Uncoupling the TFIIH Core and Kinase Modules Leads To Unregulated RNA Polymerase II CTD Serine 5 Phosphorylation

TFIIH is an essential transcription initiation factor for RNA polymerase II (RNApII). This multi-subunit complex comprises two modules that are physically linked by the subunit Tfb3 (MAT1 in metazoans). The Core Module, with two DNA-dependent ATPases and several additional subunits, promotes DNA unwinding. The Kinase Module phosphorylates the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNApII subunit Rpb1, initiating a cycle of CTD modifications that coordinate exchange of initiation and elongation factors. Why these two disparate activities are bundled into one factor is not obvious, but the connection may provide temporal coordination during early initiation. When Tfb3 is split into two parts to uncouple the TFIIH modules, the resulting cells are viable but grow very slowly. Chromatin immunoprecipitation of the split TFIIH shows that the Core Module, but not the Kinase, is properly recruited to promoters. Instead of the normal promoter-proximal peak, high CTD Serine 5 phosphorylation is seen throughout transcribed regions. Therefore, coupling the TFIIH modules is necessary to localize and limit CTD kinase activity to early stages of transcription. These results are consistent with the idea that the two TFIIH modules began as independent functional entities that later became connected by Tfb3 during early eukaryotic evolution. Impact StatementThe TFIIH subunit Tfb3/MAT1 can be split into two parts to uncouple the TFIIH kinase and DNA translocase modules, resulting in unfocused CTD phosphorylation.