Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Promoter opening via a DNA fork junction binding activity

Y Guo1, J D Gralla

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 30, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Researchers discovered a DNA fork junction binding activity critical for bacterial promoter opening during transcription initiation. This sequence and structure-specific recognition by the sigma factor establishes the DNA melting boundary, impacting gene expression regulation.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[The clinical diagnostic significance on detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antigen in upper respiratory tract epithelium].

Zhonghua jie he he hu xi za zhi = Zhonghua jiehe he huxi zazhi = Chinese journal of tuberculosis and respiratory diseases·2001
Same author

[Effects of estradiol and medroxyprogesterone on the growth and doxorubin-resistance of drug-resistant human epithelial ovarian cancer cell line OVCAR-3].

Zhonghua fu chan ke za zhi·2001
Same author

Chemoprevention: progress and opportunity.

Advances in experimental medicine and biology·2001
Same author

The cytotoxic effect of E1B 55-kDa mutant adenovirus on human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines.

Cancer gene therapy·2001
Same author

Function of the bacterial TATAAT -10 element as single-stranded DNA during RNA polymerase isomerization.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2001
Same author

Isotopic homogeneity of iron in the early solar nebula.

Nature·2001

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Transcriptional initiation, a crucial gene expression step, is often rate-limited by promoter DNA opening.
  • The precise mechanism of DNA opening remains largely unknown, hindering a full understanding of gene regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize the molecular activity responsible for bacterial promoter DNA opening.
  • To elucidate the role of this activity in regulating the initiation of transcription.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental identification of a DNA fork junction recognition activity.
  • Assays to determine sequence and structure specificity of the binding activity.
  • Analysis of promoter mutations affecting opening rates and binding affinity.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Characterization of the sigma factor's role in DNA opening.

    • Main Results:

    • A novel DNA fork junction binding activity was identified, crucial for bacterial promoter opening.
    • This activity exhibits sequence and structure specificity, recognizing the double-stranded/single-stranded DNA boundary.
    • Reduced promoter opening rates correlated with decreased fork junction binding affinity.
    • The sigma factor component of the holoenzyme contains this critical junction binding activity.

    Conclusions:

    • DNA fork junction binding is essential for establishing the upstream boundary of melted DNA during transcription initiation.
    • This mechanism, involving sigma factor interaction, is conserved across different bacterial transcription systems, including ATP-dependent ones.
    • The findings suggest a conserved DNA opening mechanism applicable to various biological systems requiring DNA strand separation.