Effects of transcription elongation rate and Xrn2 exonuclease activity on RNA polymerase II termination suggest widespread kinetic competition. Homo sapiens

Transcription termination was analyzed by anti RNA pol II ChIP-seq in isogenic human HEK293 cell lines that inducibly express a-amanitin resistant mutants of the RNA polymerase II large subunit with slow and fast elongation rates and in lines that inducbily over-express WT or an active site mutant of the RNA exonuclease "torpedo" Xrn2. Overall design: Transcription termination zones were mapped by anti-pol II ChIP-seq under conditions where transcription elongation rate was increased or decreased by point mutations in the large subunit of the enzyme. Termination was also assayed under conditions where Xrn2 exonuclease activity was inhibited by over-expression of an active site mutant (D235A).