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The phage RNA polymerases are related to DNA polymerases and reverse transcriptases
Author(s) -
McAllister William T.,
Raskin Curtis A.
Publication year - 1993
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 - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb00897.x
Subject(s) - polymerase , biology , dna polymerase , rna polymerase , genetics , rna , dna , computational biology , gene
Summary The single subunit DNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP) that is encoded by bacteriophage T7 is the prototype of a class of relatively simple RNAPs that includes the RNAPs of the related phages T3 and SP6, as well as the mitochondrial RNAPs. The T7 enzyme has been crystallized, and recent genetic and biochemical analyses have facilitated an interpretation of this structure. A growing body of evidence suggests that the phage‐like RNAPs are related to other nucleotide polymerases such as DNA polymerases, RNA‐dependent RNA polymerases, and reverse transcriptases. In this work, we review information concerning the structure and function of T7 RNAP, and evidence in support of its assignment to a broader class of nucleotide polymerases.