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Nucleolus-like compartmentalization of the transcription machinery in fast-growing bacterial cells
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Overview. We have learned a great deal about RNA polymerase (RNA Pol), transcription factors, and the transcriptional regulation mechanisms in prokaryotes for specific genes, operons, or transcriptomes. However, we have only begun to understand how the transcription machinery is 3-dimensionally (3D) organized into bacterial chromosome territories to orchestrate the transcription process and to maintain harmony with the replication machinery in the cell. Much progress has been made recently in our understanding of the spatial organization of the transcription machinery in fast-growing Escherichia coli cells using state-of-the-art superresolution imaging techniques. Co-imaging of RNA polymerase (RNA Pol) with DNA and transcription elongation factors involved in ribosomal RNA (rRNA) synthesis and ribosome biogenesis has revealed similarities between bacteria and eukaryotes in the spatial organization of the transcription machinery for growth genes, most of which are rRNA genes. Evidence supports the notion that RNA Pol molecules are concentrated, forming foci at the clustering of rRNA operons resembling the eukaryotic nucleolus. RNA Pol foci are proposed to be active transcription factories for both rRNA genes expression and ribosome biogenesis to support maximal growth in optimal growing conditions. Thus, in fast-growing bacterial cells, RNA Pol foci mimic eukaryotic Pol I activity, and transcription factories resemble nucleolus-like compartmentation. In addition, the transcription and replication machineries are mostly segregated in space to avoid the conflict between the two major cellular functions in fast-growing cells.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
Transcription factories
Transcription, Genetic
030106 microbiology
Ribosome biogenesis
RNA polymerase II
Biology
Biochemistry
Article
03 medical and health sciences
Operon
Animals
Humans
Molecular Biology
RNA polymerase II holoenzyme
Genetics
Genome
General transcription factor
Bacteria
Eukaryotic transcription
Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
RNA, Bacterial
030104 developmental biology
RNA, Ribosomal
biology.protein
RRNA Operon
Transcription factor II D
Ribosomes
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....33ec437f365fac6b1380539e56e472d9