ABSTRACTrRNA synthesis decreases significantly during the differentiation ofrat L6 myoblasts to myotubes. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrated that the decrease was attributable to decreased rates of rRNA gene transcription. Immunoblot analysis indicated a marked reduction in amounts of the RNA polymerase I transcription factors UBF1 and UBF2 (upstream binding factors 1 and 2, respectively). The levels of these factors dropped in parallel with the down-shift in rRNA gene transcription. The amount of UBF does not fail due to a general decrease in cellular protein, as myosin heavy-chain protein accumulates markedly during this same time. RNA blots of total RNA isolated from myoblasts and differentiating myotubes showed a decrease in the mRNA for UBF, at the same time the mRNA for myogenin was accumulating. The downshift in UBF mRNA levels preceded the decrease in the protein levels for UBF. There have been reports that the acute response of the rRNA gene transcription system to physiological signals in many systems involves an RNA polymerase I-associated factor. However, our results imply that the regulation of rRNA gene DNA transcription in response to physiological processes, such as differentiation, may involve multiple regulatory pathways.

Transcription of the ribosomal RNA genes by RNA polymerase I is tightly coordinated with the rate of cell growth. The RNA polymerase I transcription factor, UBF, activates transcription by binding to elements within the promoter and enhancer elements within the intergenic spacer but is not required for basal transcription. To assess the role of UBF in modulating ribosomal DNA transcription, we studied its expression in NIH3T6 fibroblasts when transcription was repressed in response to serum starvation and stimulated following refeeding. Our results demonstrate a correlation between the amounts of UBF protein and the rates of ribosomal DNA transcription in quiescent and serum-stimulated cells. Nuclear run-on assays and Northern blot analyses demonstrated that the UBF gene was a primary response gene, exhibiting characteristics similar to those of c-myc and SRF. These results suggest that the regulation of transcription of the UBF gene by polymerase II represents a pathway by which cells modulate transcription by RNA polymerase I.

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At 12 h after scalding of rats a doubling of the hepatocyte nuclear DNA content, which arose from the presence of additional complete genomes and not from amplification of genes coding for the major acute-phase proteins or albumin, was observed. Examination of relative transcription rates per control DNA mass revealed that alpha 1-acid-glycoprotein and cysteine-proteinase-inhibitor genes remained constitutive, alpha- and gamma-fibrinogen and haptoglobin genes underwent transcriptional activation for 290 and 339% respectively, whereas the relative transcription rate of albumin decreased to 65% of the control level. Along with these changes, the alpha 1-acid glycoprotein, cysteine-proteinase inhibitor and the fibrinogen mRNA concentrations increased about 500%, haptoglobin mRNA 250%, whereas the albumin mRNA concentration fell to 86% of the control. The regulation of the mRNA levels was assessed by comparing the relative change in transcription rates expressed per control DNA content with the relative changes of mRNA concentrations. We arrived at the conclusion that the concentrations of alpha 1-acid-glycoprotein and cysteine-proteinase-inhibitor mRNAs were predominantly regulated by a post-transcriptional mechanism, albumin mRNA by a transcriptional mechanism, and the fibrinogen and haptoglobin mRNAs by a combination of both. The degree of change of the serum levels of the examined proteins was similar to that of their mRNA concentrations and was the result of the complete use of the available RNA templates in protein synthesis.