Identification of an ortholog of the eukaryotic RNA polymerase III subunit RPC34 in Crenarchaeota and Thaumarchaeota suggests specialization of RNA polymerases for coding and non-coding RNAs in Archaea.
One of the hallmarks of eukaryotic information processing is the co-existence of 3 distinct, multi-subunit RNA polymerase complexes that are dedicated to the transcription of specific classes of coding or non-coding RNAs. Archaea encode only one RNA polymerase that resembles the eukaryotic RNA polymerase II with respect to the subunit composition. Here we identify archaeal orthologs of the eukaryotic RNA polymerase III subunit RPC34. Genome context analysis supports a function of this archaeal protein in the transcription of non-coding RNAs. These findings suggest that functional separation of RNA polymerases for protein-coding genes and non-coding RNAs might predate the origin of the Eukaryotes.
Blombach
Fabian
F
Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands. fabian.blombach@wur.nl
Makarova
Kira S
KS
Marrero
Jeannette
J
Siebers
Bettina
B
Koonin
Eugene V
EV
van der Oost
John
J
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019615:Crenarchaeota / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D020745:Genome, Archaeal / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry*; D012320:RNA Polymerase III / Q000737:chemistry*; D019642:RNA, Archaeal / Q000378:metabolism*; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000378:metabolism*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D021122:Protein Subunits; D019642:RNA, Archaeal; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D012320:RNA Polymerase III