The mRNA degradation factor Xrn1 regulates transcription elongation in parallel to Ccr4

During the last decade several examples of coordination between gene transcription and mRNA degradation have been reported. mRNA imprinting by Rpb4 and 7 subunits of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and by the Ccr4-Not complex allows controlling its fate during transcription. Transcription regulation by mRNA degradation factors like Xrn1 constitutes a feedback loop that contributes to mRNA homeostasis. Mechanistic details of these phenomena are unclear. Most studies involve measurement of mRNA decay rates, usually by stressing procedures such as transcriptional shut-off or incorporation of modified nucleotides that can lead to biased results. In this work we have used the easily repressible yeast GAL1 gene to perform a genetic analysis of mRNA synthesis and degradation under physiological conditions. We combined this experimental approach with computational multi-agent modelling, testing different possibilities of Xrn1 and Ccr4-Not action in gene transcription. This double strategy brought us to conclude that Xrn1 regulates RNAPII backtracking in a Ccr4-independent manner. We validated this conclusion measuring TFIIS genome-wide recruitment to elongating RNAPII molecules. We found that xrn1∆ and ccr4∆ exhibited very different patterns of TFIIS/RNPAII which confirmed their differential role in controlling transcription elongation. 18 ChIP-seq samples: 2 IP and 1 Input; 3 strains; 2 replicates each.