Transcription Elongation Factor SII (TFIIS) Enables RNA Polymerase II to Elongate through a Block to Transcription in a Human Gene in Vitro

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 264; no. 18; pp. 10799 - 10809
• Main Authors: Reines, D, Chamberlin, M J, Kane, C M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 25-06-1989; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cattle; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Detergents - pharmacology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes - drug effects; HeLa Cells - metabolism; Heparin - pharmacology; Histones - genetics; Humans; Liver - metabolism; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Plasmids; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Rats; RNA Polymerase II - metabolism; Sarcosine - analogs & derivatives; Sarcosine - pharmacology; Templates, Genetic; Thymus Gland - enzymology; Transcription Factors - isolation & purification; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transcription Factors, General; Transcription, Genetic - drug effects; Transcription. Transcription factor. Splicing. Rna processing; Transcriptional Elongation Factors
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0021-9258(18)81692-1

Elongation and termination by RNA polymerase II are important regulatory steps for eukaryotic gene expression. We have previously studied the transcription of linear DNA templates where specific initiation of transcription by highly purified RNA polymerase II can be achieved in the absence of promoters and promoter-specific factors. Using these templates we have shown that a human histone gene, H3.3, contains sequences (intrinsic terminators) within which purified RNA polymerase II will efficiently terminate transcription (Reines, D., Wells, D., Chamberlin, M. J., and Kane, C. M. (1987) J. Mol. Biol. 196, 299–312). Curiously, these signals were found within an intron, 3′-untranslated, and protein-encoding regions of the gene suggesting that they might act to attenuate transcription of H3.3 in vivo.
Here we show that intrinsic terminator sequences from an H3.3 gene intron also block in vitro transcript elongation by RNA polymerase II when the enzyme has initiated transcription from a promoter using highly purified transcription initiation factors. However, under the conditions used for promoter-specific transcription there is little transcript release. Instead the polymerase can pause at these sites for periods exceeding 60 min. We have identified and partially purified an activity from HeLa cells that causes the transcription complex to read through this block to transcription elongation. This readthrough activity fractionates with a previously characterized elongation factor (SII) over three chromatographic columns. A homogeneous preparation of calf thymus SII can also provide this activity in trans. This factor may facilitate passage of the RNA polymerase II transcription complex through such intragenic sites in cellular genes in vivo.