RESEARCH

Regulation of Transcription and Chromatin Structure by Spt6 and Elf1 in Yeast

ANN YANG, Harvard College '22

THURJ Volume 13 | Issue 1

Abstract

Eukaryotic transcription is a complex process that requires the precise and orchestrated recruitment of many initiation,
elongation, and termination factors. Many of these transcription factors are not structurally or functionally well understood.
In particular, the elongation factor Spt6 has broad and diverse roles in regulating transcription which have been studied
to varying degrees of detail. While many of the functions of Spt6 have been elucidated, many of the finer mechanisms
of these functions remain unknown, making Spt6 a particularly key protein of interest for transcription studies. This
review summarizes recent studies of the many roles of Spt6 in regulating transcription with an emphasis on the control
of chromatin structure as a mechanism of transcriptional regulation. Additionally, interactions between Spt6 and several
key proteins are discussed in the context of transcriptional regulation. The relationship between Spt6 and the relatively
unexplored elongation factor Elf1 is highlighted and structurally analyzed for possible direct interaction. Structural
analysis approximately reconstitutes the in vivo spatial relationship between Spt6 and Elf1, thus providing insight on the
likelihood of a physical interaction between these proteins. As part of examining the Spt6-Elf1 relationship, this review
also covers the characterization of Elf1 and potential roles for Elf1 independent of Spt6. Our current knowledge of Spt6
is extensive, but future experiments are necessary to establish the connections between Spt6 and less-studied proteins
such as Elf1, particularly for analyzing indirect interactions which may occur through multiprotein pathways.