Spatial organization of RNA polymerase and its relationship with transcription in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that RNA polymerase (RNAP) is organized into distinct clusters in Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis cells. Spatially organized molecular components in prokaryotic systems imply compartmentalization without the use of membranes, which may offer insights into unique functions and regulations. It has been proposed that the formation of RNAP clusters is driven by active ribosomal RNA (rRNA) transcription and that RNAP clusters function as factories for highly efficient transcription. In this work, we examined these hypotheses by investigating the spatial organization and transcription activity of RNAP in E. coli cells using quantitative superresolution imaging coupled with genetic and biochemical assays. We observed that RNAP formed distinct

SUBMITTER: Weng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6778201 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature