1
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Zhan Y, Grabbe F, Oberbeckmann E, Dienemann C, Cramer P. Three-step mechanism of promoter escape by RNA polymerase II. Mol Cell 2024; 84:1699-1710.e6. [PMID: 38604172 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The transition from transcription initiation to elongation is highly regulated in human cells but remains incompletely understood at the structural level. In particular, it is unclear how interactions between RNA polymerase II (RNA Pol II) and initiation factors are broken to enable promoter escape. Here, we reconstitute RNA Pol II promoter escape in vitro and determine high-resolution structures of initially transcribing complexes containing 8-, 10-, and 12-nt ordered RNAs and two elongation complexes containing 14-nt RNAs. We suggest that promoter escape occurs in three major steps. First, the growing RNA displaces the B-reader element of the initiation factor TFIIB without evicting TFIIB. Second, the rewinding of the transcription bubble coincides with the eviction of TFIIA, TFIIB, and TBP. Third, the binding of DSIF and NELF facilitates TFIIE and TFIIH dissociation, establishing the paused elongation complex. This three-step model for promoter escape fills a gap in our understanding of the initiation-elongation transition of RNA Pol II transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yumeng Zhan
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Frauke Grabbe
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Elisa Oberbeckmann
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Dienemann
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Patrick Cramer
- Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of Molecular Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
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2
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Dunn LEM, Birkenheuer CH, Baines JD. A Revision of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Transcription: First, Repress; Then, Express. Microorganisms 2024; 12:262. [PMID: 38399666 PMCID: PMC10892140 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12020262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The herpes virus genome bears more than 80 strong transcriptional promoters. Upon entry into the host cell nucleus, these genes are transcribed in an orderly manner, producing five immediate-early (IE) gene products, including ICP0, ICP4, and ICP22, while non-IE genes are mostly silent. The IE gene products are necessary for the transcription of temporal classes following sequentially as early, leaky late, and true late. A recent analysis using precision nuclear run-on followed by deep sequencing (PRO-seq) has revealed an important step preceding all HSV-1 transcription. Specifically, the immediate-early proteins ICP4 and ICP0 enter the cell with the incoming genome to help preclude the nascent antisense, intergenic, and sense transcription of all viral genes. VP16, which is also delivered into the nucleus upon entry, almost immediately reverses this repression on IE genes. The resulting de novo expression of ICP4 and ICP22 further repress antisense, intergenic, and early and late viral gene transcription through different mechanisms before the sequential de-repression of these gene classes later in infection. This early repression, termed transient immediate-early protein-mediated repression (TIEMR), precludes unproductive, antisense, intergenic, and late gene transcription early in infection to ensure the efficient and orderly progression of the viral cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E M Dunn
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Claire H Birkenheuer
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Joel D Baines
- Baker Institute for Animal Health, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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3
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Chen X, Liu W, Wang Q, Wang X, Ren Y, Qu X, Li W, Xu Y. Structural visualization of transcription initiation in action. Science 2023; 382:eadi5120. [PMID: 38127763 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi5120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Transcription initiation is a complex process, and its mechanism is incompletely understood. We determined the structures of de novo transcribing complexes TC2 to TC17 with RNA polymerase II halted on G-less promoters when nascent RNAs reach 2 to 17 nucleotides in length, respectively. Connecting these structures generated a movie and a working model. As initially synthesized RNA grows, general transcription factors (GTFs) remain bound to the promoter and the transcription bubble expands. Nucleoside triphosphate (NTP)-driven RNA-DNA translocation and template-strand accumulation in a nearly sealed channel may promote the transition from initially transcribing complexes (ITCs) (TC2 to TC9) to early elongation complexes (EECs) (TC10 to TC17). Our study shows dynamic processes of transcription initiation and reveals why ITCs require GTFs and bubble expansion for initial RNA synthesis, whereas EECs need GTF dissociation from the promoter and bubble collapse for promoter escape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizi Chen
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- The International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, China, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Weida Liu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Qianmin Wang
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xinxin Wang
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yulei Ren
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xuechun Qu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wanjun Li
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yanhui Xu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
- The International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, China, Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
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4
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Giordano G, Buratowski R, Jeronimo C, Poitras C, Robert F, Buratowski S. Uncoupling the TFIIH Core and Kinase Modules Leads To Unregulated RNA Polymerase II CTD Serine 5 Phosphorylation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.11.557269. [PMID: 37745343 PMCID: PMC10515806 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.11.557269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
TFIIH is an essential transcription initiation factor for RNA polymerase II (RNApII). This multi-subunit complex comprises two modules that are physically linked by the subunit Tfb3 (MAT1 in metazoans). The TFIIH Core Module, with two DNA-dependent ATPases and several additional subunits, promotes DNA unwinding. The TFIIH Kinase Module phosphorylates Serine 5 of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNApII subunit Rpb1, a modification that coordinates exchange of initiation and early elongation factors. While it is not obvious why these two disparate activities are bundled into one factor, the connection may provide temporal coordination during early initiation. Here we show that Tfb3 can be split into two parts to uncouple the TFIIH modules. The resulting cells grow slower than normal, but are viable. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of the split TFIIH shows that the Core Module, but not the Kinase, is properly recruited to promoters. Instead of the normal promoter-proximal peak, high CTD Serine 5 phosphorylation is seen throughout transcribed regions. Therefore, coupling the TFIIH modules is necessary to localize and limit CTD kinase activity to early stages of transcription. These results are consistent with the idea that the two TFIIH modules began as independent functional entities that became connected by Tfb3 during early eukaryotic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Giordano
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Robin Buratowski
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Célia Jeronimo
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Christian Poitras
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - François Robert
- Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Département de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Division of Experimental Medicine, Medicine, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Stephen Buratowski
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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5
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Kim J, Li CL, Chen X, Cui Y, Golebiowski FM, Wang H, Hanaoka F, Sugasawa K, Yang W. Lesion recognition by XPC, TFIIH and XPA in DNA excision repair. Nature 2023; 617:170-175. [PMID: 37076618 PMCID: PMC10416759 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05959-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Nucleotide excision repair removes DNA lesions caused by ultraviolet light, cisplatin-like compounds and bulky adducts1. After initial recognition by XPC in global genome repair or a stalled RNA polymerase in transcription-coupled repair, damaged DNA is transferred to the seven-subunit TFIIH core complex (Core7) for verification and dual incisions by the XPF and XPG nucleases2. Structures capturing lesion recognition by the yeast XPC homologue Rad4 and TFIIH in transcription initiation or DNA repair have been separately reported3-7. How two different lesion recognition pathways converge and how the XPB and XPD helicases of Core7 move the DNA lesion for verification are unclear. Here we report on structures revealing DNA lesion recognition by human XPC and DNA lesion hand-off from XPC to Core7 and XPA. XPA, which binds between XPB and XPD, kinks the DNA duplex and shifts XPC and the DNA lesion by nearly a helical turn relative to Core7. The DNA lesion is thus positioned outside of Core7, as would occur with RNA polymerase. XPB and XPD, which track the lesion-containing strand but translocate DNA in opposite directions, push and pull the lesion-containing strand into XPD for verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinseok Kim
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Chia-Lung Li
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xuemin Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, China
| | - Yanxiang Cui
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Filip M Golebiowski
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Roche Polska, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Huaibin Wang
- Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Fumio Hanaoka
- National Institute of Genetics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Mishima, Japan
| | - Kaoru Sugasawa
- Biosignal Research Center and Graduate School of Science, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.
| | - Wei Yang
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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6
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Gorbea Colón JJ, Palao L, Chen SF, Kim HJ, Snyder L, Chang YW, Tsai KL, Murakami K. Structural basis of a transcription pre-initiation complex on a divergent promoter. Mol Cell 2023; 83:574-588.e11. [PMID: 36731470 PMCID: PMC10162435 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Most eukaryotic promoter regions are divergently transcribed. As the RNA polymerase II pre-initiation complex (PIC) is intrinsically asymmetric and responsible for transcription in a single direction, it is unknown how divergent transcription arises. Here, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mediator complexed with a PIC (Med-PIC) was assembled on a divergent promoter and analyzed by cryoelectron microscopy. The structure reveals two distinct Med-PICs forming a dimer through the Mediator tail module, induced by a homodimeric activator protein localized near the dimerization interface. The tail dimer is associated with ∼80-bp upstream DNA, such that two flanking core promoter regions are positioned and oriented in a suitable form for PIC assembly in opposite directions. Also, cryoelectron tomography visualized the progress of the PIC assembly on the two core promoter regions, providing direct evidence for the role of the Med-PIC dimer in divergent transcription.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose J Gorbea Colón
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Leon Palao
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Shin-Fu Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Hee Jong Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Laura Snyder
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Yi-Wei Chang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
| | - Kuang-Lei Tsai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Kenji Murakami
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Penn Center for Genome Integrity, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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7
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Chen X, Xu Y. Structural insights into assembly of transcription preinitiation complex. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 75:102404. [PMID: 35700575 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-mediated transcription in eukaryotic cells starts with assembly of preinitiation complex (PIC) on core promoter, a DNA sequence of ∼100 base pairs. The transcription PIC consists of Pol II and general transcription factors TFIID, TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIIF, TFIIE, and TFIIH. Previous structural studies focused on PIC assembled on TATA box promoters with TFIID replaced by its subunit, TATA box-binding protein (TBP). However, the megadalton TFIID complex is essential for promoter recognition, TBP loading onto promoter, and PIC assembly for almost all Pol II-mediated transcription, especially on the TATA-less promoters, which account for ∼85% of core promoters of human coding genes. The functions of TFIID could not be replaced by TBP. The recent breakthrough in structure determination of TFIID-based PIC complexes in different assembly stages revealed mechanistic insights into PIC assembly on TATA box and TATA-less promotes and provided a framework for further investigation of transcription initiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xizi Chen
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yanhui Xu
- Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Radiation Oncology, and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; The International Co-laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, China; Department of Systems Biology for Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Human Phenome Institute, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
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Structural insights into nuclear transcription by eukaryotic DNA-dependent RNA polymerases. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:603-622. [PMID: 35505252 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-022-00476-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The eukaryotic transcription apparatus synthesizes a staggering diversity of RNA molecules. The labour of nuclear gene transcription is, therefore, divided among multiple DNA-dependent RNA polymerases. RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcribes ribosomal RNA, Pol II synthesizes messenger RNAs and various non-coding RNAs (including long non-coding RNAs, microRNAs and small nuclear RNAs) and Pol III produces transfer RNAs and other short RNA molecules. Pol I, Pol II and Pol III are large, multisubunit protein complexes that associate with a multitude of additional factors to synthesize transcripts that largely differ in size, structure and abundance. The three transcription machineries share common characteristics, but differ widely in various aspects, such as numbers of RNA polymerase subunits, regulatory elements and accessory factors, which allows them to specialize in transcribing their specific RNAs. Common to the three RNA polymerases is that the transcription process consists of three major steps: transcription initiation, transcript elongation and transcription termination. In this Review, we outline the common principles and differences between the Pol I, Pol II and Pol III transcription machineries and discuss key structural and functional insights obtained into the three stages of their transcription processes.
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9
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Farnung L, Vos SM. Assembly of RNA polymerase II transcription initiation complexes. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2022; 73:102335. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2022.102335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Revised: 12/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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