title: RNA polymerase: in search of promoters.
abstract: Transcription initiation is a key event in the regulation of gene expression. RNA polymerase (RNAP), the central enzyme of transcription, is able to efficiently locate promoters in the genome, carry out promoter opening, and initiate RNA synthesis. All the substeps of transcription initiation are subject to complex cellular regulation. Understanding the molecular details of each step in the promoter-opening pathway is essential for a complete mechanistic and quantitative picture of gene expression. In this minireview, primarily using bacterial RNAP as an example, I briefly summarize some of the key recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of promoter search and promoter opening.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10065, USA. afeklistov@rockefeller.edu
authors.forename: Andrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Feklistov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D012808:Sigma Factor; D004247:DNA; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases
keywords: RNA polymerase; promoter; protein-DNA recognition; transcription