The SRB5 gene encoding the Med18 (Srb5) subunit of the mediator complex of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcription apparatus was identified in the C-terminal region of the yeast RNA polymerase II Rpb11 subunit as a multicopy suppressor of the Leu111Ala (L111A) point mutation. Thus, the functional interaction between one of the mediator components and the core of the major transcription enzyme was first shown. It is also essential that the suppressed point mutation was located in the short C-terminal region of the Rpb11subunit, which plays an important role for the evolution of the eukaryotic transcription apparatus, as was demonstrated in our previous studies.