Activation of DNA replication in yeast by recruitment of the RNA polymerase II transcription complex

Activators of transcription are known to also play an important and direct role in activating DNA replication. However, the mechanism whereby they sti mulate replication has remained elusive. One model suggests that, in the co ntext of replication origins, transcriptional activators work by interactin g with replication factors. We show that a defined, single interaction betw een a DNA-bound derivative of the activator Gal4 and Gal11P, a mutant form of the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme component Gal11, suffices for stimulati ng DNA replication as it does for transcription. Moreover, recruitment of T BP, which can activate transcription from a gene promoter, also stimulates DNA replication from an origin site, These results strongly argue that tran scriptional activators may not necessarily need to contact DNA replication factors directly, but can stimulate replication by recruiting the RNA polym erase II transcription complex to DNA.