NELF interacts with CBC and participates in 3' end processing of replication-dependent histone mRNAs

Negative elongation factor (NELF) is a four subunit transcription elongation factor that has been implicated in numerous diseases ranging from neurological disorders to cancer. Here we show that NELF interacts with the nuclear cap binding complex (CBC), a multifunctional factor that plays important roles in several mRNA processing steps, and the two factors together participate in the 3' end processing of replication-dependent histone mRNAs, most likely through association with the histone stem-loop binding protein (SLBP). Strikingly, absence of NELF and CBC causes aberrant production of polyadenylated histone mRNAs. Moreover, NELF is physically associated with histone gene loci and forms distinct intranuclear foci that we call NELF bodies, which often overlap with Cajal bodies and cleavage bodies. Our results point to a surprising role of NELF in the 3' end processing of histone mRNAs and also suggest that NELF is a new factor that coordinates different mRNA processing steps during transcription.