GSE167427
Transcriptome analysis in sumoylation deficient (ubc9-6) budding yeast and in a strain with a sumoylation-impairing mutation in the TFIIF subunit, Tfg1
Transcription related proteins are among the most frequently identified targets of SUMO post-translational modification, but the gene-specific and genome-wide effects of transcription machinery sumoylation are not well-understood. To explore this, we examined whether dramatically reducing cellular sumoylation levels affects the levels of mRNAs in budding yeast. RNA-seq was performed using polyadenylate (polyA)-enriched RNAs from the sumoylation-deficient ubc9-6 strain and its wild-type parent. Indeed, the abundance of hundreds of mRNAs were upregulated or downregulated in the mutant strain, implying that sumoylation has a widespread influence on RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription or mRNA stability. Interestingly, about one third of mRNAs that were significantly upregulated in the ubc9-6 strain encode proteins that are involved in small molecule metabolic processes, suggesting that sumoylation is normally involved in restricting these pathways. As part of our analysis of transcription-related sumoylation, we determined that the large subunit of TFIIF, Tfg1, is a major target of sumoylation among the general transcription factors (GTFs) of RNAPII. To determine whether sumoylation of Tfg1 specifically is involved in regulating mRNA levels, we performed RNA-seq on polyA-enriched RNAs derived from strains expressing wild-type (Tfg1-HA) or sumoylation-deficient (Tfg1-K60,61R-HA) forms of Tfg1. However, with few exceptions, impairing Tfg1 sumoylation had no effect on the mRNA transcriptome. Together, our data demonstrate that gene expression is extensively regulated by sumoylation, but this likely involves the coordinated modification of multiple proteins at multiple levels. Overall design: Two independent replicates of RNA-seq in ubc9-6 and Tfg1-K60,61R-HA mutant strains and their wild-type counterparts.