RESUMO
DNA-protein crosslinks (DPCs) arise from enzymatic intermediates, metabolism or chemicals like chemotherapeutics. DPCs are highly cytotoxic as they impede DNA-based processes such as replication, which is counteracted through proteolysis-mediated DPC removal by spartan (SPRTN) or the proteasome. However, whether DPCs affect transcription and how transcription-blocking DPCs are repaired remains largely unknown. Here we show that DPCs severely impede RNA polymerase II-mediated transcription and are preferentially repaired in active genes by transcription-coupled DPC (TC-DPC) repair. TC-DPC repair is initiated by recruiting the transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair (TC-NER) factors CSB and CSA to DPC-stalled RNA polymerase II. CSA and CSB are indispensable for TC-DPC repair; however, the downstream TC-NER factors UVSSA and XPA are not, a result indicative of a non-canonical TC-NER mechanism. TC-DPC repair functions independently of SPRTN but is mediated by the ubiquitin ligase CRL4CSA and the proteasome. Thus, DPCs in genes are preferentially repaired in a transcription-coupled manner to facilitate unperturbed transcription.
Assuntos
DNA Helicases , Enzimas Reparadoras do DNA , Reparo do DNA , Proteínas de Ligação a Poli-ADP-Ribose , Proteólise , RNA Polimerase II , Transcrição Gênica , Enzimas Reparadoras do DNA/metabolismo , Enzimas Reparadoras do DNA/genética , Humanos , Proteínas de Ligação a Poli-ADP-Ribose/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a Poli-ADP-Ribose/genética , DNA Helicases/metabolismo , DNA Helicases/genética , RNA Polimerase II/metabolismo , RNA Polimerase II/genética , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/metabolismo , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , DNA/metabolismo , DNA/genética , Células HEK293 , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Dano ao DNA , Complexo de Endopeptidases do Proteassoma/metabolismo , Proteínas de Transporte , Receptores de Interleucina-17RESUMO
Initiation and promoter-proximal pausing are key regulatory steps of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription. To study the in vivo dynamics of endogenous Pol II during these steps, we generated fully functional GFP-RPB1 knockin cells. GFP-RPB1 photobleaching combined with computational modeling revealed four kinetically distinct Pol II fractions and showed that on average 7% of Pol II are freely diffusing, while 10% are chromatin-bound for 2.4 seconds during initiation, and 23% are promoter-paused for only 42 seconds. This unexpectedly high turnover of Pol II at promoters is most likely caused by premature termination of initiating and promoter-paused Pol II and is in sharp contrast to the 23 minutes that elongating Pol II resides on chromatin. Our live-cell-imaging approach provides insights into Pol II dynamics and suggests that the continuous release and reinitiation of promoter-bound Pol II is an important component of transcriptional regulation.
