A nuclear proteome localization screen reveals the exquisite specificity of Gpn2 in RNA polymerase biogenesis

The GPN proteins are a conserved family of GTP-binding proteins that are involved in the assembly and subsequent import of RNA polymerase II and III. In this study, we sought to ascertain the specificity of yeast GPN2 for RNA polymerases by screening the localization of a collection of 1350 GFP-tagged nuclear proteins in WT or <i>GPN2</i> mutant cells. We found that the strongest mislocalization occurred for RNA polymerase II and III subunits and only a handful of other RNAPII associated proteins were altered in <i>GPN2</i> mutant cells. Our screen identified Ess1, an Rpb1 C-terminal domain (CTD) prolyl isomerase, as mislocalized in <i>GPN2</i> mutants. Building on this observation we tested for effects of mutations in other factors which regulate Rpb1-CTD phosphorylation status. This uncovered significant changes in nuclear-cytoplasmic distribution of Rpb1-GFP in strains with disrupted RNA polymerase CTD kinases or phosphatases. Overall, this screen shows the exquisite specificity of GPN2 for RNA polymerase transport, and reveals a previously unappreciated role for CTD modification in RNAPII nuclear localization.