RNA polymerase
- MinireviewThe Context-Dependent Influence of Promoter Sequence Motifs on Transcription Initiation Kinetics and Regulation
The fitness of an individual bacterial cell is highly dependent upon the temporal tuning of gene expression levels when subjected to different environmental cues. Kinetic regulation of transcription initiation is a key step in modulating the levels of transcribed genes to promote bacterial survival.
- Research ArticleVpsR Directly Activates Transcription of Multiple Biofilm Genes in Vibrio cholerae
Vibrio cholerae, the bacterial pathogen that is responsible for the disease cholera, uses biofilms to aid in survival, dissemination, and persistence. VpsR, which directly senses the second messenger c-di-GMP, is a major regulator of this process. Together with c-di-GMP, VpsR directly activates transcription by RNA polymerase containing σ70 from the ...
- Research ArticleThe Core and Holoenzyme Forms of RNA Polymerase from Mycobacterium smegmatis
We describe here three-dimensional structures of core and holoenzyme forms of mycobacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) solved by cryo-electron microscopy. These structures fill the thus-far-empty spots in the gallery of the pivotal forms of mycobacterial RNAP and illuminate the extent of conformational dynamics of this enzyme. The presented findings may facilitate future designs of antimycobacterial drugs targeting RNAP.