Alternative titles; symbols
HGNC Approved Gene Symbol: POLR2E
Cytogenetic location: 19p13.3 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38): 19:1,086,574-1,095,375 (from NCBI)
The eukaryotic DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (or B) is composed of 10 to 14 polypeptides ranging from 220 to 10 kD. For general information on the structure and function of RNA polymerase II, see 180660.
Acker et al. (1994) isolated cDNAs of 5 subunits of RNA polymerase II.
Using in situ hybridization, Acker et al. (1994) showed that the POLR2E gene, encoding the 25-kD subunit, maps to 19p13.3. A second site of hybridization to 11q23.1 was thought to represent a pseudogene, most likely a retroposon, since no remnants of introns could be identified in the study of genomic DNA.
Crystal Structure
Cramer et al. (2000) derived a backbone model of a 10-subunit yeast RNA polymerase II using x-ray diffraction data extending to 3-angstrom resolution. All 10 subunits exhibited a high degree of identity with the corresponding human proteins, and 9 of the 10 subunits are conserved among the 3 eukaryotic RNA polymerases I, II, and III. Notable features of the model include a pair of jaws, formed by subunits Rpb1 (180660), Rpb5 (homologous to human POLR2E), and Rpb9 (180662), that appear to grip DNA downstream of the active center. A clamp on the DNA nearer the active center, formed by Rpb1, Rpb2 (180661), and Rpb6 (604414), may be locked in the closed position by RNA, accounting for the great stability of transcribing complexes. A pore in the protein complex beneath the active center may allow entry of substrates for polymerization and exit of the transcript during proofreading and passage through pause sites in the DNA.
Acker, J., Mattei, M.-G., Wintzerith, M., Roeckel, N., Depetris, D., Vigneron, M., Kedinger, C. Chromosomal localization of human RNA polymerase II subunit genes. Genomics 20: 496-499, 1994. [PubMed: 8034326] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1006/geno.1994.1208]
Cramer, P., Bushnell, D. A., Fu, J., Gnatt, A. L., Maier-Davis, B., Thompson, N. E., Burgess, R. R., Edwards, A. M., David, P. R., Kornberg, R. D. Architecture of RNA polymerase II and implications for the transcription mechanism. Science 288: 640-648, 2000. [PubMed: 10784442] [Full Text: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.288.5466.640]