The Paf1 complex promotes displacement of histones upon rapid induction of transcription by RNA polymerase II.

Background: The yeast Paf1 protein complex is required for efficient transcription elongation by RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II), but the precise role of the complex has been unclear.

Results: Here we show that depletion of the Ctr9 or Paf1 component of the Paf1 complex delays the loss of histones from the GAL1 gene upon induction. This delay in histone removal is accompanied by a decrease in association of RNA pol II with GAL1 and altered distribution of the polymerase along the locus.