mRNA transcription in nuclei isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We developed an improved method for the isolation of transcriptionally active nuclei from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which allows analysis of specific transcripts. When incubated with alpha-32P-labeled ribonucleoside triphosphates in vitro, nuclei isolated from haploid or diploid cells transcribed rRNA, tRNA, and mRNAs in a strand-specific manner, as shown by slot blot hybridization of the in vitro synthesized RNA to cloned genes encoding 5.8S, 18S and 28S rRNAs, tRNATyr, and GAL7, URA3, TY1 and HIS3 mRNAs. A yeast strain containing a high-copy-number plasmid which overproduced GAL7 mRNA was initially used to facilitate detection of a discrete message. We optimized conditions for the transcription of genes expressed by each of the three yeast nuclear RNA polymerases. Under optimal conditions, labeled transcripts could be detected from single-copy genes normally expressed at low levels in the cells (HIS3 and URA3). We determined that the alpha-amanitin sensitivity of transcript synthesis in the isolated nuclei paralleled the sensitivity of the corresponding purified RNA polymerases; in particular, mRNA synthesis was 50% sensitive to 1 microgram of alpha-amanitin per ml, establishing transcription of mRNA by RNA polymerase II.