Structure of T7 RNA polymerase complexed to the transcriptional inhibitor T7 lysozyme. |
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| Authors: | D Jeruzalmi and T A Steitz |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 266 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520-8114, USA. |
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| Abstract: | The T7 RNA polymerase-T7 lysozyme complex regulates phage gene expression during infection of Escherichia coli. The 2.8 A crystal structure of the complex reveals that lysozyme binds at a site remote from the polymerase active site, suggesting an indirect mechanism of inhibition. Comparison of the T7 RNA polymerase structure with that of the homologous pol I family of DNA polymerases reveals identities in the catalytic site but also differences specific to RNA polymerase function. The structure of T7 RNA polymerase presented here differs significantly from a previously published structure. Sequence similarities between phage RNA polymerases and those from mitochondria and chloroplasts, when interpreted in the context of our revised model of T7 RNA polymerase, suggest a conserved fold. |
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