期刊名称:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
印刷版ISSN:0027-8424
电子版ISSN:1091-6490
出版年度:2001
卷号:98
期号:26
页码:14849-14852
DOI:10.1073/pnas.261517398
语种:English
出版社:The National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
摘要:Isomerization of a closed to open complex of a promoter upon RNA polymerase binding involves base unpairing at the -10 region. After potassium permanganate sensitivity of unpaired thymine residues, we studied base unpairing at the -10 region during isomerization upon RNA polymerase binding at the P1 and P3 promoters of the gal operon. Substitution of adenine by 2-amino purine (2-AP) at the invariable A*T base pair at the -11 position of P1 and P3 prevented unpairing not only at that position but also at the other downstream positions, suggesting a "master" role of the adenine base at -11 of the template strand in overall base unpairing. 2-AP at -11 did not inhibit the formation of RNA polymerase*promoter complex and subsequent isomerization of the polymerase. Substitution of adenine by 2-AP at several other positions did not affect thymine unpairing. Changing the position of the amino group from C6 in adenine to C2 in 2-AP is mutational only at the master switch position, -11.