scholarly journals Binding sites of E. coli RNA polymerase on T7 DNA as determined by electron microscopy

FEBS Letters ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 45 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Portmann ◽  
J.M. Sogo ◽  
Th. Koller ◽  
W. Zillig
2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (17) ◽  
pp. 6166-6174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Herring ◽  
Marni Raffaelle ◽  
Timothy E. Allen ◽  
Elenita I. Kanin ◽  
Robert Landick ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The genome-wide location of RNA polymerase binding sites was determined in Escherichia coli using chromatin immunoprecipitation and microarrays (chIP-chip). Cross-linked chromatin was isolated in triplicate from rifampin-treated cells, and DNA bound to RNA polymerase was precipitated with an antibody specific for the β′ subunit. The DNA was amplified and hybridized to “tiled” oligonucleotide microarrays representing the whole genome at 25-bp resolution. A total of 1,139 binding sites were detected and evaluated by comparison to gene expression data from identical conditions and to 961 promoters previously identified by established methods. Of the detected binding sites, 418 were located within 1,000 bp of a known promoter, leaving 721 previously unknown RNA polymerase binding sites. Within 200 bp, we were able to detect 51% (189/368) of the known σ70-specific promoters occurring upstream of an expressed open reading frame and 74% (273/368) within 1,000 bp. Conversely, many known promoters were not detected by chIP-chip, leading to an estimated 26% negative-detection rate. Most of the detected binding sites could be associated with expressed transcription units, but 299 binding sites occurred near inactive transcription units. This map of RNA polymerase binding sites represents a foundation for studies of transcription factors in E. coli and an important evaluation of the chIP-chip technique.


1974 ◽  
Vol 141 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget T. Hill ◽  
Renato Baserga

1. When WI-38 human diploid fibroblasts form confluent monolayers, DNA synthesis and cell division almost completely cease. A change of medium causes these density-inhibited cells to proliferate and within 1h after the application of the stimulus there is an increase in template activity of the chromatin isolated from stimulated cells. 2. The number of binding sites for Escherichia coli RNA polymerase was determined on chromatin from WI-38 cells by two different methods, i.e. incorporation of [3H]UTP into RNA in the absence of reinitiation, and incorporation of [γ-32P]GTP into chain termini. 3. Both methods indicate that the capacity of chromatin to bind E. coli RNA polymerase is increased in WI-38 cells stimulated to proliferate. 4. The increase in the number of binding sites for E. coli RNA polymerase parallels the increase in chromatin template activity and suggests that the latter reflects an increase in the number of initiation sites, rather than an increase in the rate of transcription.


1975 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-306
Author(s):  
C. Brack ◽  
E. Delain

Partial alkaline denaturation of the circular kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) of Trypanosoma cruzi has shown the existence of 4 small, well-defined AT-rich regions with an average size of about 200 base pairs. They are almost equally distributed, separated by approximately 90 degrees on the circular molecule. All minicircles, whether free or linked in networks, have the same denaturation pattern and, therefore, seem to contain the same information. The long linear molecules present in low amounts in the kDNA samples do not show the same denaturation pattern. Partial denaturation of molecules in larger associations indicates that the circular units may be linked to each other by one strand only. kDNA can be transcribed in vitro by the RNA polymerase of E. coli. RNA polymerase-kDNA complexes have been studied in the electron microscope. By spreading the DNA-protein complexes by adhesion to positively charged carbon films and dark-field observation, it was possible to show the existence of 4 specific binding sites of the E. coli RNA polymerase on the kDNA circles. Comparing the position of the polymerase-binding sites and the AT-rich melted zones, it is suggested that a correlation exists between the two. As had been shown in earlier work, the replication of circular kDNA can be blocked by treating the trypanosomes with the trypanocidal drug Berenil. The comparison of the relative position of the Berenil-blocked replication forks with the position of the 4 denaturation loops shows that the DNA replication is stopped at these AT-rich regions. Since there is evidence that Berenil binds preferentially to AT-rich DNA and seems to be involved in inhibition of DNA replication, the following hypothetical model can be proposed. The replication of the circular kDNA molecules is discontinuous and involves the synthesis of RNA primers; when Berenil is bound to the AT-rich regions, synthesis of new RNA primers is inhibited and replication is blocked at these points, leading to the accumulation of replicating intermediates with defined branch lengths.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Llorenç Fernández-Coll ◽  
Katarzyna Potrykus ◽  
Michael Cashel ◽  
Carlos Balsalobre

Abstract There is a growing appreciation for the diverse regulatory consequences of the family of proteins that bind to the secondary channel of E. coli RNA polymerase (RNAP), such as GreA, GreB or DksA. Similar binding sites could suggest a competition between them. GreA is characterised to rescue stalled RNAP complexes due to its antipause activity, but also it is involved in transcription fidelity and proofreading. Here, overexpression of GreA is noted to be lethal independent of its antipause activity. A library of random GreA variants has been used to isolate lethality suppressors to assess important residues for GreA functionality and its interaction with the RNA polymerase. Some mutant defects are inferred to be associated with altered binding competition with DksA, while other variants seem to have antipause activity defects that cannot reverse a GreA-sensitive pause site in a fliC::lacZ reporter system. Surprisingly, apparent binding and cleavage defects are found scattered throughout both the coiled-coil and globular domains. Thus, the coiled-coil of GreA is not just a measuring stick ensuring placement of acidic residues precisely at the catalytic centre but also seems to have binding functions. These lethality suppressor mutants may provide valuable tools for future structural and functional studies.


1986 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 909-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Morioka ◽  
M Tachibana ◽  
T Amagai ◽  
A Suganuma

A cytochemical technique for demonstration of neomycin binding sites by electron microscopy was developed and applied to Escherichia coli. Neomycin was conjugated chemically with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Colloidal gold was coated with the conjugated neomycin-BSA. The neomycin-BSA-gold was applied to thin sections of Epon-embedded E. coli and examined. Gold particles were observed on the outer membrane and the cytoplasmic membrane of E. coli. It was probably the ribosomes that were being labeled in the cytoplasm. Different cytochemical controls, including a number of inhibition tests and the use of BSA-gold, proved the specificity of this cytochemical technique and provided the biochemical significance of the observations.


1981 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Zech ◽  
Martin R. Hartley ◽  
Hans J. Bohnert

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