Multiple protein/protein and protein/RNA interactions suggest roles for yeast DNA/RNA helicase Sen1p in transcription, transcription-coupled DNA repair and RNA processing.

Sen1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a Type I DNA/RNA helicase. Mutations in the helicase domain perturb accumulation of diverse RNA classes, and Sen1p has been implicated in 3' end formation of non-coding RNAs. Using a combination of global and candidate-specific two hybrid screens, eight proteins were identified that interact with Sen1p. Interactions with three of the proteins were analyzed further: Rpo21p(Rpb1p), a subunit of RNA polymerase II, Rad2p, a deoxyribonuclease required in DNA repair, and Rnt1p (RNase III), an endoribonuclease required for RNA maturation. For all three interactions, the two-hybrid results were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Genetic tests designed to assess the biological significance of the interactions indicate that Sen1p plays functionally significant roles in transcription and transcription-coupled DNA repair. To investigate the potential role of Sen1p in RNA processing and to assess the functional significance of the Sen1p/Rnt1p interaction, we examined U5 snRNA biogenesis. We provide evidence that Sen1p functions in concert with Rnt1p and the exosome at a late step in 3' end formation of one of the two mature forms of U5 snRNA but not the other. The protein-protein and protein-RNA interactions reported here suggest that the DNA/RNA helicase activity of Sen1p is utilized for several different purposes in multiple gene expression pathways.