Archaeal RNA polymerase
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
Published on: May 13, 2019
Akira Hirata1, Katsuhiko S Murakami
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
Abstract:
The recently solved X-ray crystal structures of archaeal RNA polymerase (RNAP) allow a structural comparison of the transcription machinery among all three domains of life. Archaeal transcription is very simple and all components, including the structures of general transcription factors and RNAP, are highly conserved in eukaryotes. Therefore, it could be a new model for the dissection of the eukaryotic transcription apparatus. The archaeal RNAP structure also provides a framework for addressing the functional role that Fe-S clusters play within the transcription machinery of archaea and eukaryotes. A comparison between bacterial and archaeal open complex models reveals likely key motifs of archaeal RNAP for DNA unwinding during the open complex formation.
Related Concept Videos
Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases
All three eukaryotic RNAPs require specific transcription factors, of which the...
Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases
All three eukaryotic RNAPs require specific transcription factors, of which the...
Bacterial RNA Polymerase
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
Bacterial RNA Polymerase
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
Transcription Initiation
The promoters and enhancers and their accessory proteins allow tight regulation of...
Viruses of Archaea

