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Why does DNA‐dependent RNA polymerase I from higher plants possess a more complex subunit structure than the enzyme from Escherichia colil? A hypothesis
Author(s) -
GROSSMANN KLAUS
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3040.1983.tb01249.x
Subject(s) - specificity factor , polymerase , protein subunit , dna polymerase , rna polymerase , base pair , dna , biology , enzyme , rna , biochemistry , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , rna dependent rna polymerase , gene
. During the emergence of the eukaryotic line and the three classes of DNA‐dependent RNA polymerases with their specific transcriptional tasks, the subunit structure of these enzymes became more complex when compared with the prokaryotic enzyme. It is proposed, especially for the RNA polymerase I from higher plants, that the increase in the complexity of subunit structure during evolution was associated with an increase in the degree of co‐operativity of substrate binding sites. This multiplicity of substrate binding sites could be useful for fitting and proper base‐pairing between the incoming substrate molecules and the DNA template.