Mechanism of the initial steps in transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR)

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The mechanism of TCR initiation in S. cerevisiae is distinct from the TCR initiation in mammalian cells. While deletion of the Cockayne Syndrome Group B gene severely inhibits TCR in the mammalian cells, deletion of its yeast homologue Rad26 only slightly impairs the TCR. Genetic analyses strongly suggest two alternative TCR subpathways in yeast. The first, dominant pathway is probably initiated by Pol II interaction with Rad26, and is dependent on a non-essential Pol II subunit Rpb4. The second TCR pathway becomes prominent in the absence of Rpb4, and is dependent on another non-essential Pol II subunit Rpb9. The mechanism of the Rpb9-mediated TCR pathway is not well understood. Its investigation by genetic means has been hampered by the lack of the RPB4/RPB9 double deletion mutant, which is likely to be lethal. Analysis of the Rpb9-dependent pathway in yeast may provideimportant insights into the Pol II-related events during TCR. The location of the Rpb9 subunit on the perimeter of Pol II suggests its possible function in recruiting NER factors to the damaged site. Rpb9 is involved in multiple-transcription related functions such as transcription initiation (selection of the start site), transcription elongation, and recently in ubiquitination and degradation of rpb1 in response to UV-induced DNA damage. This subunit also interacts with a plethora of factors involved in transcription elongation and histonemodification (like TFIIS, TFIIE, and SAGA). Which of these factors act as a Rad26 analogue in the Rpb9-mediated TCR pathway remains to be identified.This year (2012) this project resulted in publication of the manuscript in Molecular Cell demonstrating the mechanism employed by the yeast Pol II for transcription through the CPD lesions. UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) in the template DNA strand stall transcription elongation by Pol II. If the nucleotide excision repair machinery does not promptly remove the CPDs, stalled Pol II creates a roadblock for DNA replication and subsequent rounds of transcription. Here we present evidence that Pol II has an intrinsic capacity for translesion synthesis (TLS) that enables bypass of the CPD with or without repair. Translesion synthesis depends on the trigger loop and bridge helix, the two flexible regions of the Pol II subunit Rpb1 that participate in substrate binding, catalysis, and translocation. Substitutions in Rpb1 that promote lesion bypass in vitro increase UV resistance in vivo, and substitutions that inhibit lesion bypass decrease cell survival after UV irradiation. This work revelaed an importance of translesion transcription for cell survival upon accumulation of the unrepaired CPD lesions in genomic DNA.