RNA Polymerase II cluster dynamics predict mRNA output in living cells
2016
Won-Ki Cho | Namrata Jayanth | Brian P English | Takuma Inoue | J Owen Andrews | William Conway | Jonathan B Grimm | Jan-Hendrik Spille | Luke D Lavis | Timothée Lionnet | Ibrahim I Cisse
Protein clustering is a hallmark of genome regulation in mammalian cells. However, the dynamic molecular processes involved make it difficult to correlate clustering with functional consequences in vivo. We developed a live-cell super-resolution approach to uncover the correlation between mRNA synthesis and the dynamics of RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) clusters at a gene locus. For endogenous β-actin genes in mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we observe that short-lived (~8 s) Pol II clusters correlate with basal mRNA output. During serum stimulation, a stereotyped increase in Pol II cluster lifetime correlates with a proportionate increase in the number of mRNAs synthesized. Our findings suggest that transient clustering of Pol II may constitute a pre-transcriptional regulatory event that predictably modulates nascent mRNA output.
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