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The Escherichia coli RNA polymerase α subunit linker: length requirements for transcription activation at CRP‐dependent promoters
Author(s) -
Meng Wenmao,
Savery Nigel J.,
Busby Stephen J.W.,
Thomas Mark S.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/19.7.1555
Subject(s) - biology , promoter , rna polymerase , escherichia coli , transcription (linguistics) , microbiology and biotechnology , rna polymerase ii , polymerase , protein subunit , transcription factor ii d , genetics , gene , gene expression , linguistics , philosophy
The C‐terminal domain of the Escherichia coli RNA polymerase α subunit (αCTD) plays a key role in transcription initiation at many activator‐dependent promoters. This domain is connected to the N‐terminal domain by an unstructured linker, which is proposed to confer a high degree of mobility on αCTD. To investigate the role of this linker in transcription activation we tested the effect of altering the linker length on promoters dependent on the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP). Short deletions within the α linker decrease CRP‐dependent transcription at a Class I promoter while increasing the activity of a Class II promoter. Linker extension impairs CRP‐dependent transcription from both promoters, with short extensions exerting a more marked effect on the Class II promoter. Activation at both classes of promoter was shown to remain dependent upon activating region 1 of CRP. These results show that the response to CRP of RNA polymerase containing linker‐modified α subunits is class specific. These observations have important implications for the architecture of transcription initiation complexes at CRP‐dependent promoters.