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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Analyzing DNA-Protein Interactions with Streptavidin-Based Biolayer Interferometry
Published on: January 17, 2025
Structural homology between different archaebacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerases analyzed by immunological
R Schnabel1, M Thomm, R Gerardy-Schahn
1Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, 8033 Martinsried bei München, FRG.
Abstract:
The archaebacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerases have a complex structure containing eight or more components. Immunochemical analysis shows an extensive homology between the components of the enzymes of nine different species. Two enzyme subtypes can be distinguished: that of the thermoacidophilic and/or sulfur-metabolizing archaebacteria with the composition BACDEFGHIJ and that of the methanogenic plus halophilic archaebacteria with the composition ABB'C(D).... Components B and B' of the latter subtype probably evolved by the division of the large component B of the BACD... type enzyme. The existence of the two subtypes corroborates the division of the archaebacteria into two phylogenetic main branches.
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