No abstract

In response to hormonal stimuli, a cascade of hierarchical post-translational modifications of nuclear receptors are required for the correct expression of target genes. Here, we show that the transcription factor TFIIH, via its cdk7 kinase, phosphorylates the androgen receptor (AR) at position AR/S515. Strikingly, this phosphorylation is a key step for an accurate transactivation that includes the cyclic recruitment of the transcription machinery, the MDM2 E3 ligase, the subsequent ubiquitination of AR at the promoter of target genes and its degradation by the proteasome machinery. Impaired phosphorylation disrupts the transactivation, as observed in cells either overexpressing the non-phosphorylated AR/S515A, isolated from xeroderma pigmentosum patient (bearing a mutation in XPD subunit of TFIIH), or in which cdk7 kinase was silenced. Indeed, besides affecting the cyclic recruitment of the transcription machinery, the AR phosphorylation defect favourizes to the recruitment of the E3 ligase CHIP instead of MDM2, at the PSA promoter, that will further attract the proteasome machinery. These observations illustrate how the TFIIH phosphorylation might participate to the transactivation by regulating the nuclear receptors turnover.

The small ubiquitin-like modifier SUMO regulates many aspects of cellular physiology to maintain cell homeostasis, both under normal conditions and during cell stress. Components of the transcriptional apparatus and chromatin are among the most prominent SUMO substrates. The prevailing view is that SUMO serves to repress transcription. However, as we will discuss in this review, this model needs to be refined, because recent studies have revealed that SUMO can also have profound positive effects on transcription.

Transcription factors are abundant Sumo targets, yet the global distribution of Sumo along the chromatin and its physiological relevance in transcription are poorly understood. Using Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we determined the genome-wide localization of Sumo along the chromatin. We discovered that Sumo-enriched genes are almost exclusively involved in translation, such as tRNA genes and ribosomal protein genes (RPGs). Genome-wide expression analysis showed that Sumo positively regulates their transcription. We also discovered that the Sumo consensus motif at RPG promoters is identical to the DNA binding motif of the transcription factor Rap1. We demonstrate that Rap1 is a molecular target of Sumo and that sumoylation of Rap1 is important for cell viability. Furthermore, Rap1 sumoylation promotes recruitment of the basal transcription machinery, and sumoylation of Rap1 cooperates with the target of rapamycin kinase complex 1 (TORC1) pathway to promote RPG transcription. Strikingly, our data reveal that sumoylation of Rap1 functions in a homeostatic feedback loop that sustains RPG transcription during translational stress. Taken together, Sumo regulates the cellular translational capacity by promoting transcription of tRNA genes and RPGs.

The cyclin-dependent kinase Cdc28 is the master regulator of the cell cycle in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cdc28 initiates the cell cycle by activating cell-cycle-specific transcription factors that switch on a transcriptional program during late G1 phase. Cdc28 also has a cell-cycle-independent, direct function in regulating basal transcription, which does not require its catalytic activity. However, the exact role of Cdc28 in basal transcription remains poorly understood, and a function for its kinase activity has not been fully explored. Here we show that the catalytic activity of Cdc28 is important for basal transcription. Using a chemical-genetic screen for mutants that specifically require the kinase activity of Cdc28 for viability, we identified a plethora of basal transcription factors. In particular, CDC28 interacts genetically with genes encoding kinases that phosphorylate the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II, such as KIN28. ChIP followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) revealed that Cdc28 localizes to at least 200 genes, primarily with functions in cellular homeostasis, such as the plasma membrane proton pump PMA1. Transcription of PMA1 peaks early in the cell cycle, even though the promoter sequences of PMA1 (as well as the other Cdc28-enriched ORFs) lack cell-cycle elements, and PMA1 does not recruit Swi4/6-dependent cell-cycle box-binding factor/MluI cell-cycle box binding factor complexes. Finally, we found that recruitment of Cdc28 and Kin28 to PMA1 is mutually dependent and that the activity of both kinases is required for full phosphorylation of C-terminal domain-Ser5, for efficient transcription, and for mRNA capping. Our results reveal a mechanism of cell-cycle-dependent regulation of basal transcription.yclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) drive the cell cycle in eukaryotic cells. Cdc28, also known as "Cdk1," is necessary and sufficient for cell-cycle regulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, phosphorylating a large number of substrates to coordinate the cell cycle (1). In late G1, Cln3-Cdc28 complexes phosphorylate Whi5, leading to its dissociation from the transcription factor complex Swi4/6-dependent cell-cycle box-binding factor (SBF), a Swi4-Swi6 heterodimer. Dissociation of Whi5 activates SBF, which then induces transcription of the G1 program that includes cyclins CLN1, CLN2, CLB5, and CLB6 (2). Cln1,2-Cdc28 complexes can also phosphorylate Whi5, setting up a positive feedback loop that ensures coherent cell-cycle entry (3).Transcriptional activation involves assembly of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and general transcription factors at the promoter region of genes. The C-terminal domain (CTD) of Rpb1, the largest subunit RNAPII, consists of multiple repeats of the heptapeptide Y 1 S 2 P 3 T 4 S 5 P 6 S 7 , and residues within the CTD are differentially phosphorylated during transcription (4). Early in the transcription cycle, Kin28 phosphorylates the CTD on serine 5, which serves as a mark for recruitment of the mRNA capping machinery (5). As RNAPII elongates, pho...

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) control the eukaryotic cell cycle, and a single CDK, Cdc28 (also known as Cdk1), is necessary and sufficient for cell cycle regulation in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cdc28 regulates cell cycle-dependent processes such as transcription, DNA replication and repair, and chromosome segregation. To gain further insight into the functions of Cdc28, we performed a high-throughput chemical-genetic array (CGA) screen aimed at unraveling the genetic network of CDC28. We identified 107 genes that strongly genetically interact with CDC28. Although these genes serve multiple cellular functions, genes involved in cell cycle regulation, transcription, and chromosome metabolism were overrepresented. DOA1, which is involved in maintaining free ubiquitin levels, as well as the RAD6-BRE1 pathway, which is involved in transcription, displayed particularly strong genetic interactions with CDC28. We discovered that DOA1 is important for cell cycle entry by supplying ubiquitin. Furthermore, we found that the RAD6-BRE1 pathway functions downstream of DOA1/ubiquitin but upstream of CDC28, by promoting transcription of cyclins. These results link cellular ubiquitin levels and the Rad6-Bre1 pathway to cell cycle progression.

Maintaining cellular homeostasis under changing nutrient conditions is essential for the growth and development of all organisms. The mechanisms that maintain homeostasis upon loss of nutrient supply are not well understood. By mapping the SUMO proteome in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we discovered a specific set of differentially sumoylated proteins mainly involved in transcription. RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII) components, including Rpc53, Rpc82, and Ret1, are particularly prominent nutrient-dependent SUMO targets. Nitrogen starvation, as well as direct inhibition of the master nutrient response regulator target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1), results in rapid desumoylation of these proteins, which is reflected by loss of SUMO at tRNA genes. TORC1-dependent sumoylation of Rpc82 in particular is required for robust tRNA transcription. Mechanistically, sumoylation of Rpc82 is important for assembly of the RNAPIII holoenzyme and recruitment of Rpc82 to tRNA genes. In conclusion, our data show that TORC1-dependent sumoylation of Rpc82 bolsters the transcriptional capacity of RNAPIII under optimal growth conditions.I n yeast and in more complex eukaryotes, cell growth is restricted by the rate of mRNA translation and ribosome biogenesis, which depend on the transcription of ribosomal protein genes (RPGs), tRNAs and rRNAs. Synthesis of rRNA, tRNAs, and 5S rRNA represents 75% of total cellular transcription, whereas transcription of RPGs corresponds to 50% of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) initiation events (1). These processes consume a significant portion of the cell's resources, making nutrient availability a limiting factor to cell growth and proliferation (2). The conserved rapamycin-sensitive target of rapamycin complex 1 (TORC1) is a master regulator of the cellular nutrient response (2, 3). Under nitrogen-rich conditions, TORC1 promotes growth-related processes, like protein synthesis, ribosome biogenesis, and tRNA synthesis, while inhibiting catabolic processes, like autophagy (2). Conversely, inhibition of TORC1 activity by nitrogen depletion (or addition of the TORC1 inhibitor rapamycin) results in a metabolic switch from anabolism to catabolism, which involves many cellular processes, including down-regulation of transcription of RPGs, rRNA and tRNA genes (2, 3).A key downstream target of TORC1 in regulation of tRNA transcription is the conserved RNAPIII inhibitor Maf1, which is phosphorylated and maintained in the cytoplasm under nitrogenrich conditions (2, 3). Maf1 becomes hypophosphorylated under conditions that inhibit TORC1, allowing it to enter the nucleus where it associates with TFIIIB. The interaction between Maf1 and TFIIIB prevents the recruitment of RNAPIII and precludes transcription reinitiation at 5S rRNA and tRNA genes (4, 5). However, expression of an unphosphorylatable maf1 mutant does not completely repress tRNA expression in nutrient-replete cells (6), suggesting that dephosphorylation of Maf1 alone is not sufficient to fully inhibit RNAPIII. Indeed, inhibition of TORC1 also results in phospho...

Mutations in the XPD subunit of the transcription/repair factor TFIIH cause the Xeroderma pigmentosum disorder. We show that in some XP-D deficient cells, transactivation by the vitamin D receptor (VDR) is selectively inhibited for a subset of responsive genes, such as CYP24, and that the XPD/R683W mutation prevents VDR recruitment on its promoter. Contrary to other nuclear receptors, VDR, which lacks a functional A/B domain, is not phosphorylated and consequently not regulated by the cdk7 kinase of TFIIH. In fact, we demonstrate that the VDR transactivation defect resides in Ets1, another activator that cannot be phosphorylated by TFIIH in XP-D cells. Indeed, the phosphorylated Ets1 seems to promote the binding of VDR to its responsive element and trigger the subsequent recruitment of coactivators and RNA pol II. We propose a model in which TFIIH regulates the activity of nuclear receptors by phosphorylating either their A/B domain or an additional regulatory DNA binding partner.