Force and the α-C-terminal domains bias RNA polymerase recycling

After an RNA polymerase reaches a terminator, instead of dissociating from the template, it may diffuse along the DNA and recommence RNA synthesis from the previous or a different promoter. Magnetic tweezers were used to monitor such secondary transcription and determine the effects of low forces assisting or opposing translocation, protein roadblocks, and transcription factors. Remarkably, up to 50% of Escherichia coli (E. coli) RNA polymerases diffused along the DNA after termination. Force biased the direction of diffusion (sliding) and the velocity increased rapidly with force up to 0.7 pN and much more slowly thereafter. Sigma factor 70 (σ⁷⁰) likely remained associated with the DNA promoting sliding and enabling re-initiation from promoters in either orientation. However, deletions of the α-C-terminal domains severely limited the ability of RNAP to turn around between successive rounds of transcription. The addition of elongation factor NusG, which competes with σ⁷⁰ for binding to RNAP, limited additional rounds of transcription. Surprisingly, sliding RNA polymerases blocked by a DNA-bound lac repressor could slowly re-initiate transcription and were not affected by NusG, suggesting a σ-independent pathway. Low forces effectively biased promoter selection suggesting a prominent role for topological entanglements that affect RNA polymerase translocation.