NELF potentiates gene transcription in the Drosophila embryo.
A hallmark of genes that are subject to developmental regulation of transcriptional elongation is association of the negative elongation factor NELF with the paused RNA polymerase complex. Here we use a combination of biochemical and genetic experiments to investigate the in vivo function of NELF in the Drosophila embryo. NELF associates with different gene promoter regions in correlation with the association of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and the initial activation of gene expression during the early stages of embryogenesis. Genetic experiments reveal that maternally provided NELF is required for the activation, rather than the repression of reporter genes that emulate the expression of key developmental control genes. Furthermore, the relative requirement for NELF is dictated by attributes of the flanking cis-regulatory information. We propose that NELF-associated paused Pol II complexes provide a platform for high fidelity integration of the combinatorial spatial and temporal information that is central to the regulation of gene expression during animal development.
Wang
Xiaoling
X
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology and the Center for Developmental Genetics, Graduate Program in Biochemistry and Structural Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America.
Hang
Saiyu
S
Prazak
Lisa
L
Gergen
J Peter
JP
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D014157:Transcription Factors; C118437:negative elongation factor; D012319:RNA Polymerase II