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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
Published on: May 13, 2019
Evolution of complex RNA polymerases: the complete archaeal RNA polymerase structure
Yakov Korkhin1, Ulug M Unligil, Otis Littlefield
1Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Abstract:
The archaeal RNA polymerase (RNAP) shares structural similarities with eukaryotic RNAP II but requires a reduced subset of general transcription factors for promoter-dependent initiation. To deepen our knowledge of cellular transcription, we have determined the structure of the 13-subunit DNA-directed RNAP from Sulfolobus shibatae at 3.35 Å resolution. The structure contains the full complement of subunits, including RpoG/Rpb8 and the equivalent of the clamp-head and jaw domains of the eukaryotic Rpb1. Furthermore, we have identified subunit Rpo13, an RNAP component in the order Sulfolobales, which contains a helix-turn-helix motif that interacts with the RpoH/Rpb5 and RpoA'/Rpb1 subunits. Its location and topology suggest a role in the formation of the transcription bubble.
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