title: Interplay between the beta' clamp and the beta' jaw domains during DNA opening by the bacterial RNA polymerase at sigma54-dependent promoters.
abstract: The bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) is a multi-subunit, structurally flexible, complex molecular machine, in which activities associated with DNA opening for transcription-competent open promoter complex (OC) formation reside in the catalytic beta and beta' subunits and the dissociable sigma subunit. OC formation is a multi-step process that involves several structurally conserved mobile modules of beta, beta', and sigma. Here, we present evidence that two flexible modules of beta', the beta' jaw and the beta' clamp and a conserved regulatory Region I domain of sigma(54), jointly contribute to the maintenance of stable DNA strand separation around the trancription start site in OCs formed at sigma(54)-dependent promoters. Clearly, regulated interplay between the mobile modules of the beta' and the sigma subunits of the RNAP appears to be necessary for stable OC formation.
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Faculty of Life Sciences, Division of Biology, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, South Kensington Campus, UK.
authors.forename: Siva R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wigneshweraraj
authors.forename: Dhruti
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Savalia
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Severinov
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Buck
mesh_terms: D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54 / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012097:Repressor Proteins; C120334:gene 2 product, bacteriophage T7; D006493:Heparin; D004247:DNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D051877:RNA Polymerase Sigma 54