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TFIIIC relieves repression of U6 snRNA transcription by chromatin

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Abstract

THE U6 small nuclear (sn)RNA gene (SNR6) from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is transcribed by RNA polymerase III in vivo1. This gene is unusual in having a TATA box at position –30, and an essential B-block element located downstream of the T-rich termination signal2, 3. The B block is one of the two intragenic promoter elements of transfer RNA genes that are recognized by transcription factor (TF)IIIC (ref. 4). But accurate in vitro transcription of yeast U6 snRNA gene by PolIII in a purified system requires only TFIIIB components, including the TATA-box binding protein TBP5. Here we report that, after nucleosome reconstitution or chromatin assembly, U6 snRNA synthesis becomes dependent on TFIIIC and on the integrity of the B-block element. This observation resolves an apparent paradox between in vitro and in vivo results concerning the necessity of the downstream B-block element3, 5 and sheds light on a new role of TFIIIC in gene activation.

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Author notes

  1. Geneviève Almouzni

    Present address: National Institute of Health, NICHD, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Srvice de Biochimie et Génétique Moléculaire, Département de Biologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, F 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France

    Anne-Fran¸oise Burnol, Florence Margottin, Janine Huet & André Sentenac

  2. Laboratoire d'Embryologie Moleculaire, Institut Jacques Monod, 2 place Jussieu, F–75251, Paris Cedex, France

    Geneviève Almouzni, Marie-Noëlle Prioleau & Marcel Méchali

Authors
  1. Anne-Fran¸oise Burnol
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  2. Florence Margottin
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  3. Janine Huet
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  4. Geneviève Almouzni
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  5. Marie-Noëlle Prioleau
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  6. Marcel Méchali
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  7. André Sentenac
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Burnol, AF., Margottin, F., Huet, J. et al. TFIIIC relieves repression of U6 snRNA transcription by chromatin. Nature 362, 475–477 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/362475a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/362475a0

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