Project description:Regulation of transcription is an essential process that allows the cell to respond to various internal and external signals. RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) activity is controlled by a number of factors which bind to the C-terminal domain (CTD) of its largest subunit, RPB1, and stimulate or supress RNA synthesis. Here, we demonstrate that members of the RPRD family of CTD-interacting proteins, RPRD1A, RPRD1B and RPRD2, act as negative regulators of transcription. We show they form mutually exclusive complexes with Pol II, coordinating this way their roles in transcription control. Our data indicate that the main alterations in gene expression patterns are driven by RPRD2, which results in further consequences during the cellular stress response, cell cycle and cell growth.
Project description:Regulation of transcription is an essential process that allows the cell to respond to various internal and external signals. RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) activity is controlled by a number of factors which bind to the C-terminal domain (CTD) of its largest subunit, RPB1, and stimulate or supress RNA synthesis. Here, we demonstrate that members of the RPRD family of CTD-interacting proteins, RPRD1A, RPRD1B and RPRD2, act as negative regulators of transcription. We show they form mutually exclusive complexes with Pol II, coordinating this way their roles in transcription control. Our data indicate that the main alterations in gene expression patterns are driven by RPRD2, which results in further consequences during the cellular stress response, cell cycle and cell growth.
Project description:In the cytoplasm, small RNAs can control mammalian translation by regulating the stability of mRNA. In the nucleus, small RNAs can also control transcription and splicing. The mechanisms for RNA-mediated nuclear regulation are not understood and remain controversial, hindering the effective application of nuclear RNAi and blinding investigation of its natural regulatory roles. Here we reveal that the human GW182 paralogs TNRC6A/B/C are central organizing factors critical to RNA-mediated transcriptional activation. Mass spectrometry of purified nuclear lysates followed by experimental validation demonstrates that TNRC6A interacts with proteins involved in protein degradation, RNAi, the CCR4-NOT complex, the mediator complex, and histone modifying complexes. Functional analysis implicates TNRC6A, NAT10, MED14, and WDR5 in RNA-mediated transcriptional activation. These findings describe protein complexes capable of bridging RNA-mediated sequence-specific recognition of noncoding RNA transcripts with the regulation of gene transcription.