High intrinsic hydrolytic activity of cyanobacterial RNA polymerase compensates for the absence of transcription proofreading factors.

ABSTRACT: The vast majority of organisms possess transcription elongation factors, the functionally similar bacterial Gre and eukaryotic/archaeal TFIIS/TFS. Their main cellular functions are to proofread errors of transcription and to restart elongation via stimulation of RNA hydrolysis by the active centre of RNA polymerase (RNAP). However, a number of taxons lack these factors, including one of the largest and most ubiquitous groups of bacteria, cyanobacteria. Using cyanobacterial RNAP as a model, we investigated alternative mechanisms for maintaining a high fidelity of transcription and for RNAP arrest prevention. We found that this RNAP has very high intrinsic proofreading activity, resulting in nearly as low a level of in vivo mistakes in RNA as Escherichia coli. Features of the cyanobacterial

SUBMITTER: Riaz-Bradley A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7026648 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature