title: Transcript secondary structures regulate transcription termination at the attenuator of S. marcescens tryptophan operon.
abstract: We have analysed the regulatory behaviour of deletion mutants lacking different segments of the leader region of the tryptophan operon of Serratia marcescens. Our results support the model in which a particular RNA structure, the terminator, is recognized during transcription as a transcription termination signal, and an alternative RNA structure, the anti-terminator, prevents formation of the terminator. It appears that the role of translation, ribosome stalling and shifts between alternative RNA secondary structures, is simply to regulate formation of the terminator.
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D009154:Mutation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009876:Operon; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics*; D012706:Serratia marcescens / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012331:RNA, Fungal; D014364:Tryptophan