Initiation of Transcription by T7 RNA Polymerase

T7 RNA 聚合酶启动转录

• 批准号: 9630447
• 负责人: Craig Martin
• 金额: $ 27.25万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 1997
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1997-02-01 至 2001-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9630447&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Initiation; Transcription; T7; RNA; Polymerase

9630447 Martin These studies address a detailed characterization of the mechanisms of promoter binding and transcription initiation on wild type and modified promoters of T7 RNA polymerase. Stopped-flow fluorescence studies using nucleotide analog reporters within the promoter, combined with the direct measurement of RNA synthesis in single or limited turnover quench-flow studies will provide quantitative kinetic analyses. An initial goal will be the elucidation of the rate limiting step(s) along the initiation pathway. The use of ordered-addition kinetic experiments, the temperature dependence of individual steps in initiation, and the introduction of specific structural perturbations in the promoter will provide insight into the individual steps leading to the synthesis of the first phosphodiester bonds. In parallel with these studies, various approaches will be taken to characterize the structure and dynamics of the open complex. Footprinting will be combined with spectroscopic probes to characterize the extent of the open complex and the nature of the interactions between the polymerase and the individual template and nontemplate strands of the promoter. The time course of these interactions will be compared with the time course of RNA synthesis to complete the mechanistic picture. In order to more completely map the complex mechanism of transcription initiation, temperature, limiting components, and template perturbations will be exploited to alter the rate limiting step. The new rate determining step will be characterized as before, to provide mechanistic detail on key elements of the initiation pathway. A map of recognition contacts along the promoter has been previously prepared via functional group mutagenesis and steady state kinetic analyses. Following the preliminary identification of individual steps along the initiation pathway, the contributions of some of the previously identified promoter contacts to each of these steps will be assessed. This will provide the first de tailed correlations between structure and mechanism in this or any other RNA polymerase. Near the start site for transcription, the roles of specific DNA functional groups in the positioning of the DNA template at the active site will be explored by the incorporation into the promoter DNA of simple base analogs, abasic sites, and vicarious linkers. The fidelity of start site selection will be analyzed as substitutions become increasingly more perturbing. Modifications which decrease the start site fidelity may also be expected to perturb kinetic steps in initiation. These will be characterized kinetically in order to tie template positioning to specific mechanisms for initiation. Tools will be developed to follow the binding of substrate ribonucleotides to the DNA template during initiation. This approach will be used to characterize the binding of the initiating ribonucleoside triphosphates, but later may prove useful in monitoring substrate binding in subsequent stages of transcription. %%% Biomolecular mechanistic studies of the enzyme that replicates the genome of a bacterial virus, T7 RNA polymerase, are proposed involving the association of a multisubunit enzymatic complex associating with polymeric DNA sequences. These studies will reveal the molecular interactions involved in the early stages of the replication process of the viral genome. Genetic and biochemical manipulation of the DNA sequences recognized by the enzyme will be studied by sophisticated methods to yield a detailed series of molecular snapshots of the components of the complex associating with particular sequences on DNA and producing polymeric RNA sequences. These studies will contribute to a detailed understanding of how the process of RNA synthesis is achieved by this simple enzyme complex for application to the study of more complicated RNA polymerases. ***

9630447 Martin这些研究详细描述了T7 RNA聚合酶的野生型和修饰启动子上的启动子结合和转录起始机制。 在启动子内使用核苷酸类似物报告的停流荧光研究，结合在单次或有限周转猝灭流研究中直接测量RNA合成，将提供定量动力学分析。 最初的目标是阐明沿着起始途径的速率限制步骤。 使用有序添加动力学实验，温度依赖性的个别步骤在启动，并引入特定的结构扰动的启动子将提供洞察到个别步骤导致的第一个磷酸二酯键的合成。在这些研究的同时，将采取各种方法来表征开放复杂的结构和动力学。 足迹法将与光谱探针相结合，以表征开放复合物的程度以及聚合酶与启动子的单个模板和非模板链之间相互作用的性质。 这些相互作用的时间过程将与RNA合成的时间过程进行比较，以完成机制图。 为了更完整地映射转录起始的复杂机制，将利用温度、限制组分和模板扰动来改变速率限制步骤。新的速率决定步骤将如前所述进行表征，以提供起始途径关键要素的机制细节。 识别接触沿着启动子的地图已预先通过官能团诱变和稳态动力学分析制备。 在初步鉴定起始途径的各个沿着步骤后，将评估一些先前鉴定的启动子接触对这些步骤中的每一个的贡献。 这将提供这种或任何其他RNA聚合酶的结构和机制之间的第一个详细的相关性。 在转录起始位点附近，将通过将简单碱基类似物、脱碱基位点和替代接头掺入启动子DNA中来探索特定DNA官能团在活性位点处的DNA模板定位中的作用。 随着取代变得越来越令人不安，将分析起始位点选择的保真度。 降低起始位点保真度的修饰也可预期干扰起始中的动力学步骤。这些将进行动力学表征，以将模板定位与特定的启动机制联系起来。 将开发工具来跟踪起始过程中底物核糖核苷酸与DNA模板的结合。 这种方法将被用来表征的起始核糖核苷三磷酸的结合，但后来可能证明有用的监测底物结合在随后的转录阶段。 提出了对复制细菌病毒基因组的酶T7 RNA聚合酶的生物分子机理研究，涉及与聚合DNA序列相关的多亚基酶复合物的关联。 这些研究将揭示病毒基因组复制过程早期阶段所涉及的分子相互作用。 将通过复杂的方法研究由酶识别的DNA序列的遗传和生物化学操作，以产生与DNA上的特定序列相关联的复合物的组分的一系列详细的分子快照，并产生聚合RNA序列。 这些研究将有助于详细了解如何通过这种简单的酶复合物实现RNA合成的过程，以应用于更复杂的RNA聚合酶的研究。 ***