New tech reveals findings that address long-standing theories about how bacteria begin the process of making RNA from DNA.
Every living cell transcribes DNA into RNA. This process begins when an enzyme called RNA polymerase clamps onto DNA. Within a few hundred milliseconds, the DNA double helix unwinds to form a node known as the transcription bubble, so that one exposed DNA strand can be copied into a complementary RNA strand.
Early work in the field suggested that bubble opening acts as a critical slowdown in the process, dictating how quickly RNAP can move onto RNA synthesis. Later results in the field challenged that view, and multiple theories emerged about the nature of this rate-limiting step.
The team proposes that the rate-limiting step in transcription may be the positioning of the DNA template strand within the active site of the RNAP enzyme. This step involves overcoming significant energy barriers and rearranging several components. Future research will aim to confirm this new hypothesis and explore other steps in transcription.
"If we want to understand one of the most fundamental processes in life, something that all cells do, we need to understand how its progress and speed are regulated," says Darst."Once we know that, we'll have a much clearer picture of how transcription begins."Ruth M. Saecker, Andreas U. Mueller, Brandon Malone, James Chen, William C. Budell, Venkata P. Dandey, Kashyap Maruthi, Joshua H. Mendez, Nina Molina, Edward T. Eng, Laura Y. Yen, Clinton S.
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