SAGA (Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase) is a 19-subunit complex that stimulates transcription via two chromatin-modifying enzymatic modules and by delivering the TATA box binding protein (TBP) to ...nucleate the pre-initiation complex on DNA, a pivotal event in the expression of protein-encoding genes
. Here we present the structure of yeast SAGA with bound TBP. The core of the complex is resolved at 3.5 Å resolution (0.143 Fourier shell correlation). The structure reveals the intricate network of interactions that coordinate the different functional domains of SAGA and resolves an octamer of histone-fold domains at the core of SAGA. This deformed octamer deviates considerably from the symmetrical analogue in the nucleosome and is precisely tuned to establish a peripheral site for TBP, where steric hindrance represses binding of spurious DNA. Complementary biochemical analysis points to a mechanism for TBP delivery and release from SAGA that requires transcription factor IIA and whose efficiency correlates with the affinity of DNA to TBP. We provide the foundations for understanding the specific delivery of TBP to gene promoters and the multiple roles of SAGA in regulating gene expression.
Transcriptional pausing by RNA polymerases (RNAPs) is a key mechanism to regulate gene expression in all kingdoms of life and is a prerequisite for transcription termination. The essential bacterial ...transcription factor NusA stimulates both pausing and termination of transcription, thus playing a central role. Here, we report single-particle electron cryo-microscopy reconstructions of NusA bound to paused E. coli RNAP elongation complexes with and without a pause-enhancing hairpin in the RNA exit channel. The structures reveal four interactions between NusA and RNAP that suggest how NusA stimulates RNA folding, pausing, and termination. An asymmetric translocation intermediate of RNA and DNA converts the active site of the enzyme into an inactive state, providing a structural explanation for the inhibition of catalysis. Comparing RNAP at different stages of pausing provides insights on the dynamic nature of the process and the role of NusA as a regulatory factor.
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•Two cryo-EM reconstructions of paused RNAP elongation complexes bound by NusA•NusA provides positively charged cavity for RNA structures and stabilizes pause•Asymmetric translocation intermediate explains transcriptional pausing•Dynamic process of pausing reflected by RNAP global conformational changes
Guo et al. present cryo-EM structures of paused RNAP bound to NusA. NusA interacts through four points with RNAP and forms a positively charged cavity above the pause-stabilizing RNA hairpin. An asymmetric, half-translocated RNA-DNA hybrid (RNA post-translocated, template DNA pre-translocated) explains transcriptional pausing. NusA further stabilizes the paused RNAP.
Regulatory sequences or erroneous incorporations during DNA transcription cause RNA polymerase backtracking and inactivation in all kingdoms of life. Reactivation requires RNA transcript cleavage. ...Essential transcription factors (GreA and GreB, or TFIIS) accelerate this reaction. We report four cryo-EM reconstructions of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase representing the entire reaction pathway: (1) a backtracked complex; a backtracked complex with GreB (2) before and (3) after RNA cleavage; and (4) a reactivated, substrate-bound complex with GreB before RNA extension. Compared with eukaryotes, the backtracked RNA adopts a different conformation. RNA polymerase conformational changes cause distinct GreB states: a fully engaged GreB before cleavage; a disengaged GreB after cleavage; and a dislodged, loosely bound GreB removed from the active site to allow RNA extension. These reconstructions provide insight into the catalytic mechanism and dynamics of RNA cleavage and extension and suggest how GreB targets backtracked complexes without interfering with canonical transcription.
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•Cryo-EM structures of RNA polymerase cover backtracking, cleavage, and reactivation•Backtracking allows active site access for GreB, and backtracked RNA stabilizes GreB•GreB needs to leave the active site for substrate binding•Substrate binding induces global conformational change in RNA polymerase
Abdelkareem et al. present four cryo-EM structures of active RNA polymerase representing backtracking and transcription factor-assisted cleavage and reactivation: (1) a backtracked complex; a backtracked complex with GreB (2) before and (3) after RNA cleavage; and (4) a reactivated, substrate-bound complex resuming transcription.
RNA polymerase (RNAP) frequently pauses during the transcription of DNA to RNA to regulate gene expression. Transcription factors NusA and NusG modulate pausing, have opposing roles, but can bind ...RNAP simultaneously. Here we report cryo-EM reconstructions of Escherichia coli RNAP bound to NusG, or NusA, or both. RNAP conformational changes, referred to as swivelling, correlate with transcriptional pausing. NusA facilitates RNAP swivelling to further increase pausing, while NusG counteracts this role. Their structural effects are consistent with biochemical results on two categories of transcriptional pauses. In addition, the structures suggest a cooperative mechanism of NusA and NusG during Rho-mediated transcription termination. Our results provide a structural rationale for the stochastic nature of pausing and termination and how NusA and NusG can modulate it.
Eukaryotic RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is specialized in rRNA gene transcription synthesizing up to 60% of cellular RNA. High level rRNA production relies on efficient binding of initiation factors to ...the rRNA gene promoter and recruitment of Pol I complexes containing initiation factor Rrn3. Here, we determine the cryo-EM structure of the Pol I-Rrn3 complex at 7.5 Å resolution, and compare it with Rrn3-free monomeric and dimeric Pol I. We observe that Rrn3 contacts the Pol I A43/A14 stalk and subunits A190 and AC40, that association re-organizes the Rrn3 interaction interface, thereby preventing Pol I dimerization; and Rrn3-bound and monomeric Pol I differ from the dimeric enzyme in cleft opening, and localization of the A12.2 C-terminus in the active centre. Our findings thus support a dual role for Rrn3 in transcription initiation to stabilize a monomeric initiation competent Pol I and to drive pre-initiation complex formation.
Dynamin 2 mechanoenzyme is a key regulator of membrane remodeling and gain-of-function mutations in its gene cause centronuclear myopathies. Here, we investigate the functions of dynamin 2 isoforms ...and their associated phenotypes and, specifically, the ubiquitous and muscle-specific dynamin 2 isoforms expressed in skeletal muscle. In cell-based assays, we show that a centronuclear myopathy-related mutation in the ubiquitous but not the muscle-specific dynamin 2 isoform causes increased membrane fission. In vivo, overexpressing the ubiquitous dynamin 2 isoform correlates with severe forms of centronuclear myopathy, while overexpressing the muscle-specific isoform leads to hallmarks seen in milder cases of the disease. Previous mouse studies suggested that reduction of the total dynamin 2 pool could be therapeutic for centronuclear myopathies. Here, dynamin 2 splice switching from muscle-specific to ubiquitous dynamin 2 aggravated the phenotype of a severe X-linked form of centronuclear myopathy caused by loss-of-function of the MTM1 phosphatase, supporting the importance of targeting the ubiquitous isoform for efficient therapy in muscle. Our results highlight that the ubiquitous and not the muscle-specific dynamin 2 isoform is the main modifier contributing to centronuclear myopathy pathology.
Integration of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV‐1) cDNA into the human genome is catalysed by integrase. Several studies have shown the importance of the interaction of cellular cofactors with ...integrase for viral integration and infectivity. In this study, we produced a stable and functional complex between the wild‐type full‐length integrase (IN) and the cellular cofactor LEDGF/p75 that shows enhanced in vitro integration activity compared with the integrase alone. Mass spectrometry analysis and the fitting of known atomic structures in cryo negatively stain electron microscopy (EM) maps revealed that the functional unit comprises two asymmetric integrase dimers and two LEDGF/p75 molecules. In the presence of DNA, EM revealed the DNA‐binding sites and indicated that, in each asymmetric dimer, one integrase molecule performs the catalytic reaction, whereas the other one positions the viral DNA in the active site of the opposite dimer. The positions of the target and viral DNAs for the 3′ processing and integration reaction shed light on the integration mechanism, a process with wide implications for the understanding of viral‐induced pathologies.
Integration of the HIV-1 cDNA into the human genome is catalyzed by the viral integrase (IN) protein. Several studies have shown the importance of cellular cofactors that interact with integrase and ...affect viral integration and infectivity. In this study, we produced a stable complex between HIV-1 integrase, viral U5 DNA, the cellular cofactor LEDGF/p75 and the integrase binding domain of INI1 (INI1-IBD), a subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling factor. The stoichiometry of the IN/LEDGF/INI1-IBD/DNA complex components was found to be 4/2/2/2 by mass spectrometry and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy. Functional assays showed that INI1-IBD inhibits the 3' processing reaction but does not interfere with specific viral DNA binding. Integration assays demonstrate that INI1-IBD decreases the amount of integration events but inhibits by-product formation such as donor/donor or linear full site integration molecules. Cryo-electron microscopy locates INI1-IBD within the cellular DNA binding site of the IN/LEDGF complex, constraining the highly flexible integrase in a stable conformation. Taken together, our results suggest that INI1 could stabilize the PIC in the host cell, by maintaining integrase in a stable constrained conformation which prevents non-specific interactions and auto integration on the route to its integration site within nucleosomes, while LEDGF organizes and stabilizes an active integrase tetramer suitable for specific vDNA integration. Moreover, our results provide the basis for a novel type of integrase inhibitor (conformational inhibitor) representing a potential new strategy for use in human therapy.
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Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Linker histones associate with nucleosomes to promote the formation of higher-order chromatin structure, but the underlying molecular details are unclear. We investigated the structure of a 197 bp ...nucleosome bearing symmetric 25 bp linker DNA arms in complex with vertebrate linker histone H1. We determined electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) and crystal structures of unbound and H1-bound nucleosomes and validated these structures by site-directed protein cross-linking and hydroxyl radical footprinting experiments. Histone H1 shifts the conformational landscape of the nucleosome by drawing the two linkers together and reducing their flexibility. The H1 C-terminal domain (CTD) localizes primarily to a single linker, while the H1 globular domain contacts the nucleosome dyad and both linkers, associating more closely with the CTD-distal linker. These findings reveal that H1 imparts a strong degree of asymmetry to the nucleosome, which is likely to influence the assembly and architecture of higher-order structures.
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•Cryo-EM and crystal structures of the nucleosome bound to histone H1 were determined•H1 binding induces the nucleosome to adopt a more compact and rigid conformation•The H1 globular domain interacts with core DNA on the dyad and with both DNA linkers•The H1 C-terminal domain associates primarily with a single DNA linker
Bednar et al. report cryo-EM and crystal structures of a 197 bp nucleosome bound to histone H1, revealing that H1 stabilizes a compact nucleosome conformation. The H1 globular domain binds on the nucleosome dyad, while the C-terminal domain localizes primarily to a single DNA linker, conferring polarity to the nucleosome.
The general RNA polymerase II transcription factor TFIIE, which is composed of two subunits, has essential roles in both transcription initiation and promoter escape. Electron microscopy analysis of ...negatively stained human TFIIE showed a large proportion of α/β heterodimers as well as a small proportion of tetramers. Analytical ultracentrifugation, chemical crosslinking, pulldown experiments and cryo‐electron microscopy confirmed that TFIIE is a α/β heterodimer in solution. Three‐dimensional envelopes of the α/β particles showed an elongated structure composed of three distinct modules. Finally, a model for the quaternary architecture of the complex is proposed that provides a structural framework to discuss the function of TFIIE in the context of RNA polymerase II transcription initiation.