Distinct Cdk9-phosphatase switches act on elongation factor Spt5 at the beginning and end of the RNA polymerase II transcription cycle

The Pol II transcription cycle is ordered by CDKs and phosphatases. In fission yeast, Cdk9 phosphorylates carboxy-terminal repeats (CTRs) of Spt5 while inhibiting PP1 during elongation. Transcription past the cleavage and polyadenylation signal (CPS) coincides with PP1-dependent Spt5 dephosphorylation and leads to Pol II pausing with phosphorylated CTD-Ser2 (pSer2). Here we show this switch is conserved in humans: Cdk9 inhibition decreases phosphorylation of both PP1g and Spt5-Thr806 (pThr806), and induces pSer2 upstream of the CPS, whereas PP1 depletion increases pThr806. Moreover, in unperturbed cells, pThr806 is diminished in 3'-paused complexes where pSer2 is maximal. Cdk9 also phosphorylates Spt5 on Ser666, a PP1-refractory site between conserved KOW4 and KOW5 motifs; pSer666 increases upon promoter-proximal pause release and, in contrast to pThr806, persists beyond the CPS. We identify PP4—another target of inhibitory phosphorylation by Cdk9—as a pSer666 phosphatase. PP4 and PP1g are enriched at 5' and 3' ends of genes, respectively, consistent with pSer666 and pThr806 distributions. Therefore, distinct Cdk9-phosphatase switches operate on Spt5 at different steps in transcription. Overall design: ChIP-seq: Data represent nineteen different ChIP-seq experiments in human colon carcinoma (HCT116) cells, performed in biological replicates. There are raw and processed files (bigWig) for all biological replicates.