title: Transcription termination factor Rho: a hub linking diverse physiological processes in bacteria.
abstract: Factor-dependent termination of transcription in bacteria relies on the activity of a specific RNA helicase, the termination factor Rho. Rho is nearly ubiquitous in bacteria, but the extent to which its physiological functions are conserved throughout the different phyla remains unknown. Most of our current knowledge concerning the mechanism of Rho's activity and its physiological roles comes from the model micro-organism Escherichia coli, where Rho is essential and involved in the control of several important biological processes. However, the rather comprehensive knowledge about the general mechanisms of action and activities of Rho based on the E. coli paradigm cannot be directly extrapolated to other bacteria. Recent studies performed in different species favour the view that Rho-dependent termination plays a significant role even in bacteria where Rho is not essential. Here, we summarize the current state of the ever-increasing knowledge about the various aspects of the physiological functions of Rho, such as limitation of deleterious foreign DNA expression, control of gene expression, suppression of pervasive transcription, prevention of R-loops and maintenance of chromosome integrity, focusing on similarities and differences of the activities of Rho in various bacterial species.
authors.affiliation: Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.|Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grylak-Mielnicka
authors.affiliation: Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bidnenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bardowski
authors.affiliation: Micalis Institute, INRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bidnenko
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D012234:Rho Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012234:Rho Factor