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E. coli sigma-S transcription initiation complex with a 3-nt RNA ("old" crystal soaked with GTP and dinucleotide GpA for 30 minutes)E. coli sigma-S transcription initiation complex with a 3-nt RNA ("old" crystal soaked with GTP and dinucleotide GpA for 30 minutes)
Structural highlights
FunctionRPOS_ECOLI Sigma factors are initiation factors that promote the attachment of RNA polymerase to specific initiation sites and are then released. This sigma factor is the master transcriptional regulator of the stationary phase and the general stress response. Controls, positively or negatively, the expression of several hundred genes, which are mainly involved in metabolism, transport, regulation and stress management.[HAMAP-Rule:MF_00959][1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Protects stationary phase cells from killing induced by endoribonuclease MazF.[6] Publication Abstract from PubMedIn bacteria, the dissociable sigma subunit of the RNA polymerase (RNAP) is responsible for initiating RNA synthesis from specific DNA sites. As nascent RNA grows, downstream DNA unwinds and is pulled into the RNAP, causing stress accumulation and initiation complex destabilization. Processive transcription elongation requires at least partial separation of the sigma factor from the RNAP core enzyme. Here, we present a series of transcription complexes captured between the early initiation and elongation phases via in-crystal RNA synthesis and cleavage. Crystal structures of these complexes indicate that stress accumulation during transcription initiation is not due to clashing of the growing nascent RNA with the sigma(3.2) loop, but results from scrunching of the template strand DNA that is contained inside the RNAP by the sigma(3) domain. Our results shed light on how scrunching of template-strand DNA drives both abortive initiation and sigma-RNAP core separation to transition transcription from initiation to elongation. Structural Insights into Transcription Initiation from De Novo RNA Synthesis to Transitioning into Elongation.,Zuo Y, De S, Feng Y, Steitz TA iScience. 2020 Aug 11;23(9):101445. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101445. PMID:32829286[7] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. See AlsoReferences
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