Open AccessDefects in the NC2 repressor affect both canonical and non-coding RNA polymerase II transcription initiation in yeast
Author(s) -
Natalia Gómez-Navarro,
Antonio Jordán-Pla,
Francisco Estruch,
José E. Pérez-Ortín
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bmc genomics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.547
H-Index - 167
ISSN - 1471-2164
DOI - 10.1186/s12864-016-2536-2
Subject(s) - transcription factor ii a , biology , transcription factor ii d , rna polymerase ii , transcription (linguistics) , general transcription factor , transcription factor ii b , genetics , transcription preinitiation complex , tata binding protein , tata box , tata box binding protein , rna polymerase ii holoenzyme , promoter , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , rna polymerase , rna , gene expression , linguistics , philosophy
Background The formation of the pre-initiation complex in eukaryotic genes is a key step in transcription initiation. The TATA-binding protein (TBP) is a universal component of all pre-initiation complexes for all kinds of RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II) genes, including those with a TATA or a TATA-like element, both those that encode proteins and those that transcribe non-coding RNAs. Mot1 and the negative cofactor 2 (NC2) complex are regulators of TBP, and it has been shown that depletion of these factors in yeast leads to defects in the control of transcription initiation that alter cryptic transcription levels in selected yeast loci. Results In order to cast light on the molecular functions of NC2, we performed genome-wide studies in conditional mutants in yeast NC2 essential subunits Ydr1 and Bur6. Our analyses show a generally increased level of cryptic transcription in all kinds of genes upon depletion of NC2 subunits, and that each kind of gene (canonical or ncRNAs, TATA or TATA-like) shows some differences in the cryptic transcription pattern for each NC2 mutant. Conclusions We conclude that NC2 plays a general role in transcription initiation in RNA polymerase II genes that is related with its known TBP interchange function from free to promoter bound states. Therefore, loss of the NC2 function provokes increases in cryptic transcription throughout the yeast genome. Our results also suggest functional differences between NC2 subunits Ydr1 and Bur6.