Cell
Volume 141, Issue 3, 30 April 2010, Pages 432-445
Journal home page for Cell

Article
c-Myc Regulates Transcriptional Pause Release

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2010.03.030Get rights and content
Under an Elsevier user license
open archive

Summary

Recruitment of the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) transcription initiation apparatus to promoters by specific DNA-binding transcription factors is well recognized as a key regulatory step in gene expression. We report here that promoter-proximal pausing is a general feature of transcription by Pol II in mammalian cells and thus an additional step where regulation of gene expression occurs. This suggests that some transcription factors recruit the transcription apparatus to promoters, whereas others effect promoter-proximal pause release. Indeed, we find that the transcription factor c-Myc, a key regulator of cellular proliferation, plays a major role in Pol II pause release rather than Pol II recruitment at its target genes. We discuss the implications of these results for the role of c-Myc amplification in human cancer.

Highlights

► RNA polymerase II is detected in the promoter-proximal region of most genes ► Pause factors are detected with Pol II in promoter-proximal regions ► P-TEFb-dependent Pol II pause release is required at most active genes ► c-Myc regulates Pol II pause release by recruiting P-TEFb to its target genes

DNA
RNA
STEMCELL

Cited by (0)

4

Present address: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, 300 Third Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA