Expression data from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dnup60, Dada2, and Dnup60 Dada2 cells

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, specific genes physically relocate from the nucleoplasm to the nuclear periphery concomitant with transcriptional activation, where they associate with the nuclear pore complex (NPC). We took a genomics approach in order to gain insight into the universality and physiological relevance of the interaction between active genes and the NPC. Using synthetic genetic array (SGA) approach, we identified interactions between components of the SAGA histone acetyltransferase complex and the Mlp and Nup60 subunits of the NPC. Cells lacking these SAGA and NPC components display growth defects under optimal growth conditions, in which cells are grown on rich medium containing the preferred sugar glucose as a carbon source and incubated at their optimal temperature. That growth defects were observed under these non-stress conditions suggests that these interactions are indicative of defects in normal cell physiology. These results are consistent with a model where physical interactions between the NPC and SAGA are important for transcription of constitutively expressed genes. To test this hypothesis, we used microarray analysis to assess changes global transcript levels in the absence of Nup60, Ada2, or Nup60 and Ada2. Microarray analysis reveals that the growth defect in these double mutants is correlated with a synthetic reduction in steady-state transcript levels for numerous genes that are strongly expressed in wildtype cells. These results suggest that SAGA and Nup60 cooperate in transcriptional regulation, and are consistent with a model for global regulation of SAGA-dependent transcription at the NPC.

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