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All cellular genetic information is transcribed into RNA by multisubunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs). The basal transcription initiation factors of cellular RNAPs stimulate the initial RNA synthesis via poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we explored the mechanism employed by the bacterial factor σ in promoter-independent initial transcription. We found that the RNAP holoenzyme lacking the promoter-binding domain σ4 is ineffective in de novo transcription initiation and displays high propensity to pausing upon extension of RNAs 3 to 7 nucleotides in length. The nucleotide at the RNA 3' end determines the pause lifetime. The σ4 domain stabilizes short RNA:DNA hybrids and suppresses pausing by stimulating RNAP activecenter translocation. The antipausing activity of σ4 is modulated by its interaction with the β subunit flap domain and by the σ remodeling factors AsiA and RbpA. Our results suggest that the presence of σ4 within the RNA exit channel compensates for the intrinsic instability of short RNA:DNA hybrids by increasing RNAP processivity, thus favoring productive transcription initiation. This "RNAP boosting" activity of the initiation factor is shaped by the thermodynamics of RNA:DNA interactions and thus, should be relevant for any factordependent RNAP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initiation of RNA synthesis by bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) requires melting of promoter DNA, which is nucleated by the σ subunit during formation of the “open” promoter complex (RP o ). The antibiotic lipiarmycin (Lpm) inhibits promoter melting by blocking access of the template DNA strand to the RNAP active-site cleft. Here we show that Escherichia coli RNAP holoenzymes containing either housekeeping σ 70 , with a deletion in the region 3.2, or the stationary phase σ S subunits exhibited hypersensitivity to Lpm and increased cold sensitivity of RP o formation. Similar effects were produced by mutation located ~ 60 Å away from the Lpm binding site within σ 70 region 1.2, controlling − 10 promoter element recognition. Our data suggested that template strand single-stranded DNA competes with Lpm for binding to RNAP and that σ 70 regions 1.2 and 3.2 attenuate Lpm action by promoting DNA duplex opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the mechanism of transcription activation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the pathogen causing human tuberculosis. It shows the conformational dynamics of a subunit in the RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme is a target for regulation by transcription factors. The subunit also plays a critical role in promoter recognition.

Summary In bacteria, RNA polymerase (RNAP) initiates transcription by synthesizing short transcripts that are either released or extended to allow RNAP to escape from the promoter. The mechanism of initial transcription is unclear due to the presence of transient intermediates and molecular heterogeneity. Here, we studied initial transcription on a lac promoter using single-molecule fluorescence observations of DNA scrunching on immobilized transcription complexes. Our work revealed a long pause (“initiation pause,” ∼20 s) after synthesis of a 6-mer RNA; such pauses can serve as regulatory checkpoints. Region sigma 3.2, which contains a loop blocking the RNA exit channel, was a major pausing determinant. We also obtained evidence for RNA backtracking during abortive initial transcription and for additional pausing prior to escape. We summarized our work in a model for initial transcription, in which pausing is controlled by a complex set of determinants that modulate the transition from a 6- to a 7-nt RNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The first antibiotic of the ansamycin family, rifampicin (RIF), was isolated in 1959 and was introduced into therapy in 1962; it is still a first-line agent in the treatment of diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy and various biofilm-related infections. The antimicrobial activity of RIF is due to its inhibition of bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP). Most frequently, bacteria become resistant to RIF through mutation of the target; however, this mechanism is not unique. Other mechanisms of resistance have been reported, such as duplication of the target, action of RNAP-binding proteins, modification of RIF and modification of cell permeability. We suggest that several of these alternative resistance strategies could reflect the ecological function of RIF, such as autoregulation and/or signalling to surrounding microorganisms. Very often, resistance mechanisms found in the clinic have an environmental origin. One may ask whether the introduction of the RIF analogues rifaximin, rifalazil, rifapentine and rifabutin in the therapeutic arsenal, together with the diversification of the pathologies treated by these molecules, will diversify the resistance mechanisms of human pathogens against ansamycins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]