Characterization of the ptr6⁺ Gene in Fission Yeast: A Possible Involvement of a Transcriptional Coactivator TAF in Nucleocytoplasmic Transport of mRNA

Corresponding author: Tokio Tani, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Hakozaki, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan., ttaniscb{at}mbox.nc.kyushu-u.ac.jp (E-mail)

Communicating editor: P. G. YOUNG

Transport of mRNA from the nucleus to the cytoplasm is one of the important steps in gene expression in eukaryotic cells. To elucidate a mechanism of mRNA export, we identified a novel ptr [poly(A)⁺ RNA transport] mutation, ptr6, which causes accumulation of mRNA in the nucleus and inhibition of growth at the nonpermissive temperature. The ptr6⁺ gene was found to encode an essential protein of 393 amino acids, which shares significant homology in amino acid sequence with yTAFII67 of budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and human hTAFII55, a subunit of the general transcription factor complex TFIID. A Ptr6p-GFP fusion protein is localized in the nucleus, suggesting that Ptr6p functions there. Northern blot analysis using probes for 10 distinct mRNAs showed that the amount of tbp⁺ mRNA encoding the TATA-binding protein is increased five- to sixfold, whereas amounts of others are rapidly decreased at the nonpermissive temperature in ptr6-1. ptr6 has no defects in nuclear import of an NLS-GFP fusion protein. These results suggest that Ptr6p required for mRNA transport is a Schizosaccharomyces pombe homologue of yTAFII67 and hTAFII55. This is the first report suggesting that a TAF is involved in the nucleocytoplasmic transport of mRNA in addition to the transcription of the protein-coding genes.

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