is Essential for Cell Viability and Similar in Structure to the Corresponding Subunits of Higher Eukaryotes

Both the gene and the cDNA encoding the Rpb4 subunit of RNA polymerase II were cloned from the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The cDNA sequence indicates that Rpb4 consists of 135 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 15,362. As in the case of the corresponding subunits from higher eukaryotes such as humans and the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, Rpb4 is smaller than RPB4 from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lacks several segments, which are present in the S. cerevisiae RPB4 subunit, including the highly charged sequence in the central portion. The RPB4 subunit of S. cerevisiae is not essential for normal cell growth but is required for cell viability under stress conditions. In contrast, S. pombe Rpb4 was found to be essential even under normal growth conditions. The fraction of RNA polymerase II containing RPB4 in exponentially growing cells of S. cerevisiae is about 20%, but S. pombe RNA polymerase II contains the stoichiometric amount of Rpb4 even at the exponential growth phase. In contrast to the RPB4 homologues from higher eukaryotes, however, S. pombe Rpb4 formed stable hybrid heterodimers with S. cerevisiae RPB7, suggesting that S. pombe Rpb4 is similar, in its structure and essential role in cell viability, to the corresponding subunits from higher eukaryotes. However, S. pombe Rpb4 is closer in certain molecular functions to S. cerevisiae RPB4 than the eukaryotic RPB4 homologues.