RNA-driven cyclin-dependent kinase regulation: when CDK9/cyclin T subunits of P-TEFb meet their ribonucleoprotein partners.

Abstract

The positive transcription elongation factor (P-TEFb) consists of CDK9, a cyclin-dependent kinase and its cyclin T partner. It is required for transcription of most class II genes. Its activity is regulated by non-coding RNAs. The 7SK cellular RNA turns the HEXIM cellular protein into a P-TEFb inhibitor that binds its cyclin T subunit. Thus, P-TEFb activity responds to variations in global cellular transcriptional activity and to physiological conditions linked to cell differentiation, proliferation or cardiac hypertrophy. In contrast, the Tat activation region RNA plays an activating role. This feature at the 5' end of the human immunodeficiency (HIV) viral transcript associates with the viral protein Tat that in turn binds cyclin T1 and recruits active P-TEFb to the HIV promoter. This results in enhanced P-TEFb activity, which is critical for an efficient production of viral transcripts. Although discovered recently, the regulation of P-TEFb becomes a paradigm for non-coding RNAs that regulate transcription factors. It is also a unique example of RNA-driven regulation of a cyclindependent kinase.

• Authors: Annemieke A Michels, Olivier Bensaude
• Journal: Biotechnology journal (Biotechnol J) Vol. 3 Issue 8 Pg. 1022-32 (Aug 2008) ISSN: 1860-7314 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 18655042 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Cyclins
• Protein Subunits
• Ribonucleoproteins
• RNA
• Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B
• Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9

Topics

• Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 9 (chemistry, metabolism)
• Cyclins (chemistry, metabolism)
• Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic (physiology)
• Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B (chemistry, metabolism)
• Protein Subunits
• RNA (chemistry, metabolism)
• Ribonucleoproteins (chemistry, metabolism)
• Structure-Activity Relationship