Open AccessCellular sensitivity to UV-irradiation is mediated by RNA polymerase I transcription
Author(s) -
Robin Assfalg,
Marius Costel Alupei,
Maximilian Wagner,
Sylvia Koch,
Omar Garcia Gonzalez,
Adrian Schelling,
Karin ScharffetterKochanek,
Sebastian Iben
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0179843
Subject(s) - nucleolus , ribosome biogenesis , rna polymerase i , transcription (linguistics) , transcription factories , rna polymerase ii , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , ribosome , dna damage , polymerase , ribosomal rna , dna repair , rna , chemistry , dna , rna dependent rna polymerase , gene expression , genetics , promoter , gene , nucleus , linguistics , philosophy
The nucleolus has long been considered to be a pure ribosome factory. However, over the last two decades it became clear that the nucleolus is involved in numerous other functions besides ribosome biogenesis. Our experiments indicate that the activity of RNA polymerase I (Pol I) transcription monitors the integrity of the DNA and influences the response to nucleolar stress as well as the rate of survival. Cells with a repressed ribosomal DNA (rDNA) transcription activity showed an increased and prolonged p53 stabilisation after UVC-irradiation. Furthermore, p53 stabilisation after inhibition and especially after UVC-irradiation might be due to abrogation of the HDM2-p53 degradation pathway by ribosomal proteins (RPs). Apoptosis mediated by highly activated p53 is a typical hallmark of Cockayne syndrome cells and transcriptional abnormalities and the following activation of the RP-HDM2-p53 pathway would be a possible explanation.