Project description:A set of 22 expts. aimed at identifying splicing events dependent upon on the Spt4-5 transcription elongation factors in yeast. Four spt mutants and an mRNA capping mutant were analyzed four times each, including biological and technical (dye-swap) replicates. Two wt vs wt expts. were also performed. Keywords = transcription/spt5/spt4/splicing/DEDS
Project description:A set of 22 expts. aimed at identifying splicing events dependent upon on the Spt4-5 transcription elongation factors in yeast. Four spt mutants and an mRNA capping mutant were analyzed four times each, including biological and technical (dye-swap) replicates. Two wt vs wt expts. were also performed. Keywords = transcription/spt5/spt4/splicing/DEDS Keywords: other
Project description:To study the relevance of the phosphorylation of Spt4 in residues T42 and S43, we assessed the genome-wide transcriptional response of the non-phosphorylatable Spt4-T42A/S43A mutant (Spt4-AA) upon osmotic stress. Results point out that the unphosphorylatable Spt4-T42A/S43A protein showed an impaired stress responsive gene expression indicating that these specific residues play a relevant role in osmotic stress responsive transcriptional regulation.
Project description:Transcription of mRNA products by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a multi-stage event subject to a multitude of regulatory processes. Transcription, RNA processing, and chromatin related factors all interact with Pol II to ensure proper timing and coordination of transcription and co-transcriptional processes. Many regulators must function simultaneously to coordinate these processes, yet few strategies exist to explore the full complement of factors regulating specific stages of transcription. To this end we developed a strategy to purify Pol II elongation complexes from specific loci of a single gene, namely the 5′ and 3′ regions, using sequences in the nascent RNA. Applying this strategy to Saccharomyces cerevisiae we determined the specific set of factors that interact with Pol II at precise stages during transcription. We identify many known region-specific factors as well as determine a role for the transcription termination factor Rai1 in regulating the early stages of transcription genome-wide. We also demonstrate a role for the ubiquitin ligase Bre1 in regulating Pol II dynamics during the latter stages of transcription. This strategy for gene and loci-specific isolation of transcription complexes will provide a useful tool to explore the host of factors that regulate the different stages of transcription and coordinate co-transcriptional processes.
Project description:Spn1/Iws1 is an essential eukaryotic transcription elongation factor that is conserved from yeast to humans. Several studies have shown that Spn1 functions as a histone chaperone to control transcription, RNA splicing, genome stability, and histone modifications as an integral member of the RNA polymerase II elongation complex. However, the precise role of Spn1 is not understood, and there is little understanding of why it is essential for viability. To address these issues, we have isolated eight suppressor mutations that bypass the essential requirement for Spn1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Unexpectedly, the suppressors identify several functionally distinct complexes and activities, including the histone chaperone FACT, the histone methyltransferase Set2, the Rpd3S histone deacetylase complex, the histone acetyltransferase Rtt109, the nucleosome remodeler Chd1, and a member of the SAGA co-activator complex, Sgf73. The identification of these distinct groups and their analysis suggests that there are multiple mechanisms by which Spn1 bypass can occur, including changes in histone acetylation and alterations of other histone chaperones. Thus, Spn1 may participate in multiple functions during transcription. Our results suggest that bypass of a subset of these functions allows viability in the absence of Spn1.
Project description:The Spt4-Spt5 complex is conserved and essential RNA polymerase elongation factor. To investigate the role of the Spt4-Spt5 complex in non-coding transcription during development, we used the unicellular model Paramecium tetraurelia. In this organism harboring both germline (micronucleus - MIC) and somatic nuclei (macronucleus - MAC), massive transcription of the entire germline genome takes place during meiosis. This phenomenon starts a series of events mediated by different classes of non-coding RNAs that control developmentally programmed DNA elimination. We focused our study on Spt4, a small zinc-finger protein encoded in P. tetraurelia by two genes expressed constitutively and two genes expressed during meiosis. SPT4 genes are not essential in vegetative growth, but they are indispensable for sexual reproduction, even though genes from both expression families show functional redundancy. As we were mostly interested in transcription of the germline genome in the MIC during meiosis, we decided to probe the composition of the Spt5-Spt4 complex characteristic to this nucleus. Experiments in which Spt4mB-3xFLAG was used as bait demonstrated its interaction with either Spt5m or Spt5v, which is consistent with the Spt4mB-GFP localization pattern. Interestingly, mass spectrometry revealed that Spt5m-3xFLAG (which is present only in the MIC at the analyzed stage) interacts either with the meiotic Spt4mB or with Spt4vA. Silencing of the SPT4 genes resulted in the absence of double-stranded ncRNAs and reduced levels of scnRNAs – 25 nt-long sRNAs produced from these double-stranded precursors in the germline nucleus. Moreover, we observed that the presence of a germline-specific Spt4-Spt5m complex is necessary for transfer of the scnRNA-binding PIWI protein between the germline and somatic nucleus. Our study establishes that Spt4, together with Spt5m, is essential for expression of the germline genome and necessary for developmental genome rearrangements.