Cdk-activating kinase complex is a component of human transcription factor TFIIH
- 1 March 1995
- journal article
- letter
- Published by Springer Nature in Nature
- Vol. 374 (6519) , 283-287
- https://doi.org/10.1038/374283a0
Abstract
TRANSCRIPTION factor IIH (TFIIH) contains a kinase capable of phosphorylating the carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)1–3. Here we report the identification of the Cdk-activating kinase (Cak) complex (Cdk7 and cyclin H) as a component of TFIIH after extensive purification of TFIIH by chromatography. We find that affinity-purified antibodies directed against cyclin H inhibit TFIIH-dependent transcription and that both cyclin H and Cdk7 antibodies inhibit phosphorylation of the CTD of the largest subunit of the RNAPII in the preinitiation complex. Cak is present in at least two distinct complexes, TFIIH and a smaller complex that is unable to phosphorylate RNAPII in the preinitiation complex. Both Cak complexes, as well as recombinant Cak, phosphorylate a CTD peptide. Finally, TFIIH was shown to phosphorylate both Cdc2 and Cdk2, suggesting that there could be a link between transcription and the cell cycle machinery.Keywords
This publication has 17 references indexed in Scilit:
- A cyclin associated with the CDK-activating kinase MO15Nature, 1994
- A novel cyclin associates with M015/CDK7 to form the CDK-activating kinaseCell, 1994
- Dual role of TFIIH in DNA excision repair and in transcription by RNA polymerase IINature, 1994
- The Cycling of RNA Polymerase II during TranscriptionCold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology, 1993
- A carboxyl-terminal-domain kinase associated with RNA polymerase II transcription factor delta from rat liver.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1992
- Human general transcription factor IIH phosphorylates the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase IINature, 1992
- CTD kinase associated with yeast RNA polymerase II initiation factor bCell, 1991
- The nonphosphorylated form of RNA polymerase II preferentially associates with the preinitiation complex.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1991
- [24] Purification of protein kinases that phosphorylate the repetitive carboxyl-terminal domain of eukaryotic RNA polymerase IIPublished by Elsevier ,1991
- Phosphorylation of RNA polymerase by the murine homologue of the cell-cycle control protein cdc2Nature, 1989