Coordination of RNA Polymerase II Pausing and 3’ end processing factor recruitment with alternative polyadenylation
Most mammalian genes produce transcripts whose 3’ ends are processed at multiple alternative positions by cleavage/polyadenylation (CPA). Poly(A) site cleavage frequently occurs co-transcriptionally and is facilitated by CPA factor binding to the RNA pol II C-terminal domain phosphorylated on Ser2 residues of its heptad repeats (YS2PTSPS). The function of co-transcriptional events in the selection of alternative poly(A) sites is poorly understood. We investigated pol II pausing, Ser2 CTD phosphorylation and processing factor CstF recruitment at WT and mutant IgM transgenes that use alternative poly(A) sites to produce mRNAs encoding the secreted and membrane-bound forms of the Ig heavy chain. The results show that the sites of pol II pausing and processing factor recruitment change depending on which poly(A) site is utilized. In contrast, the extent of pol II CTD Ser2 phosphorylation did not closely correlate with poly(A) site selection. We conclude that changes in properties of the transcription elongation complex closely correlate with utilization of different poly(A) sites, suggesting that co-transcriptional events may influence the decision between alternative modes of pre-mRNA 3’ end processing.