RNA Polymerase

Students often learn the process of transcription without giving much thought to the complex and highly conserved molecular machines that facilitate this process. Using physical models and paper bioinformatics activities, students can explore the function of various highly conserved regions of this structure, including the bridge helix and the rudder.

:: Physical models

Taq RNA polymerase
T7 RNA polymerase
- Initiation
- Elongation complex
Yeast RNA Polymerase II

:: 2005-2006 Pingry SMART Team: Prokaryotic RNA Polymerase Holoenzyme-Open Promoter Complex

:: UW-Milwaukee CREST Team Proteopedia Page: Beta-Prime Subunit of Bacterial RNA Polymerase

:: Jmol Tutorials [Pingry SMART Team]

:: Molecule of the Month extension

:: Bioinformatics activity

:: References

Boeger, H., Bushnell, D.A., Davis, R., Griesenbeck, J., Lorch, Y., Strattan, J.S., Westover, K.D. and Kornberg, R.D. 2005. Structural basis of eukaryotic gene transcription. FEBS Lett. 579:899-903.

Bushnell, David A., Westover, Kenneth D., Davis, Ralph E. and Kornberg, Roger D. 2004. Structural Basis of Transcription: AN RNA Polymerase II-TFIIB Cocrystal at 4.5 Angstroms. Science 303:983-988. Online Supplementary Material, including movie.

Cho, Eun-Jung, Takagi, Toshimitsu, Moore, Christine R. and Buratowski, Stephen. 1997. mRNA Capping Enzyme is Recruited to the Transcription Complex by Phosphorylation of the RNA Polymerase II Carboxy-Terminal Domain. Genes and Development. 11:3319-3326.

Cramer, Patrick, Bushnell, David A. and Kornberg, Roger D. 2001. Structural Basis of Transcription: RNA Polymerase II at 2.8 Angstrom Resolution. Science 292:1863-1876.

Gnatt Averell L., Cramer, Patrick, Fu, Jianhua, Bushnell, David A. and Kornberg, Roger D. 2001. Structural Basis of Transcription: An RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complex at 3.3 A Resolution. Science 292:5523:1876-1882.

Thomas, Matthew J., Platas, Angelina A. and Hawley, Diane K. 1998. Transcriptional Fidelity and Proofreading by RNA Polymerase II. Cell 93(4):627-637.