# Mechanisms of the TFIIH-associated kinase CDK7 in p53-dependent transcriptional regulation

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO · 2020 · $37,654

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is regulated through the concerted action of a variety of factors including
the 10-subunit complex transcription factor IIH (TFIIH). TFIIH contains a kinase subunit, CDK7, which has gained
attention as a therapeutic target in aggressive, metastatic cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme and triple
negative breast cancer. CDK7 expression is upregulated in these cancers, and they are vulnerable to CDK7
inhibition. A thorough understanding of CDK7 function is needed to gain further insight into its roles in cancer
and its prospects as an anti-cancer therapeutic target. CDK7 phosphorylates the C-terminal domain (CTD) of
Pol II, facilitating the transition from transcription initiation to elongation in ways that remain poorly understood.
Pol II CTD phosphorylation is also vital for proper recruitment of RNA processing factors. Unpublished work in
our lab indicates that CDK7 may also control Pol II promoter-proximal pausing and splicing. Promoter-proximal
Pol II pausing is a major regulatory checkpoint involving the pausing factors NELF, DSIF, and P-TEFb. RNA
splicing is a highly regulated process that requires SF3B1, a component of the U2 snRNP complex, and the
associated factor U2AF2 for proper branch point selection. Regulation of these two transcriptional processes
(Pol II pausing and splicing) is commonly disrupted in cancer. Here, I propose to gain mechanistic insight into
1.) how CDK7 regulates Pol II promoter-proximal pausing and 2.) how splicing is regulated by CDK7 using
a combination of in vitro and cell-based techniques. My first aim will examine how CDK7 phosphorylation
regulates Pol II promoter-proximal pausing through phosphorylation of the pausing factors NELF, DSIF, and P-
TEFb. I will test a model, supported by preliminary data, in which CDK7 i) releases Pol II pausing through direct
phosphorylation of NELF and DSIF and ii) activates P-TEFb to phosphorylate NELF and DSIF. I will utilize
reconstituted in vitro transcription assays (with purified human factors, no extracts) to probe how CDK7 kinase
activity regulates Pol II promoter-proximal pausing and/or promoter escape through phosphorylation of pausing
factors and the Pol II CTD. These in vitro findings will be probed further with PRO-Seq experiments in the context
of p53 response in human cells. My second aim will investigate how CDK7 may regulate RNA splicing through
phosphorylation of the U2 snRNP splicing factor SF3B1 and its associated factor U2AF2. SILAC-MS experiments
(unpublished) identified SF3B1 and U2AF2 as high-confidence CDK7 targets, which was further confirmed by in
vitro kinase assays. Using RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq following p53 induction, I will test a model in which CDK7
may be enriched at actively spliced loci and may regulate splicing through phosphorylation of SF3B1 and U2AF2.
Furthermore, in vitro microscale thermophoresis (MST) binding assays will provide mechanistic insight into the
potential role of C...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9993071
- **Project number:** 1F31CA250432-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jenna Kathleen Rimel
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $37,654
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9993071

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9993071, Mechanisms of the TFIIH-associated kinase CDK7 in p53-dependent transcriptional regulation (1F31CA250432-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9993071. Licensed CC0.

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