Yeast RNA polymerase II subunit RPB9 is essential for growth at temperature extremes.

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA polymerase II subunit gene RPB9 was isolated and sequenced. RPB9 is a single copy gene on chromosome VII. The RPB9 sequence predicts a protein of 122 amino acids with a molecular mass of 14,200 Da. The yeast RPB9 subunit is similar in size and sequence to a protein encoded by DNA adjacent to the suppressor of the Hairy Wing gene in Drosophila melanogaster. Deletion of the RPB9 gene produced cells that were heat- and cold-sensitive. The RPB9 subunit, like the previously described RNA polymerase II subunit RPB4, is not essential for synthesis of mRNA, but is required for normal cell growth over a wide temperature range.