Yeast TAF(II)90 is required for cell-cycle progression through G2/M but not for general transcription activation.

The RNA polymerase II general transcription factor TFIID is a multisubunit complex comprising TATA-box binding protein and associated factors (TAFIIs). In vitro experiments have suggested that TAFIIs are essential coactivators required for RNA polymerase II-directed transcription activation. Here, for the first time, we analyze systematically the in vivo function of a specific TAFII, yeast TAFII90 (yTAFII90). We show that functional inactivation of yTAFII90 by temperature-sensitive mutations or depletion leads to arrest at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Unexpectedly, in the absence of functional yTAFII90, a variety of endogenous yeast genes were all transcribed normally, including those driven by well-characterized activators. Taken together, our results indicate that yTAFII90 is not required for transcription activation in general, and reveal linkages between TAF function and cell-cycle progression.