title: Requirement for TFIIH kinase activity in transcription by RNA polymerase II.
abstract: An array of tandem heptapeptide repeats at the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II constitute a highly conserved structure essential for viability. Studies have established that the CTD is phosphorylated at different stages of the transcription cycle, and that it may be involved in transcriptional regulation. The exact role of the CTD remains elusive, as in vitro reconstituted transcription using the adenovirus major late promoter does not require the CTD. Previous studies showed that transcription from the murine dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) promoter can be only accomplished by the form of RNA polymerase II that contains the hypophosphorylated CTD (RNAPIIA), but not by the form that lacks it (RNAPIIB). Here we show that the CTD, but not its phosphorylation, is required for initiation of transcription. We also show that transcription requires CTD kinase activity provided by the CDK subunit of TFIIH.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway 08854-5635, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akoulitchev
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Mäkelä
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reinberg
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D056748:Cyclin H; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D016213:Cyclins / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism*; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase / Q000235:genetics; D051758:Transcription Factor TFIIH; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D019473:Transcription Factors, TFII; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D000095043:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase
chemical_list: C534751:CCNH protein, human; C534752:Ccnh protein, mouse; D056748:Cyclin H; D016213:Cyclins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019473:Transcription Factors, TFII; D051758:Transcription Factor TFIIH; D004247:DNA; D013762:Tetrahydrofolate Dehydrogenase; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D012319:RNA Polymerase II; D000095043:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase-Activating Kinase