Multi-UTR genes are widely transcribed and express their alternative 3′UTR isoforms in a cell type-specific manner. As transcriptional enhancers regulate mRNA expression, we investigated if they also regulate 3′UTR isoform expression. Endogenous enhancer deletion of the multi-UTR gene PTEN did not impair transcript production but prevented 3′UTR isoform switching which was recapitulated by silencing of an enhancer-bound transcription factor. In reporter assays, enhancers increase transcript production when paired with single-UTR gene promoters. However, when combined with multi-UTR gene promoters, they change 3′UTR isoform expression by increasing 3′ end processing activity of polyadenylation sites. Processing activity of polyadenylation sites is affected by transcription factors, including NF-κB and MYC, transcription elongation factors, chromatin remodelers, and histone acetyltransferases. As endogenous cell type-specific enhancers are associated with genes that increase their short 3′UTRs in a cell type-specific manner, our data suggest that transcriptional enhancers integrate cellular signals to regulate cell type-and condition-specific 3′UTR isoform expression.
Enhancers are DNA elements that increase gene expression. mRNA production is determined by transcript production and polyadenylation site (PAS) cleavage activity. We established an assay to measure enhancer-dependent PAS cleavage activity in human cells because PAS cleavage may control alternative 3′UTR isoform expression. We found that enhancers are widespread regulators of PAS cleavage and consistently increase cleavage of proximal and weak PAS. Half of tested transcription factors exclusively regulated PAS cleavage without affecting transcript production, whereas co-activators changed both parameters. Deletion of an endogenous enhancer of PTEN did not change gene-level mRNA or protein abundance but affected expression of alternative mRNA transcripts, thus preventing 3′UTR shortening. Our data reveal that in addition to controlling transcript production, enhancers also regulate PAS cleavage, thus changing 3′UTR isoform usage and protein activity, as PTEN proteins translated from the alternative 3′UTR isoforms differ in intrinsic lipid phosphatase activity despite having identical amino acid sequences.
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