Identification of a cyclin subunit required for the function of Drosophila P-TEFb

Abstract

P-TEFb is required for the transition from abortive elongation into productive elongation and is capable of phosphorylating the carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. We cloned a cDNA encoding the large subunit of Drosophila P-TEFb and found the predicted protein contained a cyclin motif. We now name the large subunit cyclin T and the previously cloned small subunit (Zhu, Y.R., Peery, T., Peng, J.M., Ramanathan, Y., Marshall, N., Marshall, T., Amendt, B., Mathews, M.B., and Price, D.H. (1997) Genes Dev. 11, 2622-2632) cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9). Recombinant P-TEFb produced in baculovirus-transfected Sf9 cells exhibited 5,6-dichloro-1-β-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole-sensitive kinase activity similar to native P-TEFb. Kc cell nuclear extract depleted of P- TEFb failed to generate long DRB-sensitive transcripts, but this activity was restored upon addition of either native or recombinant P-TEFb. Like other CDKs, CDK9 is essentially inactive in the absence of its cyclin partner. P- TEFb containing a CDK9 mutation that knocked out the kinase activity did not function in transcription. Deletion of the carboxyl-terminal domain of cyclin T in P-TEFb reduced both the kinase and transcription activity to about 10%. The CDK-activating kinase in TFIIH was unable to activate the CTD kinase activity of P-TEFb.