Structural basis of transcription-translation coupling

In bacteria, transcription and translation are coupled processes in which the movement of RNA polymerase (RNAP)-synthesizing messenger RNA (mRNA) is coordinated with the movement of the first ribosome-translating mRNA. Coupling is modulated by the transcription factors NusG (which is thought to brid...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2020-09, Vol.369 (6509), p.1359-1365
Main Authors: Wang, Chengyuan, Molodtsov, Vadim, Firlar, Emre, Kaelber, Jason T, Blaha, Gregor, Su, Min, Ebright, Richard H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteria
Binding
Coupling
Cryoelectron Microscopy
DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - chemistry
E coli
Electron microscopy
Elongated structure
Escherichia coli - genetics
Escherichia coli Proteins - chemistry
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
Microscopy
Peptide Elongation Factors - chemistry
Protein Binding
Protein Biosynthesis
Protein Conformation
RNA polymerase
RNA, Messenger - chemistry
Spacers
Transcription
Transcription Factors - chemistry
Transcription, Genetic
Transcriptional Elongation Factors - chemistry
Translation
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Summary:In bacteria, transcription and translation are coupled processes in which the movement of RNA polymerase (RNAP)-synthesizing messenger RNA (mRNA) is coordinated with the movement of the first ribosome-translating mRNA. Coupling is modulated by the transcription factors NusG (which is thought to bridge RNAP and the ribosome) and NusA. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of transcription-translation complexes (TTCs) containing different-length mRNA spacers between RNAP and the ribosome active-center P site. Structures of TTCs containing short spacers show a state incompatible with NusG bridging and NusA binding (TTC-A, previously termed "expressome"). Structures of TTCs containing longer spacers reveal a new state compatible with NusG bridging and NusA binding (TTC-B) and reveal how NusG bridges and NusA binds. We propose that TTC-B mediates NusG- and NusA-dependent transcription-translation coupling.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abb5317