Project description:Signal-dependent RNA Polymerase II (Pol2) productive elongation is an integral component of gene transcription, including those of immediate early genes (IEGs) induced by neuronal activity. However, it remains unclear how productively elongating Pol2 overcome nucleosomal barriers. Using RNAi, three degraders, and several small molecule inhibitors, we show that the mammalian SWI/SNF complex of neurons (neuronal BAF, or nBAF) is required for activity-induced transcription of neuronal IEGs, including Arc. The nBAF complex facilitates promoter-proximal Pol2 pausing, signal-dependent Pol2 recruitment (loading), and importantly, mediates productive elongation in the gene body via interaction with the elongation complex and elongation-competent Pol2. Mechanistically, Pol2 elongation is mediated by activity-induced nBAF assembly (especially, ARID1A recruitment) and its ATPase activity. Together, our data demonstrate that the nBAF complex regulates several aspects of Pol2 transcription and reveal mechanisms underlying activity-induced Pol2 elongation. These findings may offer insights into human maladies etiologically associated with mutational interdiction of BAF functions.
Project description:Elongation factor Paf1C regulates several stages of the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription cycle, although it is unclear how it modulates Pol II distribution and progression in mammalian cells. We found that conditional ablation of Paf1 resulted in the accumulation of unphosphorylated and Ser5 phosphorylated Pol II around promoter proximal regions and within the first 20-30 kb of gene bodies, respectively. Paf1 ablation did not impact the recruitment of other key elongation factors, namely, Spt5, Spt6, and the FACT complex, suggesting that Paf1 function may be mechanistically distinguishable from each of these factors. Moreover, loss of Paf1 triggered an increase in TSS-proximal nucleosome occupancy, which could impose a considerable barrier to Pol II elongation past TSS-proximal regions. Remarkably, accumulation of Ser5P in the first 20-30 kb coincided with reductions in histone H2B ubiquitylation within this region. Furthermore, we show that nascent RNA species accumulate within this window, suggesting a mechanism whereby Paf1 loss leads to aberrant, prematurely terminated transcripts and diminution of full-length transcripts. Importantly, we found that loss of Paf1 results in Pol II elongation rate defects with significant rate compression. Our findings suggest that Paf1C is critical for modulating Pol II elongation rates by functioning beyond the pause-release step as an "accelerator" over specific early gene body regions.
Project description:ECAS is a bipartite complex that links RNA polymerase II elongation with co-transcriptional RNA processing. It acts independently of P-TEFb, supports elongation, splicing, and 5' capping, and prevents premature termination. Disruption of ECAS impairs transcript elongation and splicing fidelity.
Project description:The super elongation complex (SEC) contains the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) and a subcomplex, ELL2-EAF1, which stimulates transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II). Here we report the cryo-EM structure of ELL2-EAF1 bound to a Pol II elongation complex at 2.8 Å resolution. The ELL2-EAF1 dimerization module directly binds the Pol II lobe, explaining how SEC delivers P-TEFb to Pol II. The same site on the lobe also binds the initiation factor TFIIF, consistent with SEC binding only after the transition from transcription initiation to elongation. Structure-guided functional analysis shows that elongation stimulation requires the dimerization module and an ELL2 protein linker that tethers this module to the Pol II protrusion. Our results show that SEC stimulates elongation allosterically and indicate that this stimulation involves stabilization of a further closed conformation of the Pol II active center cleft.