The impact of a His-tag on DNA binding by RNA polymerase alpha-C-terminal domain from Helicobacter pylori.

Polyhistidine tags (His-tags) are commonly employed in protein purification strategies due to the high affinity and specificity for metal-NTA columns, the relative simplicity of such protocols, and the assumption that His-tags do not affect the native activities of proteins. However, there is a growing body of evidence that such tags can modulate protein structure and function. In this study, we demonstrate that a His-tag impacts DNA complex formation by the C-terminal domain of the α-subunit (αCTD) of Helicobacter pylori RNA polymerase in a metal-dependent fashion. The αCTD was purified with a cleavable His-tag, and complex formation between αCTD, the nickel-responsive metalloregulator HpNikR, and DNA was investigated using electrophoretic mobility shift assays. An interaction between His-tagged αCTD (HisαCTD) and the HpNikR-DNA complex was observed; however, this interaction was not observed upon removal of the His-tag. Further analysis revealed that complex formation between HisαCTD and DNA is non-specific and dependent on the type of metal ions present. Overall, the results indicate that a histidine tag is able to modulate DNA-binding activity and suggests that the impact of metal affinity tags should be considered when analyzing the in vitro biomolecular interactions of metalloproteins.

Subunit compositions of Arabidopsis RNA polymerases I and III reveal Pol I- and Pol III-specific forms of the AC40 subunit and alternative forms of the C53 subunit.

Using affinity purification and mass spectrometry, we identified the subunits of Arabidopsis thaliana multisubunit RNA polymerases I and III (abbreviated as Pol I and Pol III), the first analysis of their physical compositions in plants. In all eukaryotes examined to date, AC40 and AC19 subunits are common to Pol I (a.k.a. Pol A) and Pol III (a.k.a. Pol C) and are encoded by single genes. Surprisingly, A. thaliana and related species express two distinct AC40 paralogs, one of which assembles into Pol I and the other of which assembles into Pol III. Changes at eight amino acid positions correlate with the functional divergence of Pol I- and Pol III-specific AC40 paralogs. Two genes encode homologs of the yeast C53 subunit and either protein can assemble into Pol III. By contrast, only one of two potential C17 variants, and one of two potential C31 variants were detected in Pol III. We introduce a new nomenclature system for plant Pol I and Pol III subunits in which the 12 subunits that are structurally and functionally homologous among Pols I through V are assigned equivalent numbers.

Biochemical analysis of transcription termination by RNA polymerase III from yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Eukaryotic RNA polymerase III (pol III) transcribes short noncoding RNA genes such as those encoding tRNAs, 5S rRNA, U6 snRNA, and a few others. As compared to its pol II counterpart, Pol III has several advantages, including the relative simplicity, stability, and more direct connectivity of its transcription machinery. Only two transcription factor complexes, TFIIIB and TFIIIC, are required to faithfully initiate and direct multiple rounds of transcription by pol III. Moreover, in contrast to an intricate multipartite mechanism of pol II termination, pol III termination is extremely simple, responsive to a monopartite signal (oligo T stretch on the nontemplate DNA strand) and mediated by a stably associated termination subcomplex of three integral subunits (Arimbasseri et al. Transcription 4(6), 2013). This makes pol III a valuable model for dissecting intrinsic molecular mechanisms of eukaryotic transcription termination. In this chapter, we provide protocols we adapted to study the biochemistry of transcription termination by S. cerevisiae pol III.

Selectivity and proofreading both contribute significantly to the fidelity of RNA polymerase III transcription.

We examine here the mechanisms ensuring the fidelity of RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase III (Pol III). Misincorporation could only be observed by using variants of Pol III deficient in the intrinsic RNA cleavage activity. Determination of relative rates of the reactions producing correct and erroneous transcripts at a specific position on a tRNA gene, combined with computational methods, demonstrated that Pol III has a highly efficient proofreading activity increasing its transcriptional fidelity by a factor of 10(3) over the error rate determined solely by selectivity (1.8 x 10(-4)). We show that Pol III slows down synthesis past a misincorporation to achieve efficient proofreading. We discuss our findings in the context of transcriptional fidelity studies performed on RNA Pols, proposing that the fidelity of transcription is more crucial for Pol III than Pol II.

Reconstitution of the yeast RNA polymerase III transcription system with all recombinant factors.

Transcription factor TFIIIC is a multisubunit complex required for promoter recognition and transcriptional activation of class III genes. We describe here the reconstitution of complete recombinant yeast TFIIIC and the molecular characterization of its two DNA-binding domains, tauA and tauB, using the baculovirus expression system. The B block-binding module, rtauB, was reconstituted with rtau138, rtau91, and rtau60 subunits. rtau131, rtau95, and rtau55 formed also a stable complex, rtauA, that displayed nonspecific DNA binding activity. Recombinant rTFIIIC was functionally equivalent to purified yeast TFIIIC, suggesting that the six recombinant subunits are necessary and sufficient to reconstitute a transcriptionally active TFIIIC complex. The formation and the properties of rTFIIIC-DNA complexes were affected by dephosphorylation treatments. The combination of complete recombinant rTFIIIC and rTFIIIB directed a low level of basal transcription, much weaker than with the crude B'' fraction, suggesting the existence of auxiliary factors that could modulate the yeast RNA polymerase III transcription system.

[Subunits of human holoenzyme of DNA dependent RNA polymerase III phosphorylated in vivo].

Phosphorylation of human holoenzyme of DNA dependent RNA polymerase III subunits in vivo has been investigated. RNA polymerase III from human placenta nuclei and epidermoid carcinoma cells A431 was isolated as two subfractions (IIIa and IIIb) distinguished in the order of elution from DEAE Sephadex A-25 column chromatography and buoyant density at glycerol gradient centrifugation. The subfractions of RNA polymerase III holoenzyme consists of four subunits with molecular masses 60, 52, 45 and 38 kDa, respectively, phosphorylated in vivo. The subunits with molecular masses 60 and 45 kDa are phosphorylated both on tyrosine and serine/threonine residues. All these subunits belong to subunits of the molecules of RNA polymerase III proper. RNA polymerase III and RNA polymerase I have the 38 kDa subunit in common. The subunit with molecular mass 52 kDa is phosphorylated on serine/threonine residues and may be related to some basal transcription factors of RNA polymerase III.

Rpc25, a conserved RNA polymerase III subunit, is critical for transcription initiation.

Rpc25 is a strongly conserved subunit of RNA polymerase III with homology to Rpa43 in RNA polymerase I, Rpb7 in RNA polymerase II and the archaeal RpoE subunit. A central domain of Rpc25 can replaced the corresponding region of Rpb7 with little or no growth defect, underscoring the functional relatedness of these proteins. Rpc25 forms a heterodimer with Rpc17, another conserved component of RNA polymerase III. A conditional mutant (rpc25-S100P) impairs this interaction. rpc25-S100P and another conditional mutant obtained by complementation with the Schizosaccharomyces pombe subunit (rpc25-Sp) were investigated for the properties of their purified RNA polymerase III. The mutant enzymes were defective in the specific synthesis of pre-tRNA transcripts but acted at a wild-type level on poly[d(A-T)] templates. They were also indistinguishable from wild type in transcript elongation, cleavage and termination. These data indicate that Rpc25 is needed for transcription initiation but is not critical for the elongating properties of RNA polymerase III.

Heterologous overexpression and purification of four common subunits of nuclear RNA polymerases I, II and III of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Four subunits of Schizosaccharomyces pombe RNA polymerases I-III shared by all three enzymes (Rpb5, Rpb8, Rpb10 and Rpc10 [Rpb12]) have been overexpressed in Escherichia coli expression vectors pQE or pET as hexahistidine fusions. The recombinant proteins have been purified to near homogeneity using metal-chelate affinity chromatography and gel filtration. Homogeneity and identity of the purified protein preparations was demonstrated by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and TOF-MALDI mass spectrometry. The proteins were obtained in large amounts, and their preparations are currently in use for monoclonal antibody production and physico-chemical studies of these individual components of eukaryotic transcription enzymes.

The application of FPLC chromatography (Mono Q) for the purification of wheat RNA polymerases II and III.

Transcription is the main step in the regulation of gene expression. To study this process in vitro, it is necessary to obtain highly purified RNA polymerases. Here, we describe a method of RNA polymerase purification using a Mono Q FPLC column. Using Mono Q column chromatography accelerates the purification process and separates RNA polymerase II from RNA polymerase III with good yield.

Characterization of human RNA polymerase III identifies orthologues for Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA polymerase III subunits.

Unlike Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA polymerase III, human RNA polymerase III has not been entirely characterized. Orthologues of the yeast RNA polymerase III subunits C128 and C37 remain unidentified, and for many of the other subunits, the available information is limited to database sequences with various degrees of similarity to the yeast subunits. We have purified an RNA polymerase III complex and identified its components. We found that two RNA polymerase III subunits, referred to as RPC8 and RPC9, displayed sequence similarity to the RNA polymerase II RPB7 and RPB4 subunits, respectively. RPC8 and RPC9 associated with each other, paralleling the association of the RNA polymerase II subunits, and were thus paralogues of RPB7 and RPB4. Furthermore, the complex contained a prominent 80-kDa polypeptide, which we called RPC5 and which corresponded to the human orthologue of the yeast C37 subunit despite limited sequence similarity. RPC5 associated with RPC53, the human orthologue of S. cerevisiae C53, paralleling the association of the S. cerevisiae C37 and C53 subunits, and was required for transcription from the type 2 VAI and type 3 human U6 promoters. Our results provide a characterization of human RNA polymerase III and show that the RPC5 subunit is essential for transcription.

[Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of rna polymerase III holoenzyme are modifications regulating the level of transcription in vitro]. / Fosforilirovanie-defosforilirovanie kholoénzima RNK-polimerazy III--modifikatsii, reguliruiushchie uroven' transkriptsii in vitro.

Two subforms of RNA polymerase III-IIIa and IIIb--were identified in human placenta nuclei. These subforms differed in molecular weight of one subunit, and in buoyant density in glycerol concentration gradient. Protein kinase activity, which phosphorylates at least four subunits of RNA polymerase IIIa and three subunits of RNA polymerase IIIb in vitro, was copurified with both the subforms. Protein kinase activity was inhibited by wortmannin, a specific PI3-kinase inhibitor. RNA polymerase III dephosphorylation by alkaline phosphatase in vitro decrease the transcription level on specific Alu-template. The associated protein kinase was not able to phosphorylate dephosphorylated RNA polymerase IIIa and to restore the transcription level up to the control one.

Characterization of RNA polymerase III transcription factor TFIIIC from the mulberry silkworm, Bombyx mori.

Fractionation of nuclear extracts from posterior silk glands of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori, resolved the transcription factor TFIIIC into two components (designated here as TFIIIC and TFIIIC1) as in HeLa cell nuclear extracts. The reconstituted transcription of tRNA genes required the presence of both components. The affinity purified TFIIIC is a heteromeric complex comprising of five subunits ranging from 44 to 240 kDa. Of these, the 51-kDa subunit could be specifically crosslinked to the B box of tRNA1Gly. Purified swTFIIIC binds to the B box sequences with an affinity in the same range as of yTFIIIC or hTFIIIC2. Although an histone acetyl transferase (HAT) activity was associated with the TFIIIC fractions during the initial stages of purification, the HAT activity, unlike the human TFIIIC preparations, was separated at the final DNA affinity step. The tRNA transcription from DNA template was independent of HAT activity but the repressed transcription from chromatin template could be partially restored by external supplementation of the dissociated HAT activity. This is the first report on the purification and characterization of TFIIIC from insect systems.

Expression and purification of recombinant hRPABC25, hRPABC17, and hRPABC14.4, three essential subunits of human RNA polymerases I, II, and III.

Transcription of eukaryotic genes is performed by RNA polymerases I, II, and III, which synthesize ribosomal, messenger, and transfer RNAs, respectively. Eukaryotic RNA polymerases are large macromolecular complexes composed of multiple subunits. Among these subunits, five are shared by all RNA polymerases and are essential for cell growth and viability. Remarkably, the human common subunits are structurally conserved and functionally interchangeable with their yeast homologues and are believed to play an important role in the assembly of the three transcription complexes. To understand the structure and function of human RNA polymerases, we overexpressed the common subunits hRPABC25, hRPABC17, and hRPABC14.4 as hexahistidine fusions in Escherichia coli. The recombinant proteins were purified using metal-chelate affinity chromatography on Ni-NTA resin and gel filtration. Depending on the subunit, the yield was 5-17 mg of purified recombinant protein per liter of culture medium. The purified proteins were of high quality and sufficient quantity for structural studies, as demonstrated by the successful crystallization of hRPABC17 and hRPABC14.4. The expression and purification of the common subunits hRPABC25, hRPABC17, and hRPABC14. 4 will make possible their structural analysis with X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance, providing important insights into the structure and function of the three human RNA polymerases.

The largest subunit of human RNA polymerase III is closely related to the largest subunit of yeast and trypanosome RNA polymerase III.

In both yeast and mammalian systems, considerable progress has been made toward the characterization of the transcription factors required for transcription by RNA polymerase III. However, whereas in yeast all of the RNA polymerase III subunits have been cloned, relatively little is known about the enzyme itself in higher eukaryotes. For example, no higher eukaryotic sequence corresponding to the largest RNA polymerase III subunit is available. Here we describe the isolation of cDNAs that encode the largest subunit of human RNA polymerase III, as suggested by the observations that (1) antibodies directed against the cloned protein immunoprecipitate an active enzyme whose sensitivity to different concentrations of alpha-amanitin is that expected for human RNA polymerase III; and (2) depletion of transcription extracts with the same antibodies results in inhibition of transcription from an RNA polymerase III, but not from an RNA polymerase II, promoter. Sequence comparisons reveal that regions conserved in the RNA polymerase I, II, and III largest subunits characterized so far are also conserved in the human RNA polymerase III sequence, and thus probably perform similar functions for the human RNA polymerase III enzyme.

Dual role of the C34 subunit of RNA polymerase III in transcription initiation.

The C34 subunit of yeast RNA polymerase (pol) III is part of a subcomplex of three subunits which have no counterpart in the other two nuclear RNA polymerases. This subunit interacts with TFIIIB70 and is therefore thought to participate in pol III recruitment. To study the role of C34 in transcription, we have mutagenized RPC34, the gene encoding C34, and found that mutations affecting growth also altered C34 interaction with TFIIIB70. The two mutant pol III that were purified had catalytic properties indistinguishable from those of the wild-type pol III on a poly[d(A-T)] template, while specific transcription of pol III genes in the presence of general transcription factors was impaired. The defect of the C34-1124 mutant enzyme could be compensated by increasing the amount of pol III present in the reaction, suggesting that the enzyme had a lower affinity for pre-initiation complexes. In contrast, the C34-1109 mutant enzyme was defective in transcription initiation due to impaired open complex formation. These observations demonstrate that the C34 subunit is a major determinant in pol III recruitment by the pre-initiation complex and further acts at a subsequent stage that involves the configuration of an initiation-competent form of RNA polymerase.

Three human RNA polymerase III-specific subunits form a subcomplex with a selective function in specific transcription initiation.

Transcription by RNA polymerase III involves recruitment of the polymerase by template-bound accessory factors, followed by initiation, elongation, and termination steps. An immunopurification approach has been used to demonstrate that human RNA Pol III is composed of 16 subunits, some of which are apparently modified in HeLa cells. Partial denaturing conditions and sucrose gradient sedimentation at high salt result in the dissociation of a subcomplex that includes hRPC32, hRPC39, and hRPC62. Cognate cDNAs were isolated and shown to encode three subunits that are specific to RNA Pol III and homologous to three yeast subunits. The human RNA Pol III core lacking the subcomplex functions in transcription elongation and termination following nonspecific initiation on a tailed template, but fails to show promoter-dependent transcription initiation in conjunction with accessory factors. The capability for specific transcription initiation can be restored either by the natural subcomplex or by a stable subcomplex composed of recombinant hRPC32, hRPC39, and hRPC62 polypeptides. One component (hRPC39) of this subcomplex interacts physically with both hTBP and hTFIIIB90, two subunits of human RNA Pol III transcription initiation factor IIIB. These data strongly suggest that the hRPC32-hRPC39-hRPC62 subcomplex directs RNA Pol III binding to the TFIIIB-DNA complex via the interactions between TFIIIB and hRPC39.

Probing the protein-DNA contacts of a yeast RNA polymerase III transcription complex in a crude extract: solid phase synthesis of DNA photoaffinity probes containing a novel photoreactive deoxycytidine analog.

A novel photoreactive deoxycytidine analog, 4-[N-(p-azidobenzoyl)-2-aminoethyl]-dCTP (ABdCTP), has been synthesized and incorporated at specific sites within the SUP4 tRNA(Tyr) gene. Immobilized single-stranded DNA was annealed to specific oligonucleotides and AB-dCMP incorporated into DNA by primer extension. DNA photoaffinity labeling with AB-dCMP was used to survey protein-DNA contacts in initiation and elongation complexes of RNA polymerase III (Pol III), and compared to DNA photoaffinity labeling using the previously described photoreactive deoxyuridine analog, 5-[N-(pazidobenzoyl)-3-aminoallyl]-dUMP (AB-dUMP) [Bartholomew et al. (1993) Mol. Cell.Biol. 13,942-952]. In contrast to previous studies, we have used a crude protein fraction rather than highly purified preparations of Pol III and transcription factors TFIIIC and TFIIIB to examine if some component of the transcription complex is lost upon purification. Eleven nucleotide positions from bp-17 to bp +17 (+1 being the start site of transcription) on the nontranscribed strand were modified and shown to have little or no effect on transcription complex formation, initiation, or elongation as determined by multiple-round transcription assays. Efficient photoaffinity labeling by DNA containing AB-dCMP gave results comparable to that with AB-dUMP at proximal nucleotide positions and provided new evidence for the placement of the 160 and 31 kDa subunits of Pol III near the 5' end of the transcriptional bubble in an elongation complex. A novel 40 kDa protein was cross-linked at bps -17, -9, and -8 in a TFIIIC-dependent manner that had not been previously detected.

A universally conserved region of the largest subunit participates in the active site of RNA polymerase III.

The largest subunits of the three eukaryotic nuclear RNA polymerase present extensive sequence homology with the beta' subunit of the bacterial enzymes over five major co-linear regions. Region d is the most highly conserved and contains a motif, (Y/F)NADFDGD(E/Q)M(N/A), which is invariant in all multimeric RNA polymerases. An extensive mutagenesis of that region in yeast RNA polymerase III led to a vast majority (16/22) of lethal single-site substitutions. A few conditional mutations were also obtained. One of them, rpc160-112, corresponds to a double substitution (T506I, N509Y) and has a slow growth phenotype at 25 degrees C. RNA polymerase III from the mutant rpc160-112 was severely impaired in its ability to transcribe a tRNA gene in vitro. The transcription defect did not originate from a deficiency in transcription complex formation and RNA chain initiation, but was mainly due to a reduced elongation rate. Under conditions of substrate limitation, the mutant enzyme showed increased pausing at the intrinsic pause sites of the SUP4 tRNA gene and an increased rate of slippage of nascent RNA, as compared with the wild-type enzyme. The enzyme defect was also detectable with poly[d(A-T)] as template, in the presence of saturating DNA, ATP and UTP concentrations. The mutant enzyme behavior is best explained by a distortion of the active site near the growing point of the RNA product.