Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026

The Multifaceted Benefits of Protein Co-expression in Escherichia coli
Published on: February 5, 2015
DksA regulates RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli through a network of interactions in the secondary channel that
Andrey Parshin1, Anthony L Shiver2, Jookyung Lee3
1Department of Cell Biology, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine at Stratford, Stratford, NJ 08084-1489; Graduate School of Biomedical Studies, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine at Stratford, Stratford, NJ 08084-1489;
Abstract:
Sensing and responding to nutritional status is a major challenge for microbial life. In Escherichia coli, the global response to amino acid starvation is orchestrated by guanosine-3',5'-bisdiphosphate and the transcription factor DksA. DksA alters transcription by binding to RNA polymerase and allosterically modulating its activity. Using genetic analysis, photo-cross-linking, and structural modeling, we show that DksA binds and acts upon RNA polymerase through prominent features of both the nucleotide-access secondary channel and the active-site region. This work is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of a molecular function for Sequence Insertion 1 in the β subunit of RNA polymerase and significantly advances our understanding of how DksA binds to RNA polymerase and alters transcription.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
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...
Translational Regulation
Types of RNA
Three main types of RNA are involved in protein synthesis: messenger RNA (mRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), and ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These RNAs perform diverse functions and can be broadly classified as protein-coding or non-coding RNA. Non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to developmental and environmental changes. Non-coding RNAs in prokaryotes can be manipulated to develop more effective antibacterial drugs for human or animal use.
RNA...
Types of RNA
RNA Performs Diverse...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

