Structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mediator-RNA polymerase II pre-initiation complex for divergent transcription

This study has determined structure of transcription initiation complexes including a DNA-bound activator, RNA polymerase II (Pol II), and Mediator on a divergent promoter GAL80/SUT719 using a combination of cryo-EM and XL-MS analyses. Our cryo-EM single-particle analysis reveals a dimeric form of Med-PIC through the Mediator Tail module induced by the activator protein. Density of the upstream DNA bound to the Gal4-VP16 was identifiable along the Mediator Tail module, while XL-MS localized flexible regions that were not visible by cryo-EM analysis, such as activator-binding domains (ABDs and KIX).