title: Structural homology between different archaebacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerases analyzed by immunological comparison of their components.
abstract: The archaebacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerases have a complex structure containing eight or more components. Immunochemical analysis shows an extensive homology between the components of the enzymes of nine different species. Two enzyme subtypes can be distinguished: that of the thermoacidophilic and/or sulfur-metabolizing archaebacteria with the composition BACDEFGHIJ and that of the methanogenic plus halophilic archaebacteria with the composition ABB'C(D).... Components B and B' of the latter subtype probably evolved by the division of the large component B of the BACD... type enzyme. The existence of the two subtypes corroborates the division of the archaebacteria into two phylogenetic main branches.
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, 8033 Martinsried bei München, FRG.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schnabel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thomm
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gerardy-Schahn
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zillig
authors.forename: K O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Stetter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huet