Function of Transcription Cleavage Factors GreA and GreB at a Regulatory Pause Site

• Published in: Molecular cell Vol. 6; no. 6; pp. 1275 - 1285
• Main Authors: Marr, Michael T, Roberts, Jeffrey W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.12.2000
• Subjects: Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Bacteriophage lambda - genetics; Base Sequence; DNA Footprinting; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - genetics; DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - metabolism; Escherichia coli - enzymology; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - virology; Escherichia coli Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; Genes, Viral - genetics; GreA protein; GreB protein; Kinetics; Models, Genetic; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation - genetics; Nucleotides - metabolism; Phage ^l; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Q gene; Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid - genetics; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; RNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; RNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transcription, Genetic - genetics; Transcriptional Elongation Factors; Viral Proteins - genetics; Viral Proteins - metabolism
• ISSN: 1097-2765; 1097-4164
• DOI: 10.1016/S1097-2765(00)00126-X

Gre proteins of prokaryotes, and SII proteins of eukaryotes and archaea, are transcription elongation factors that promote an endogenous transcript cleavage activity of RNA polymerases; this process promotes elongation through obstructive regions of DNA, including transcription pauses that act as sites of genetic regulation. We show that a regulatory pause in the early part of the late gene operon of bacteriophage λ is subject to such cleavage and resynthesis. In cells lacking the cleavage factors GreA and GreB, the pause is prolonged, and RNA polymerase occupies a variant position at the pause site. Furthermore, GreA and GreB are required to mediate efficient function of the λ gene Q antiterminator at this site. Thus, cleavage factors are necessary for the natural progression of RNA polymerase in vivo.