title: The regulation of transcription initiation by integration host factor.
abstract: Integration host factor (IHF) of Escherichia coli is an asymmetric histone-like protein that binds and bends the DNA at specific sequences. IHF functions as an accessory factor in a wide variety of processes including replication, site-specific recombination and transcription. In many of these processes IHF was shown to act as an architectural element which helps the formation of nucleo-protein complexes by bending of the DNA at specific sites. This MicroReview shows how such a structural role of IHF can influence the initiation of transcription. In addition, it summarizes the evidence indicating that IHF can stimulate transcription via a direct interaction with RNA polymerase and explores the possibility that the asymmetry of the IHF protein might reflect such an interaction.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Gorlaeus Laboratories, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goosen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van de Putte
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D034982:Integration Host Factors; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D034982:Integration Host Factors; D012808:Sigma Factor; C497751:rpoN protein, E coli; D012319:RNA Polymerase II; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54