This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Mochizuki, K.
Right arrow Articles by Gorovsky, M. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Mochizuki, K.
Right arrow Articles by Gorovsky, M. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Eukaryotic Cell, October 2004, p. 1233-1240, Vol. 3, No. 5
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.5.1233-1240.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

RNA Polymerase II Localizes in Tetrahymena thermophila Meiotic Micronuclei When Micronuclear Transcription Associated with Genome Rearrangement Occurs

Kazufumi Mochizuki and Martin A. Gorovsky*

Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York

Received 21 May 2004/ Accepted 30 June 2004

The germ line micronucleus in Tetrahymena thermophila is transcriptionally silent in vegetatively growing cells. However, micronuclear transcription has been observed in the early ("crescent") stages of the sexual process, conjugation. This transcription is proposed to play a central role in identifying sites for subsequent genome rearrangements that accompany development of the somatic macronucleus from the micronucleus. RPB3 (cnjC), a gene encoding a protein homologous to the third largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II), was previously reported to be expressed specifically during conjugation, suggesting a role in micronucleus-specific transcription. Rpb3p localized in the micronucleus only during the meiotic prophase, when micronuclear transcription occurs, and its intranuclear distribution is strikingly similar to that for previously described sites of micronuclear RNA synthesis. By contrast, Rpc5p, the homologous subunit shared by RNAPs I and III, was not detectable in the micronucleus at any stage of the life cycle. However, Rpb3p is not specific to the transcribing micronucleus. Like Rpc5p, it also localizes to macronuclei in all stages of the life cycle. Rpb3p is encoded by a unique, essential gene in Tetrahymena. Thus, RNAP II is associated with both somatic transcription and crescent transcription and probably has an important role in genome rearrangement.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biology, University of Rochester, 425 Hutchison Hall, Rochester, NY 14627. Phone: (585) 275-8888. Fax: (585) 275-2070. E-mail: goro{at}mail.rochester.edu.

Eukaryotic Cell, October 2004, p. 1233-1240, Vol. 3, No. 5
1535-9778/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/EC.3.5.1233-1240.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Aronica, L., Bednenko, J., Noto, T., DeSouza, L. V., Siu, K.W. M., Loidl, J., Pearlman, R. E., Gorovsky, M. A., Mochizuki, K. (2008). Study of an RNA helicase implicates small RNA-noncoding RNA interactions in programmed DNA elimination in Tetrahymena. Genes Dev. 22: 2228-2241 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Cui, B., Liu, Y., Gorovsky, M. A. (2006). Deposition and Function of Histone H3 Variants in Tetrahymena thermophila. Mol. Cell. Biol. 26: 7719-7730 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mochizuki, K., Gorovsky, M. A. (2005). A Dicer-like protein in Tetrahymena has distinct functions in genome rearrangement, chromosome segregation, and meiotic prophase. Genes Dev. 19: 77-89 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»