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Updated: May 28, 2025
12:12
Analysis of Termination of Transcription Using BrUTP-strand-specific Transcription Run-on TRO Approach
Published on: March 12, 2017
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Nucleotide-induced hyper-oligomerization inactivates transcription termination factor ρ
Bing Wang1, Nelly Said2, Tarek Hilal2,3
1Department of Microbiology and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
Nature Communications
|February 14, 2025
Summary
Bacterial RNA helicase Rho acts as a genome sentinel. Nucleotides like ADP and (p)ppGpp, along with mutations, regulate Rho
Area of Science:
- Bacteriology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Bacterial RNA helicase Rho is a crucial genome sentinel.
- Rho terminates the synthesis of damaged and untranslated RNAs.
- Regulation of Rho during dormancy and stress is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the regulation of bacterial RNA helicase Rho.
- To understand how Rho activity is modulated during cellular stress and dormancy.
Main Methods:
- Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) was employed.
- Biochemical assays were performed.
- Genetic approaches were utilized to study Rho function.
Main Results:
- Substitutions in Rho's connector domain or ADP binding promote extended filament formation.
- (p)ppGpp induces transient Rho dodecamer formation.
- Nucleotide binding inhibits Rho ring closure, favoring inactive higher-order oligomers.
- Connector substitutions and protein/RNA synthesis inhibitors trigger Rho aggregation.
Conclusions:
- ADP and (p)ppGpp binding regulates Rho activity by preventing hexamer activation.
- Rho aggregation is implicated as a mechanism for tuning its activity.
- Findings shed light on Rho's role as a genome sentinel under stress conditions.
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