title: The mutation nrpb1-A325V in the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II suppresses compromised growth of Arabidopsis plants deficient in a function of the general transcription factor IIF.
abstract: The evolutionarily conserved 12-subunit RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a central catalytic component that drives RNA synthesis during the transcription cycle that consists of transcription initiation, elongation, and termination. A diverse set of general transcription factors, including a multifunctional TFIIF, govern Pol II selectivity, kinetic properties, and transcription coupling with posttranscriptional processes. Here, we show that TFIIF of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) resembles the metazoan complex that is composed of the TFIIFα and TFIIFβ polypeptides. Arabidopsis has two TFIIFβ subunits, of which TFIIFβ1/MAN1 is essential and TFIIFβ2/MAN2 is not. In the partial loss-of-function mutant allele man1-1, the winged helix domain of Arabidopsis TFIIFβ1/MAN1 was dispensable for plant viability, whereas the cellular organization of the shoot and root apical meristems were abnormal. Forward genetic screening identified an epistatic interaction between the largest Pol II subunit nrpb1-A325V variant and the man1-1 mutation. The suppression of the man1-1 mutant developmental defects by a mutation in Pol II suggests a link between TFIIF functions in Arabidopsis transcription cycle and the maintenance of cellular organization in the shoot and root apical meristems.
authors.affiliation: Vale Institute of Technology Sustainable Development, 66055-090, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Babiychuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Can Tho Technical Economic College, Can Tho, Vietnam.
authors.forename: Khai Trinh
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hoang
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Klaas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vandepoele
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van De Slijke
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Production, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Geelen
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.|Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, 9052, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Jaeger
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto Prefectural University, Kyoto, 606-8522, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Obokata
authors.affiliation: Vale Institute of Technology Sustainable Development, 66055-090, Belém, Pará, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergei
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kushnir
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018519:Meristem / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019473:Transcription Factors, TFII / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D019473:Transcription Factors, TFII; D012319:RNA Polymerase II; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C568761:NRPD1A protein, Arabidopsis; C056604:transcription factor TFIIF
keywords: 
  Arabidopsis thaliana
  ; 
  TFIIF
  ; At1g75510; At3g52270; At4g12610; At4g35800; RNA polymerase II; cell identity; meristem; stem cells