title: Molecular anatomy of the transcription complex of Escherichia coli during initiation.
abstract: Transcription is the foremost event in gene expression in which the enzyme RNA polymerase copies the genetic information from DNA to RNA. Much of our understanding of this process have come from studies carried out in Escherichia coli. A faithful and efficient transcription machinery of E. coli can be reconstituted in vitro with purified RNA polymerase and promoter-containing DNA. It is generally believed that in E. coli and most other organisms, the control of gene expression lies with the initiation of transcription. In this review, an attempt has been made to understand the mechanistic details of the initiation of transcription from the structural point of view of the promoter and the RNA polymerase. Allosteric nature of the enzyme has also been discussed at the end.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chatterji
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000494:Allosteric Regulation; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases