Download MendeleyStructural basis of the transcription termination factor Rho engagement with transcribing RNA polymerase from Thermus thermophilus.
Murayama, Y., Ehara, H., Aoki, M., Goto, M., Yokoyama, T., Sekine, S.I.(2023) Sci Adv 9: eade7093-eade7093
- PubMed: 36753546
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade7093
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
8HSG, 8HSH, 8HSJ, 8HSL, 8HSR - PubMed Abstract:
Transcription termination is an essential step in transcription by RNA polymerase (RNAP) and crucial for gene regulation. For many bacterial genes, transcription termination is mediated by the adenosine triphosphate-dependent RNA translocase/helicase Rho, which causes RNA/DNA dissociation from the RNAP elongation complex (EC). However, the structural basis of the interplay between Rho and RNAP remains obscure. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Thermus thermophilus RNAP EC engaged with Rho. The Rho hexamer binds RNAP through the carboxyl-terminal domains, which surround the RNA exit site of RNAP, directing the nascent RNA seamlessly from the RNA exit to its central channel. The β-flap tip at the RNA exit is critical for the Rho-dependent RNA release, and its deletion causes an alternative Rho-RNAP binding mode, which is irrelevant to termination. The Rho binding site overlaps with the binding sites of other macromolecules, such as ribosomes, providing a general basis of gene regulation.
Organizational Affiliation:
Laboratory for Transcription Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama 230-0045, Japan.
