INTAC endonuclease and phosphatase modules have distinct roles in transcription

Integrator-PP2A (INTAC) plays a crucial role in determining the fate of paused polymerases, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we establish a rapid degradation system to dissect the direct functions of INTAC RNA endonuclease and phosphatase modules.

We find that both catalytic modules function at most if not all active promoters and enhancers, yet differentially affect polymerase fate. The endonuclease module induces early termination, with its disruption leading to accumulation of non-competent polymerases and downregulation of highly expressed genes, while competent polymerases accumulate at lowly expressed genes and non-coding elements, leading to their upregulation.