A universal transcription pause sequence is an element of initiation factor ?70-dependent pausing.

ABSTRACT: The Escherichia coli ?70 initiation factor is required for a post-initiation, promoter-proximal pause essential for regulation of lambdoid phage late gene expression; potentially, ?70 acts at other sites during transcription elongation as well. The pause is induced by ?70 binding to a repeat of the promoter -10 sequence. After ?70 binding, further RNA synthesis occurs as DNA is drawn (or 'scrunched') into the enzyme complex, presumably exactly as occurs during initial synthesis from the promoter; this synthesis then pauses at a defined site several nucleotides downstream from the active center position when ?70 first engages the -10 sequence repeat. We show that the actual pause site in the stabilized, scrunched complex is the 'elemental pause sequence' recognized from its frequent occurrence in the E. coli genome. ?70 binding and the elemental pause sequence together, but neither alone, produce a substantial transcription pause.

SUBMITTER: Bird JG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5001585 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature