High-Resolution Mutagenesis of the 'Bridge Helix' and 'Switch 1' Domains of Archaeal RNA Polymerase

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The majority of cell types contain the same genetic material to encode the various cellular components. Differences in cell types (e.g. neurons as compared to muscle cells) arise because different parts of the genetic material are read out. RNA polymerases (RNAPs) are a crucial part of the cellular machinery involved in the selective reading mechanism (transcription) and it is therefore important to understand their molecular structure and function in considerable detail. By studying the chemical and physical mechanisms underlying RNAP function we can begin to understand the way these mechanisms are controlled within the cell to reflect the different requirements for gene expression that are posed by various metabolic, developmental and disease states. In this project we intend to study two key structures that are involved directly in the function of RNAP to obtain an insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms.