The Elongin complex strongly stimulates the rate of elongation by RNA polymerase II by suppressing transient pausing by polymerase at many sites along the DNA. Elongin is composed of a transcriptionally active A subunit and two positive regulatory B and C subunits. The Elongin complex is a potential target for regulation by the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein, which is capable of binding stably to the Elongin BC complex and preventing it from activating Elongin A. Here, we report the molecular cloning of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic DNA encoding Elongin C subunit and of Drosophila cDNAs encoding Elongin B and C subunits. The predicted amino acid sequence of each protein shows a high degree of similarity with the mammalian proteins. The recombinant yeast Elongin C protein interacts with both mammalian Elongin A and VHL tumor suppressor protein. Moreover, yeast Elongin C strongly induces the transcriptional elongation activity of mammalian Elongin A. The expression of yeast Elongin C mRNA is dramatically upregulated during sporulation; however, the gene is not essential for sporulation and viability in yeast cell.