title: Role of Mediator in regulating Pol II elongation and nucleosome displacement in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
abstract: Mediator is a modular multisubunit complex that functions as a critical coregulator of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription. While it is well accepted that Mediator plays important roles in the assembly and function of the preinitiation complex (PIC), less is known of its potential roles in regulating downstream steps of the transcription cycle. Here we use a combination of genetic and molecular approaches to investigate Mediator regulation of Pol II elongation in the model eukaryote, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We find that ewe (expression without heat shock element) mutations in conserved Mediator subunits Med7, Med14, Med19, and Med21-all located within or adjacent to the middle module-severely diminish heat-shock-induced expression of the Hsf1-regulated HSP82 gene. Interestingly, these mutations do not impede Pol II recruitment to the gene's promoter but instead impair its transit through the coding region. This implies that a normal function of Mediator is to regulate a postinitiation step at HSP82. In addition, displacement of histones from promoter and coding regions, a hallmark of activated heat-shock genes, is significantly impaired in the med14 and med21 mutants. Suggestive of a more general role, ewe mutations confer hypersensitivity to the anti-elongation drug 6-azauracil (6-AU) and one of them-med21-impairs Pol II processivity on a GAL1-regulated reporter gene. Taken together, our results suggest that yeast Mediator, acting principally through its middle module, can regulate Pol II elongation at both heat-shock and non-heat-shock genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71130.
authors.forename: Selena B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Sunyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jeong Ok
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: Yara W
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Moustafa
authors.forename: Apeng
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Gross
mesh_terms: D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D056892:Mediator Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D009707:Nucleosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism*; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: C074510:HSP82 protein, S cerevisiae; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; D056892:Mediator Complex; D009707:Nucleosomes; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D012319:RNA Polymerase II