RNA polymerase

Parent categories	3. Information processing 3.2. RNA synthesis and degradation 3.2.1. Transcription
Neighbouring categories	Sigma factors
Related categories	protein-protein interactions transcription
Overview on the categories (Excel file) All genes and their categories (Excel file)

The enzyme responsible for transcription

• As an important difference as compared to the E. coli enzyme, the B. subtilis RNA polymerase has a strong preference for G as first nucleotides in transcripts PubMed

Components of the RNA polymerase

Core subunits

• RpoA: alpha subunit
• RpoB: beta subunit
• RpoC: beta' subunit

• The stoichiometry of the enzyme is RpoA(2)-RpoB-RpoC

Sigma factors

• In addition to the housekeeping sigma factor, SigA, there are several other sigma factors with different promoter recognition specifiity that are active under specific conditions (such as stress or sporulation)

Small accessory subunits

• RpoE: delta subunit
• YkzG: epsilon subunit
• YloH: omega subunit

Other interaction partners

• NusA: essential elongation factor
• GreA: resolves promoter proximal pausing of RNA polymerase PubMed
• CshA: DEAD-box RNA helicase PubMed
• PcrA: ATP-dependent DNA helicase PubMed

Temporary interaction partners

• Spx: transcription regulator, interacts with RpoA
• MgsR: transcription regulator orthologous to Spx, interacts with RpoA
• Btr: transcription activator PubMed
• YlyA: modulates SigG-dependent transcription PubMed

• Additional interaction partners of the RNA polymerase (no specific subunit specified)
  • HelD, TopA, CssR, RnhC, YpsC, Mfd, YpiA, YdjO, ResD PubMed

References

Reviews

Nikolay Zenkin
Multiple personalities of the RNA polymerase active centre.
Microbiology (Reading): 2014, 160(Pt 7);1316-1320
[PubMed:24763425] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Kimberly B Decker, Deborah M Hinton
Transcription regulation at the core: similarities among bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic RNA polymerases.
Annu Rev Microbiol: 2013, 67;113-39
[PubMed:23768203] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Katelyn McGary, Evgeny Nudler
RNA polymerase and the ribosome: the close relationship.
Curr Opin Microbiol: 2013, 16(2);112-7
[PubMed:23433801] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Lakshminarayan M Iyer, L Aravind
Insights from the architecture of the bacterial transcription apparatus.
J Struct Biol: 2012, 179(3);299-319
[PubMed:22210308] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Finn Werner, Dina Grohmann
Evolution of multisubunit RNA polymerases in the three domains of life.
Nat Rev Microbiol: 2011, 9(2);85-98
[PubMed:21233849] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Vladimir Svetlov, Evgeny Nudler
Macromolecular micromovements: how RNA polymerase translocates.
Curr Opin Struct Biol: 2009, 19(6);701-7
[PubMed:19889534] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Evgeny Nudler
RNA polymerase active center: the molecular engine of transcription.
Annu Rev Biochem: 2009, 78;335-61
[PubMed:19489723] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

P J Lewis, G P Doherty, J Clarke
Transcription factor dynamics.
Microbiology (Reading): 2008, 154(Pt 7);1837-1844
[PubMed:18599813] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Kristina M Herbert, William J Greenleaf, Steven M Block
Single-molecule studies of RNA polymerase: motoring along.
Annu Rev Biochem: 2008, 77;149-76
[PubMed:18410247] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Sergei Borukhov, Evgeny Nudler
RNA polymerase: the vehicle of transcription.
Trends Microbiol: 2008, 16(3);126-34
[PubMed:18280161] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

W G Haldenwang
The sigma factors of Bacillus subtilis.
Microbiol Rev: 1995, 59(1);1-30
[PubMed:7708009] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (P p)

Important original publications

Matthew H Larson, Rachel A Mooney, Jason M Peters, Tricia Windgassen, Dhananjaya Nayak, Carol A Gross, Steven M Block, William J Greenleaf, Robert Landick, Jonathan S Weissman
A pause sequence enriched at translation start sites drives transcription dynamics in vivo.
Science: 2014, 344(6187);1042-7
[PubMed:24789973] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Hsin-Yi Yeh, Hsiu-Ting Hsu, Tsung-Ching Chen, Kuei-Min Chung, Kung-Ming Liou, Ban-Yang Chang
The reduction in σ-promoter recognition flexibility as induced by core RNAP is required for σ to discern the optimal promoter spacing.
Biochem J: 2013, 455(2);185-93
[PubMed:23875654] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Vladimir Mekler, Konstantin Severinov
Cooperativity and interaction energy threshold effects in recognition of the -10 promoter element by bacterial RNA polymerase.
Nucleic Acids Res: 2013, 41(15);7276-85
[PubMed:23771146] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Ignacio J Cabrera-Ostertag, Amy T Cavanagh, Karen M Wassarman
Initiating nucleotide identity determines efficiency of RNA synthesis from 6S RNA templates in Bacillus subtilis but not Escherichia coli.
Nucleic Acids Res: 2013, 41(15);7501-11
[PubMed:23761441] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Benedikt M Beckmann, Philipp G Hoch, Manja Marz, Dagmar K Willkomm, Margarita Salas, Roland K Hartmann
A pRNA-induced structural rearrangement triggers 6S-1 RNA release from RNA polymerase in Bacillus subtilis.
EMBO J: 2012, 31(7);1727-38
[PubMed:22333917] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Olivier Delumeau, François Lecointe, Jan Muntel, Alain Guillot, Eric Guédon, Véronique Monnet, Michael Hecker, Dörte Becher, Patrice Polard, Philippe Noirot
The dynamic protein partnership of RNA polymerase in Bacillus subtilis.
Proteomics: 2011, 11(15);2992-3001
[PubMed:21710567] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Yoko Kusuya, Ken Kurokawa, Shu Ishikawa, Naotake Ogasawara, Taku Oshima
Transcription factor GreA contributes to resolving promoter-proximal pausing of RNA polymerase in Bacillus subtilis cells.
J Bacteriol: 2011, 193(12);3090-9
[PubMed:21515770] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Houra Merrikh, Cristina Machón, William H Grainger, Alan D Grossman, Panos Soultanas
Co-directional replication-transcription conflicts lead to replication restart.
Nature: 2011, 470(7335);554-7
[PubMed:21350489] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Shu Ishikawa, Taku Oshima, Ken Kurokawa, Yoko Kusuya, Naotake Ogasawara
RNA polymerase trafficking in Bacillus subtilis cells.
J Bacteriol: 2010, 192(21);5778-87
[PubMed:20817769] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)

Geoff P Doherty, Mark J Fogg, Anthony J Wilkinson, Peter J Lewis
Small subunits of RNA polymerase: localization, levels and implications for core enzyme composition.
Microbiology (Reading): 2010, 156(Pt 12);3532-3543
[PubMed:20724389] [WorldCat.org] [DOI] (I p)