title: Hierarchy of base-pair preference in the binding domain of the bacteriophage T7 promoter.
abstract: The activity of bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase (RNAP) at a collection of T7 promoter mutants having all possible single base-pair substitutions in the region from -15 to -6 was determined by transcription in vitro, thus establishing a hierarchy of base-pair preference at each position. The tolerance of the RNAP for base-pair substitutions is not uniform across the binding domain. Under stringent conditions (20 mM-MgCl2), T7 RNAP is highly permissive for all base-pair substitutions at -13 and -12. The RNAP is partially permissive at -15, -14, -11, -10 and -6, and exhibits a clear pattern of base-pair preference at these positions. The RNAP is non-permissive for substitutions at -9 to -7, and will accept only the consensus base-pairs at these positions. Under lower stringency conditions (8 mM-MgCl2, or additionally in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide) a decrease in specificity is observed at most positions except -9. Analysis of these data suggests potential contacts that may be important for promoter function.
authors.affiliation: Morse Institute of Molecular Genetics, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn 11203-2098.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Raskin
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: McAllister
mesh_terms: D017123:Bacteriophage T7 / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D001482:Base Composition; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins; C062210:bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases