Cryptic Transcription and Early Termination in the Control of Gene Expression

Recent studies on yeast transcriptome have revealed the presence of a large set of RNA polymerase II transcripts mapping to intergenic and antisense regions or overlapping canonical genes. Most of these ncRNAs (ncRNAs) are subject to termination by the Nrd1-dependent pathway and rapid degradation by the nuclear exosome and have been dubbed cryptic unstable transcripts (CUTs). CUTs are often considered as by-products of transcriptional noise, but in an increasing number of cases they play a central role in the control of gene expression. Regulatory mechanisms involving expression of a CUT are diverse and include attenuation, transcriptional interference, and alternative transcription start site choice. This review focuses on the impact of cryptic transcription on gene expression, describes the role of the Nrd1-complex as the main actor in preventing nonfunctional and potentially harmful transcription, and details a few systems where expression of a CUT has an essential regulatory function. We also summarize the most recent studies concerning other types of ncRNAs and their possible role in regulation

Architecture of the yeast Pol III pre-termination complex and pausing mechanism on poly(dT) termination signals

RNA polymerase (Pol) III is specialized to transcribe short, abundant RNAs, for which it terminates transcription on polythymine (dT) stretches on the non-template (NT) strand. When Pol III reaches the termination signal, it pauses and forms the pre-termination complex (PTC). Here, we report cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the yeast Pol III PTC and complementary functional states at resolutions of 2.7-3.9 Å. Pol III recognizes the poly(dT) termination signal with subunit C128 that forms a hydrogen-bond network with the NT strand and, thereby, induces pausing. Mutating key interacting residues interferes with transcription termination in vitro, impairs yeast growth, and causes global termination defects in vivo, confirming our structural results. Additional cryo-EM analysis reveals that C53-C37, a Pol III subcomplex and key termination factor, participates indirectly in Pol III termination. We propose a mechanistic model of Pol III transcription termination and rationalize why Pol III, unlike Pol I and Pol II, terminates on poly(dT) signals

Transcription termination and the control of the transcriptome: why, where and how to stop.

International audienceTranscription termination occurs when the polymerase is released after a transcription event, thus delimitating transcription units; however, the functional importance of termination extends beyond the mere definition of gene borders. By determining the cellular fate of the generated transcripts, transcription termination pathways shape the transcriptome. Recent reports have underscored the crucial role of these pathways in limiting the extent of pervasive transcription, which has attracted interest in post-initiation events in gene expression control. Transcription termination pathways involved in the production of non-coding RNAs - such as the Nrd1-Nab3-Sen1 (NNS) pathway in yeast and the cap-binding complex (CBC)-ARS2 pathway in humans - are key determinants of transcription quality control. Understanding the mechanisms leading to the timely and efficient dismantling of elongation complexes remains a major unmet challenge, but new insights into the molecular basis of termination at mRNA-coding and non-coding RNA gene targets have been gained in eukaryotes

Transcription Termination: Variations on Common Themes

International audienceTranscription initiates pervasively in all organisms, which challenges the notion that the information to be expressed is selected mainly based on mechanisms defining where and when transcription is started. Together with post-transcriptional events, termination of transcription is essential for sorting out the functional RNAs from a plethora of transcriptional products that seemingly have no use in the cell. But terminating transcription is not that easy, given the high robustness of the elongation process. We review here many of the strategies that prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have adopted to dismantle the elongation complex in a timely and efficient manner. We highlight similarities and diversity, underlying the existence of common principles in a diverse set of functionally convergent solutions

High-resolution transcription maps reveal the widespread impact of roadblock termination in yeast

International audienceTranscription termination delimits transcription units but also plays important roles in limiting pervasive transcription. We have previously shown that transcription termination occurs when elongating RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) collides with the DNA-bound general transcription factor Reb1. We demonstrate here that many different DNA-binding proteins can induce termination by a similar roadblock (RB) mechanism. We generated high-resolution transcription maps by the direct detection of RNAPII upon nuclear depletion of two essential RB factors or when the canonical termination pathways for coding and non-coding RNAs are defective. We show that RB termination occurs genomewide and functions independently of (and redundantly with) the main transcription termination pathways. We provide evidence that transcriptional readthrough at canonical terminators is a significant source of pervasive transcription, which is controlled to a large extent by RB termination. Finally, we demonstrate the occurrence of RB termination around centromeres and tRNA genes, which we suggest shields these regions from RNAPII to preserve their functional integrity

An integrated model for termination of RNA polymerase III transcription

Abstract RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII) synthesizes essential and abundant non-coding RNAs such as tRNAs. Controlling RNAPIII span of activity by accurate and efficient termination is a challenging necessity to ensure robust gene expression and to prevent conflicts with other DNA-associated machineries. The mechanism of RNAPIII termination is believed to be simpler than that of other eukaryotic RNA polymerases, solely relying on the recognition of a T-tract in the non-template strand. Here we combine high-resolution genome-wide analyses and in vitro transcription termination assays to revisit the mechanism of RNAPIII transcription termination in budding yeast. We show that T-tracts are necessary but not always sufficient for termination and that secondary structures of the nascent RNAs are important auxiliary cis-acting elements. Moreover, we show that the helicase Sen1 plays a key role in a fail-safe termination pathway. Our results provide a comprehensive model illustrating how multiple mechanisms cooperate to ensure efficient RNAPIII transcription termination