Learning from the Leaders: Gene Regulation by the Transcription Termination Factor Rho.
The RNA helicase Rho triggers 20-30% of transcription termination events in bacteria. While Rho is associated with most transcription elongation complexes, it only promotes termination of a subset. Recent studies of individual Rho-dependent terminators located within the 5' leader regions of bacterial mRNAs have identified novel mechanisms that govern Rho target specificity and have revealed unanticipated physiological functions for Rho. In particular, the multistep nature of Rho-dependent termination enables regulatory input from determinants beyond the sequence of the Rho loading site, and allows a given Rho-dependent terminator to respond to multiple signals. Further, the unique position of Rho as a sensor of cellular translation has been exploited to regulate the transcription of genes required for protein synthesis, including those specifying Mg(2+) transporters.
Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA; Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
Michelle A
MA
Kriner
Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Anastasia
A
Sevostyanova
Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA; Microbial Sciences Institute, Yale University, West Haven, CT 06516, USA. Electronic address: eduardo.groisman@yale.edu.
Eduardo A
EA
Groisman
D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012234:Rho Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D061806:Transcription Termination, Genetic
D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012234:Rho Factor