Document Type
Article
Journal Title
Elife
Publication Date
Winter 1-16-2015
Volume
4
Abstract
Bacterial H-NS forms nucleoprotein filaments that spread on DNA and bridge distant DNA sites. H-NS filaments co-localize with sites of Rho-dependent termination in Escherichia coli, but their direct effects on transcriptional pausing and termination are untested. In this study, we report that bridged H-NS filaments strongly increase pausing by E. coli RNA polymerase at a subset of pause sites with high potential for backtracking. Bridged but not linear H-NS filaments promoted Rho-dependent termination by increasing pause dwell times and the kinetic window for Rho action. By observing single H-NS filaments and elongating RNA polymerase molecules using atomic force microscopy, we established that bridged filaments surround paused complexes. Our results favor a model in which H-NS-constrained changes in DNA supercoiling driven by transcription promote pausing at backtracking-susceptible sites. Our findings provide a mechanistic rationale for H-NS stimulation of Rho-dependent termination in horizontally transferred genes and during pervasive antisense and noncoding transcription in bacteria.
MeSH Headings
Bacteria, Bacterial Proteins, Base Sequence, DNA-Binding Proteins, DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases, RNA, Bacterial, Transcription Termination, Genetic
DOI Link
ISSN
2050-084X
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kotlajich, Matthew V.; Hron, Daniel R.; Boudreau, Beth A.; Sun, Zhiqiang; Lyubchenko, Yuri L.; and Landick, Robert, "Bridged filaments of histone-like nucleoid structuring protein pause RNA polymerase and aid termination in bacteria." (2015). Journal Articles: Pharmaceutical Sciences. 7.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/cop_pharmsci_articles/7