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UPs and downs in bacterial transcription initiation: the role of the alpha subunit of RNA polymerase in promoter recognition
Author(s) -
Gourse Richard L.,
Ross Wilma,
Gaal Tamas
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2000.01972.x
Subject(s) - biology , general transcription factor , transcription (linguistics) , rna polymerase ii , rna polymerase , transcription factor ii d , promoter , sigma factor , microbiology and biotechnology , response element , transcription factor ii e , specificity factor , rna polymerase ii holoenzyme , polymerase , genetics , dna , rna , gene , gene expression , linguistics , philosophy
In recent years, it has become clear that promoter recognition by bacterial RNA polymerase involves interactions not only between core promoter elements and the σ subunit, but also between a DNA element upstream of the core promoter and the α subunit. DNA binding by α can increase transcription dramatically. Here we review the current state of our understanding of the α interaction with DNA during basal transcription initiation (i.e. in the absence of proteins other than RNA polymerase) and activated transcription initiation (i.e. when stimulated by transcription factors).