Loading Rho to Terminate Transcription

In bacteria, one of the major transcriptional termination mechanisms requires a hexameric RNA/DNA helicase known as Rho. One question that has remained unanswered is how the helicase loads onto a nascent transcript so that it can initiate actions on the transcript to cause termination. Recent struct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cell 2003-07, Vol.114 (2), p.157-159
Main Author: Richardson, John P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Binding Sites - genetics
DNA, Single-Stranded - genetics
DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - metabolism
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli - metabolism
Models, Molecular
Nucleic Acid Conformation
Protein Structure, Tertiary
Rho Factor - chemistry
Rho Factor - genetics
Rho Factor - metabolism
RNA Helicases - genetics
RNA Helicases - metabolism
RNA, Messenger - genetics
RNA, Messenger - metabolism
Terminator Regions, Genetic
Transcription, Genetic
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Summary:In bacteria, one of the major transcriptional termination mechanisms requires a hexameric RNA/DNA helicase known as Rho. One question that has remained unanswered is how the helicase loads onto a nascent transcript so that it can initiate actions on the transcript to cause termination. Recent structures of Rho bound to nucleic acid by Skordalakes and Berger (2003) show how the individual RNA-binding domains of the 6 subunits are organized and that the ring is split open. The opening is wide enough to accommodate single-stranded RNA and suggests that this conformation is poised to load onto mRNA.
ISSN:0092-8674
1097-4172
DOI:10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00554-3