RNA polymerase II-associated factor 1 homolog (PAF1), also called PD2, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PAF1 gene. This protein is a component of the polymerase associated factor (PAF1) complex, which is involved in the transcription of DNA into mRNA through interaction with RNA Polymerase II. PAF1 is necessary for maintaining the complex's integrity.
The polymerase associated factor complex (PAF1C) is a multi-protein subunit complex found in humans and many other organisms (though much of the early research was in budding yeast). This complex functions as a regulator of all stages of RNA Polymerase II-based transcription. For example, the PAF1 Complex promotes transcription elongation through interaction with elongation factors like the DSIF and FACT complexes.
In humans, it is composed of 6 protein subunits: PAF1, CDC73, LEO1, CTR9, RTF1 and SKIC8, which notably differs from yeast by the additional of SKIC8 Both PAF1 and CDC73 seem necessary for maintaining complex integrity, and yeast without Paf1 or Cdc73 suffer severe growth defects.
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