RNA polymerase I contains a TFIIF-related DNA-binding subcomplex

Sebastian R Geiger; Kristina Lorenzen; Amelie Schreieck; Patrizia Hanecker; Dirk Kostrewa; Albert J R Heck; Patrick Cramer

doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2010.07.028

RNA polymerase I contains a TFIIF-related DNA-binding subcomplex

Mol Cell. 2010 Aug 27;39(4):583-94. doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.07.028.

Authors

Sebastian R Geiger¹, Kristina Lorenzen, Amelie Schreieck, Patrizia Hanecker, Dirk Kostrewa, Albert J R Heck, Patrick Cramer

Affiliation

¹ Gene Center and Department of Biochemistry, Center for Integrated Protein Science CIPSM, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 25, 81377 Munich, Germany.

PMID: 20797630
DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2010.07.028

Abstract

The eukaryotic RNA polymerases Pol I, II, and III use different promoters to transcribe different classes of genes. Promoter usage relies on initiation factors, including TFIIF and TFIIE, in the case of Pol II. Here, we show that the Pol I-specific subunits A49 and A34.5 form a subcomplex that binds DNA and is related to TFIIF and TFIIE. The N-terminal regions of A49 and A34.5 form a dimerization module that stimulates polymerase-intrinsic RNA cleavage and has a fold that resembles the TFIIF core. The C-terminal region of A49 forms a "tandem winged helix" (tWH) domain that binds DNA with a preference for the upstream promoter nontemplate strand and is predicted in TFIIE. Similar domains are predicted in Pol III-specific subunits. Thus, Pol I/III subunits that have no counterparts in Pol II are evolutionarily related to Pol II initiation factors and may have evolved to mediate promoter specificity and transcription processivity.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Amino Acid Sequence
Binding Sites
Candida glabrata / enzymology*
Candida glabrata / genetics
Crystallography, X-Ray
DNA / chemistry
DNA / metabolism*
Evolution, Molecular
Models, Molecular
Molecular Sequence Data
Protein Conformation
Protein Folding
Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
Protein Interaction Mapping
Protein Multimerization
Protein Subunits
RNA Polymerase I / chemistry
RNA Polymerase I / genetics
RNA Polymerase I / metabolism*
Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / chemistry
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / genetics
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / metabolism*
Structure-Activity Relationship
Transcription Factors, TFII / chemistry
Transcription Factors, TFII / metabolism*

Substances

Protein Subunits
Recombinant Proteins
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
Transcription Factors, TFII
transcription factor TFIIE
DNA
RNA Polymerase I
transcription factor TFIIF

Associated data

PDB/3NFF
PDB/3NFG
PDB/3NFH
PDB/3NFI