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Published on: May 13, 2019
Regulation of RNA Polymerase I Transcription in Development, Disease, and Aging
Samim Sharifi1,2, Holger Bierhoff1,2
1Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Center for Molecular Biomedicine, Friedrich Schiller University, 07745 Jena, Germany; email: samim.sharifi@uni-jena.de , holger.bierhoff@uni-jena.de.
Abstract:
Ribosome biogenesis is a complex and highly energy-demanding process that requires the concerted action of all three nuclear RNA polymerases (Pol I-III) in eukaryotes. The three largest ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) originate from a precursor transcript (pre-rRNA) that is encoded by multicopy genes located in the nucleolus. Transcription of these rRNA genes (rDNA) by Pol I is the key regulation step in ribosome production and is tightly controlled by an intricate network of signaling pathways and epigenetic mechanisms. In this article, we give an overview of the composition of the basal Pol I machinery and rDNA chromatin. We discuss rRNA gene regulation in response to environmental signals and developmental cues and focus on perturbations occurring in diseases linked to either excessive or limited rRNA levels. Finally, we discuss the emerging view that rDNA integrity and activity may be involved in the aging process.
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