Trigger loop folding determines transcription rate of Escherichia coli's RNA polymerase

Conformational properties of active polar semiflexible phantom polymers

The conformational properties of semiflexible active polar linear and ring phantom polymers are analyzed analytically to shed light on their dependence on activity. Special attention is paid to the influence of the implemented bond force for discrete and continuous polymer models. In detail, the Gaussian semiflexible polymer model and a model with a harmonic bond potential with finite bond length are considered. The studies reveal the immanent effects of the particular bond model on the polymer conformations as well as on the discrete or continuous representation. For continuum models, activity implies polymer end effects only, whereas for discrete models, all bonds can contribute to activity-dependent conformational changes. Ring polymers lack end effects; hence, continuous rings exhibit the same conformations as passive polymers. Similarly, the conformations of inextensible continuous polymers (Kratky-Porod worm-like chain) are activity-independent. These findings are in contrast to passive polymers, where a wide spectrum of bond potentials capture their generic features. Hence, this universality is broken by activity, and a model must be carefully selected to capture the characteristics observed in experiments.

Single-molecule studies reveal the off-pathway early paused state intermediates as a target of streptolydigin inhibition of RNA polymerase and its dramatic enhancement by Gre factors

Antibiotic streptolydigin (Stl) inhibits bacterial transcription by blocking the trigger loop folding in the active center of RNA polymerase (RNAP), which is essential for catalysis. We use acoustic force spectroscopy to characterize the dynamics of transcription elongation in ternary elongation complexes (ECs) of RNAP in the presence of Stl at a single-molecule level. We found that Stl induces long-lived stochastic pauses while the instantaneous velocity of transcription between the pauses is unaffected. Stl enhances the short-lived pauses associated with an off-pathway early paused state intermediates of the RNAP nucleotide addition cycle. Unexpectedly, we found that transcript cleavage factors GreA and GreB, which were thought to be Stl competitors, do not alleviate the Stl-induced pausing; instead, they synergistically increase transcription inhibition by Stl. This is the first known instance of a transcriptional factor enhancing antibiotic activity. We propose a structural model of the EC-Gre-Stl complex that explains the observed Stl activities and provides insight into possible cooperative action of secondary channel factors and other antibiotics binding at the Stl pocket. These results offer a new strategy for high-throughput screening for prospective antibacterial agents.

High-Throughput Algorithmic Optimization of In Vitro Transcription for SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Production

The in vitro transcription (IVT) of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) from the linearized deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) template of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta variant (B.1.617.2) was optimized for total mRNA yield and purity (by percent intact mRNA) utilizing machine learning in conjunction with automated, high-throughput liquid handling technology. An iterative Bayesian optimization approach successfully optimized 11 critical process parameters in 42 reactions across 5 experimental rounds. Once the optimized conditions were achieved, an automated, high-throughput screen was conducted to evaluate commercially available T7 RNA polymerases for rate and quality of mRNA production. Final conditions showed a 12% yield improvement and a 50% reduction in reaction time, while simultaneously significantly decreasing (up to 44% reduction) the use of expensive reagents. This novel platform offers a powerful new approach for optimizing IVT reactions for mRNA production.

Nanopore tweezers show fractional-nucleotide translocation in sequence-dependent pausing by RNA polymerase

RNA polymerases (RNAPs) carry out the first step in the central dogma of molecular biology by transcribing DNA into RNA. Despite their importance, much about how RNAPs work remains unclear, in part because the small (3.4 Angstrom) and fast (~40 ms/nt) steps during transcription were difficult to resolve. Here, we used high-resolution nanopore tweezers to observe the motion of single Escherichia coli RNAP molecules as it transcribes DNA ~1,000 times improved temporal resolution, resolving single-nucleotide and fractional-nucleotide steps of individual RNAPs at saturating nucleoside triphosphate concentrations. We analyzed RNAP during processive transcription elongation and sequence-dependent pausing at the yrbL elemental pause sequence. Each time RNAP encounters the yrbL elemental pause sequence, it rapidly interconverts between five translocational states, residing predominantly in a half-translocated state. The kinetics and force-dependence of this half-translocated state indicate it is a functional intermediate between pre- and post-translocated states. Using structural and kinetics data, we show that, in the half-translocated and post-translocated states, sequence-specific protein-DNA interaction occurs between RNAP and a guanine base at the downstream end of the transcription bubble (core recognition element). Kinetic data show that this interaction stabilizes the half-translocated and post-translocated states relative to the pre-translocated state. We develop a kinetic model for RNAP at the yrbL pause and discuss this in the context of key structural features.

Comparison of Transcription Elongation Rates of Three RNA Polymerases in Real Time

RNA polymerases (RNAPs) across the bacterial kingdom have retained a conserved structure and function. In spite of the remarkable similarity of the enzyme in different bacteria, a wide variation is found in the promoter-polymerase interaction, transcription initiation, and termination. However, the transcription elongation was considered to be a monotonic process, although the rate of elongation could vary in different bacteria. Such variations in RNAP elongation rates could be important to fine-tune the transcription, which in turn would influence cellular metabolism and growth rates. Here, we describe a quantitative study to measure the transcription rates for the RNAPs from three bacteria, namely, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium smegmatis, and Escherichia coli, which exhibit different growth kinetics. The RNA synthesis rates of the RNAPs were calculated from the real-time elongation kinetic profile using surface plasmon resonance through a computational flux flow model. The computational model revealed the modular process of elongation, with different rate profiles for the three RNAPs. Notably, the transcription elongation rates of these RNAPs followed the trend in the growth rates of these bacteria.

Single-molecule studies reveal the off-pathway elemental pause state as a target of streptolydigin inhibition of RNA polymerase and its dramatic enhancement by Gre factors

Antibiotic streptolydigin (Stl) inhibits bacterial transcription by blocking the trigger loop folding in the active center of RNA polymerase (RNAP), which is essential for catalysis. We use acoustic force spectroscopy to characterize the dynamics of transcription elongation in ternary elongation complexes of RNAP (ECs) in the presence of Stl at a single-molecule level. We found that Stl induces long-lived stochastic pauses while the instantaneous velocity of transcription between the pauses is unaffected. Stl enhances the short-lived pauses associated with an off-pathway elemental paused state of the RNAP nucleotide addition cycle. Unexpectedly, we found that transcript cleavage factors GreA and GreB, which were thought to be Stl competitors, do not alleviate the streptolydigin-induced pausing; instead, they synergistically increase transcription inhibition by Stl. This is the first known instance of a transcriptional factor enhancing antibiotic activity. We propose a structural model of the EC-Gre-Stl complex that explains the observed Stl activities and provides insight into possible cooperative action of secondary channel factors and other antibiotics binding at the Stl-pocket. These results offer a new strategy for high-throughput screening for prospective antibacterial agents.

A trailing ribosome speeds up RNA polymerase at the expense of transcript fidelity via force and allostery

In prokaryotes, translation can occur on mRNA that is being transcribed in a process called coupling. How the ribosome affects the RNA polymerase (RNAP) during coupling is not well understood. Here, we reconstituted the E. coli coupling system and demonstrated that the ribosome can prevent pausing and termination of RNAP and double the overall transcription rate at the expense of fidelity. Moreover, we monitored single RNAPs coupled to ribosomes and show that coupling increases the pause-free velocity of the polymerase and that a mechanical assisting force is sufficient to explain the majority of the effects of coupling. Also, by cryo-EM, we observed that RNAPs with a terminal mismatch adopt a backtracked conformation, while a coupled ribosome allosterically induces these polymerases toward a catalytically active anti-swiveled state. Finally, we demonstrate that prolonged RNAP pausing is detrimental to cell viability, which could be prevented by polymerase reactivation through a coupled ribosome.

Dynamics of active polar ring polymers

The conformational and dynamical properties of isolated semiflexible active polar ring polymers are investigated analytically. A ring is modeled as a continuous Gaussian polymer exposed to tangential active forces. The analytical solution of the linear non-Hermitian equation of motion in terms of an eigenfunction expansion shows that ring conformations are independent of activity. In contrast, activity strongly affects the internal ring dynamics and yields characteristic time regimes, which are absent in passive rings. On intermediate timescales, flexible rings show an activity-enhanced diffusive regime, while semiflexible rings exhibit ballistic motion. Moreover, a second active time regime emerges on longer timescales, where rings display a snake-like motion, which is reminiscent to a tank-treading rotational dynamics in shear flow, dominated by the mode with the longest relaxation time.

High-throughput single-molecule experiments reveal heterogeneity, state switching, and three interconnected pause states in transcription

Pausing by bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAp) is vital in the recruitment of regulatory factors, RNA folding, and coupled translation. While backtracking and intra-structural isomerization have been proposed to trigger pausing, our mechanistic understanding of backtrack-associated pauses and catalytic recovery remains incomplete. Using high-throughput magnetic tweezers, we examine the Escherichia coli RNAp transcription dynamics over a wide range of forces and NTP concentrations. Dwell-time analysis and stochastic modeling identify, in addition to a short-lived elemental pause, two distinct long-lived backtrack pause states differing in recovery rates. We identify two stochastic sources of transcription heterogeneity: alterations in short-pause frequency that underlies elongation-rate switching, and variations in RNA cleavage rates in long-lived backtrack states. Together with effects of force and Gre factors, we demonstrate that recovery from deep backtracks is governed by intrinsic RNA cleavage rather than diffusional Brownian dynamics. We introduce a consensus mechanistic model that unifies our findings with prior models.

Conserved Trigger Loop Histidine of RNA Polymerase II Functions as a Positional Catalyst Primarily through Steric Effects

In all domains of life, multisubunit RNA polymerases (RNAPs) catalyze both the extension of mRNA transcripts by nucleotide addition and the hydrolysis of RNA, which enables proofreading by removal of misincorporated nucleotides. A highly conserved catalytic module within RNAPs called the trigger loop (TL) functions as the key controller of these activities. The TL is proposed to act as a positional catalyst of phosphoryl transfer and transcript cleavage via electrostatic and steric contacts with substrates in its folded helical form. The function of a near-universally conserved TL histidine that contacts NTP phosphates is of particular interest. Despite its exceptional conservation, substitutions of the TL His with Gln support efficient catalysis in bacterial and yeast RNAPs. Unlike bacterial TLs, which contain a nearby Arg, the TL His is the only acid-base catalyst candidate in the eukaryotic RNAPII TL. Nonetheless, replacement of the TL His with Leu is reported to support cell growth in yeast, suggesting that even hydrogen bonding and polarity at this position may be dispensable for efficient catalysis by RNAPII. To test how a TL His-to-Leu substitution affects the enzymatic functions of RNAPII, we compared its rates of nucleotide addition, pyrophosphorolysis, and RNA hydrolysis to those of the wild-type RNAPII enzyme. The His-to-Leu substitution slightly reduced rates of phosphoryl transfer with little if any effect on intrinsic transcript cleavage. These findings indicate that the highly conserved TL His is neither an obligate acid-base catalyst nor a polar contact for NTP phosphates but instead functions as a positional catalyst mainly through steric effects.

Closing and opening of the RNA polymerase trigger loop

During transcription elongation at saturating nucleotide concentrations, RNA polymerase (RNAP) performs ∼50 nucleotide-addition cycles every second. The RNAP active center contains a structural element, termed the trigger loop (TL), that has been suggested, but not previously shown, to open to allow a nucleotide to enter and then to close to hold the nucleotide in each nucleotide-addition cycle. Here, using single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy to monitor distances between a probe incorporated into the TL and a probe incorporated elsewhere in the transcription elongation complex, we show that TL closing and opening occur in solution, define time scales and functional roles of TL closing and opening, and, most crucially, demonstrate that one cycle of TL closing and opening occurs in each nucleotide-addition cycle.

The RNA polymerase (RNAP) trigger loop (TL) is a mobile structural element of the RNAP active center that, based on crystal structures, has been proposed to cycle between an “unfolded”/“open” state that allows an NTP substrate to enter the active center and a “folded”/“closed” state that holds the NTP substrate in the active center. Here, by quantifying single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer between a first fluorescent probe in the TL and a second fluorescent probe elsewhere in RNAP or in DNA, we detect and characterize TL closing and opening in solution. We show that the TL closes and opens on the millisecond timescale; we show that TL closing and opening provides a checkpoint for NTP complementarity, NTP ribo/deoxyribo identity, and NTP tri/di/monophosphate identity, and serves as a target for inhibitors; and we show that one cycle of TL closing and opening typically occurs in each nucleotide addition cycle in transcription elongation.

High intrinsic hydrolytic activity of cyanobacterial RNA polymerase compensates for the absence of transcription proofreading factors

The vast majority of organisms possess transcription elongation factors, the functionally similar bacterial Gre and eukaryotic/archaeal TFIIS/TFS. Their main cellular functions are to proofread errors of transcription and to restart elongation via stimulation of RNA hydrolysis by the active centre of RNA polymerase (RNAP). However, a number of taxons lack these factors, including one of the largest and most ubiquitous groups of bacteria, cyanobacteria. Using cyanobacterial RNAP as a model, we investigated alternative mechanisms for maintaining a high fidelity of transcription and for RNAP arrest prevention. We found that this RNAP has very high intrinsic proofreading activity, resulting in nearly as low a level of in vivo mistakes in RNA as Escherichia coli. Features of the cyanobacterial RNAP hydrolysis are reminiscent of the Gre-assisted reaction—the energetic barrier is similarly low, and the reaction involves water activation by a general base. This RNAP is resistant to ubiquitous and most regulatory pausing signals, decreasing the probability to go off-pathway and thus fall into arrest. We suggest that cyanobacterial RNAP has a specific Trigger Loop domain conformation, and isomerises easier into a hydrolytically proficient state, possibly aided by the RNA 3′-end. Cyanobacteria likely passed these features of transcription to their evolutionary descendants, chloroplasts.

Bayesian inference and comparison of stochastic transcription elongation models

Transcription elongation can be modelled as a three step process, involving polymerase translocation, NTP binding, and nucleotide incorporation into the nascent mRNA. This cycle of events can be simulated at the single-molecule level as a continuous-time Markov process using parameters derived from single-molecule experiments. Previously developed models differ in the way they are parameterised, and in their incorporation of partial equilibrium approximations. We have formulated a hierarchical network comprised of 12 sequence-dependent transcription elongation models. The simplest model has two parameters and assumes that both translocation and NTP binding can be modelled as equilibrium processes. The most complex model has six parameters makes no partial equilibrium assumptions. We systematically compared the ability of these models to explain published force-velocity data, using approximate Bayesian computation. This analysis was performed using data for the RNA polymerase complexes of E. coli, S. cerevisiae and Bacteriophage T7. Our analysis indicates that the polymerases differ significantly in their translocation rates, with the rates in T7 pol being fast compared to E. coli RNAP and S. cerevisiae pol II. Different models are applicable in different cases. We also show that all three RNA polymerases have an energetic preference for the posttranslocated state over the pretranslocated state. A Bayesian inference and model selection framework, like the one presented in this publication, should be routinely applicable to the interrogation of single-molecule datasets.

Transcription is a critical biological process which occurs in all living organisms. It involves copying the organism’s genetic material into messenger RNA (mRNA) which directs protein synthesis on the ribosome. Transcription is performed by RNA polymerases which have been extensively studied using both ensemble and single-molecule techniques. Single-molecule data provides unique insights into the molecular behaviour of RNA polymerases. Transcription at the single-molecule level can be computationally simulated as a continuous-time Markov process and the model outputs compared with experimental data. In this study we use Bayesian techniques to perform a systematic comparison of 12 stochastic models of transcriptional elongation. We demonstrate how equilibrium approximations can strengthen or weaken the model, and show how Bayesian techniques can identify necessary or unnecessary model parameters. We describe a framework to a) simulate, b) perform inference on, and c) compare models of transcription elongation.

The effect of macromolecular crowding on single-round transcription by Escherichia coli RNA polymerase

Previous works have reported significant effects of macromolecular crowding on the structure and behavior of biomolecules. The crowded intracellular environment, in contrast to in vitro buffer solutions, likely imparts similar effects on biomolecules. The enzyme serving as the gatekeeper for the genome, RNA polymerase (RNAP), is among the most regulated enzymes. Although it was previously demonstrated that macromolecular crowding affects association of RNAP to DNA, not much is known about how crowding acts on late initiation and promoter clearance steps, which are considered to be the rate-determining steps for many promoters. Here, we demonstrate that macromolecular crowding enhances the rate of late initiation and promoter clearance using in vitro quenching-based single-molecule kinetics assays. Moreover, the enhancement's dependence on crowder size notably deviates from predictions by the scaled-particle theory, commonly used for description of crowding effects. Our findings shed new light on how enzymatic reactions could be affected by crowded conditions in the cellular milieu.

The Mechanisms of Substrate Selection, Catalysis, and Translocation by the Elongating RNA Polymerase

Multi-subunit DNA-dependent RNA polymerases synthesize all classes of cellular RNAs, ranging from short regulatory transcripts to gigantic messenger RNAs. RNA polymerase has to make each RNA product in just one try, even if it takes millions of successive nucleotide addition steps. During each step, RNA polymerase selects a correct substrate, adds it to a growing chain, and moves one nucleotide forward before repeating the cycle. However, RNA synthesis is anything but monotonous: RNA polymerase frequently pauses upon encountering mechanical, chemical and torsional barriers, sometimes stepping back and cleaving off nucleotides from the growing RNA chain. A picture in which these intermittent dynamics enable processive, accurate, and controllable RNA synthesis is emerging from complementary structural, biochemical, computational, and single-molecule studies. Here, we summarize our current understanding of the mechanism and regulation of the on-pathway transcription elongation. We review the details of substrate selection, catalysis, proofreading, and translocation, focusing on rate-limiting steps, structural elements that modulate them, and accessory proteins that appear to control RNA polymerase translocation.

The elemental mechanism of transcriptional pausing

Transcriptional pausing underlies regulation of cellular RNA biogenesis. A consensus pause sequence that acts on RNA polymerases (RNAPs) from bacteria to mammals halts RNAP in an elemental paused state from which longer-lived pauses can arise. Although the structural foundations of pauses prolonged by backtracking or nascent RNA hairpins are recognized, the fundamental mechanism of the elemental pause is less well-defined. Here we report a mechanistic dissection that establishes the elemental pause signal (i) is multipartite; (ii) causes a modest conformational shift that puts γ-proteobacterial RNAP in an off-pathway state in which template base loading but not RNA translocation is inhibited; and (iii) allows RNAP to enter pretranslocated and one-base-pair backtracked states easily even though the half-translocated state observed in paused cryo-EM structures rate-limits pause escape. Our findings provide a mechanistic basis for the elemental pause and a framework to understand how pausing is modulated by sequence, cellular conditions, and regulators.

Stationary RNA polymerase fluctuations during transcription elongation

We study fluctuation effects of nonsteric molecular interactions between RNA polymerase (RNAP) motors that move simultaneously on the same DNA track during transcription elongation. Based on a stochastic model that allows for the exact analytical computation of the stationary distribution of RNAPs as a function of their density, interaction strength, nucleoside triphosphate concentration, and rate of pyrophosphate release we predict an almost geometric headway distribution of subsequent RNAP transcribing on the same DNA segment. The localization length which characterizes the decay of the headway distribution depends directly only the average density of RNAP and the interaction strength, but not on specific single-RNAP properties. Density correlations are predicted to decay exponentially with the distance (in units of DNA base pairs), with a correlation length that is significantly shorter than the localization length.

Active site closure stabilizes the backtracked state of RNA polymerase

All cellular RNA polymerases (RNAP) occasionally backtrack along the template DNA as part of transcriptional proofreading and regulation. Here, we studied the mechanism of RNAP backtracking by one nucleotide using two complementary approaches that allowed us to precisely measure the occupancy and lifetime of the backtracked state. Our data show that the stability of the backtracked state is critically dependent on the closure of the RNAP active site by a mobile domain, the trigger loop (TL). The lifetime and occupancy of the backtracked state measurably decreased by substitutions of the TL residues that interact with the nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) substrate, whereas amino acid substitutions that stabilized the closed active site increased the lifetime and occupancy. These results suggest that the same conformer of the TL closes the active site during catalysis of nucleotide incorporation into the nascent RNA and backtracking by one nucleotide. In support of this hypothesis, we construct a model of the 1-nt backtracked complex with the closed active site and the backtracked nucleotide in the entry pore area known as the E-site. We further propose that 1-nt backtracking mimics the reversal of the NTP substrate loading into the RNAP active site during on-pathway elongation.

Determining the Transcription Rates Yielding Steady-State Production of mRNA in the Lac Genetic Switch of Escherichia coli

To elucidate the regulatory dynamics of the gene expression activation and inactivation, an in silico biochemical model of the lac circuit in Escherichia coli was used to evaluate the transcription rates that yield the steady-state mRNA production in active and inactive states of the lac circuit. This result can be used in synthetic biology applications to understand the limits of the genetic synthesis. Since most genetic networks involve many interconnected components with positive and negative feedback control, intuitive understanding of their dynamics is often difficult to obtain. Although the kinetic model of the lac circuit considered involves only a single positive feedback, the developed computational framework can be used to evaluate supported ranges of other reaction rates in genetic circuits with more complex regulatory networks. More specifically, the inducible lac gene switch in E. coli is regulated by unbinding and binding of the inducer-repressor complexes to or from the DNA operator to switch the gene expression on and off. The dependency of mRNA production at steady state on different transcription rates and the repressor complexes has been studied by computer simulations in the Lattice Microbe software. Provided that the lac circuit is in active state, the transcription rate is independent of the inducer-repressor complexes present in the cell. In inactive state, the transcription rate is dependent on the specific inducer-repressor complex bound to the operator that inactivates the gene expression. We found that the repressor complex with the largest affinity to the operator yields the smallest range of the feasible transcription rates to yield the steady state while the lac circuit is in inactive state. In contrast, the steady state in active state can be obtained for any value of the transcription rate.

RNA-DNA and DNA-DNA base-pairing at the upstream edge of the transcription bubble regulate translocation of RNA polymerase and transcription rate

Translocation of RNA polymerase (RNAP) along DNA may be rate-limiting for transcription elongation. The Brownian ratchet model posits that RNAP rapidly translocates back and forth until the post-translocated state is stabilized by NTP binding. An alternative model suggests that RNAP translocation is slow and poorly reversible. To distinguish between these two models, we take advantage of an observation that pyrophosphorolysis rates directly correlate with the abundance of the pre-translocated fraction. Pyrophosphorolysis by RNAP stabilized in the pre-translocated state by bacteriophage HK022 protein Nun was used as a reference point to determine the pre-translocated fraction in the absence of Nun. The stalled RNAP preferentially occupies the post-translocated state. The forward translocation rate depends, among other factors, on melting of the RNA-DNA base pair at the upstream edge of the transcription bubble. DNA-DNA base pairing immediately upstream from the RNA-DNA hybrid stabilizes the post-translocated state. This mechanism is conserved between E. coli RNAP and S. cerevisiae RNA polymerase II and is partially dependent on the lid domain of the catalytic subunit. Thus, the RNA-DNA hybrid and DNA reannealing at the upstream edge of the transcription bubble emerge as targets for regulation of the transcription elongation rate.

Trigger loop dynamics can explain stimulation of intrinsic termination by bacterial RNA polymerase without terminator hairpin contact

In bacteria, intrinsic termination signals cause disassembly of the highly stable elongating transcription complex (EC) over windows of two to three nucleotides after kilobases of RNA synthesis. Intrinsic termination is caused by the formation of a nascent RNA hairpin adjacent to a weak RNA-DNA hybrid within RNA polymerase (RNAP). Although the contributions of RNA and DNA sequences to termination are largely understood, the roles of conformational changes in RNAP are less well described. The polymorphous trigger loop (TL), which folds into the trigger helices to promote nucleotide addition, also is proposed to drive termination by folding into the trigger helices and contacting the terminator hairpin after invasion of the hairpin in the RNAP main cleft [Epshtein V, Cardinale CJ, Ruckenstein AE, Borukhov S, Nudler E (2007) Mol Cell 28:991-1001]. To investigate the contribution of the TL to intrinsic termination, we developed a kinetic assay that distinguishes effects of TL alterations on the rate at which ECs terminate from effects of the TL on the nucleotide addition rate that indirectly affect termination efficiency by altering the time window in which termination can occur. We confirmed that the TL stimulates termination rate, but found that stabilizing either the folded or unfolded TL conformation decreased termination rate. We propose that conformational fluctuations of the TL (TL dynamics), not TL-hairpin contact, aid termination by increasing EC conformational diversity and thus access to favorable termination pathways. We also report that the TL and the TL sequence insertion (SI3) increase overall termination efficiency by stimulating pausing, which increases the flux of ECs into the termination pathway.

Hinge action versus grip in translocation by RNA polymerase

Based on molecular dynamics simulations and functional studies, a conformational mechanism is posited for forward translocation by RNA polymerase (RNAP). In a simulation of a ternary elongation complex, the clamp and downstream cleft were observed to close. Hinges within the bridge helix and trigger loop supported generation of translocation force against the RNA-DNA hybrid resulting in opening of the furthest upstream i-8 RNA-DNA bp, establishing conditions for RNAP sliding. The β flap tip helix and the most N-terminal β' Zn finger engage the RNA, indicating a path of RNA threading out of the exit channel. Because the β flap tip connects to the RNAP active site through the β subunit double-Ψ-β-barrel and the associated sandwich barrel hybrid motif (also called the flap domain), the RNAP active site is coupled to the RNA exit channel and to the translocation of RNA-DNA. Using an exonuclease III assay to monitor translocation of RNAP elongation complexes, we show that K⁺ and Mg²⁺ and also an RNA 3'-OH or a 3'-H₂ affect RNAP sliding. Because RNAP grip to template suggests a sticky translocation mechanism, and because grip is enhanced by increasing K⁺ and Mg²⁺concentration, biochemical assays are consistent with a conformational change that drives forward translocation as observed in simulations. Mutational analysis of the bridge helix indicates that 778-GARKGL-783 (Escherichia coli numbering) is a homeostatic hinge that undergoes multiple bends to compensate for complex conformational dynamics during phosphodiester bond formation and translocation.

An excited state underlies gene regulation of a transcriptional riboswitch

Riboswitches control gene expression through ligand-dependent structural rearrangements of the sensing aptamer domain. However, we found that the Bacillus cereus fluoride riboswitch aptamer adopts identical tertiary structures in solution with and without ligand. Using chemical-exchange saturation transfer (CEST) NMR spectroscopy, we revealed that the structured ligand-free aptamer transiently accesses a low-populated (∼1%) and short-lived (∼3 ms) excited conformational state that unravels a conserved 'linchpin' base pair to signal transcription termination. Upon fluoride binding, this highly localized, fleeting process is allosterically suppressed, which activates transcription. We demonstrated that this mechanism confers effective fluoride-dependent gene activation over a wide range of transcription rates, which is essential for robust toxicity responses across diverse cellular conditions. These results unveil a novel switching mechanism that employs ligand-dependent suppression of an aptamer excited state to coordinate regulatory conformational transitions rather than adopting distinct aptamer ground-state tertiary architectures, exemplifying a new mode of ligand-dependent RNA regulation.

Kinetics of nucleotide entry into RNA polymerase active site provides mechanism for efficiency and fidelity

During transcription, RNA polymerase II elongates RNA by adding nucleotide triphosphates (NTPs) complementary to a DNA template. Structural studies have suggested that NTPs enter and exit the active site via the narrow secondary pore but details have remained unclear. A kinetic model is presented that integrates molecular dynamics simulations with experimental data. Previous simulations of trigger loop dynamics and the dynamics of matched and mismatched NTPs in and near the active site were combined with new simulations describing NTP exit from the active site via the secondary pore. Markov state analysis was applied to identify major states and estimate kinetic rates for transitions between those states. The kinetic model predicts elongation and misincorporation rates in close agreement with experiment and provides mechanistic hypotheses for how NTP entry and exit via the secondary pore is feasible and a key feature for achieving high elongation and low misincorporation rates during RNA elongation.

High-Resolution Phenotypic Landscape of the RNA Polymerase II Trigger Loop

The active sites of multisubunit RNA polymerases have a “trigger loop” (TL) that multitasks in substrate selection, catalysis, and translocation. To dissect the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA polymerase II TL at individual-residue resolution, we quantitatively phenotyped nearly all TL single variants en masse. Three mutant classes, revealed by phenotypes linked to transcription defects or various stresses, have distinct distributions among TL residues. We find that mutations disrupting an intra-TL hydrophobic pocket, proposed to provide a mechanism for substrate-triggered TL folding through destabilization of a catalytically inactive TL state, confer phenotypes consistent with pocket disruption and increased catalysis. Furthermore, allele-specific genetic interactions among TL and TL-proximal domain residues support the contribution of the funnel and bridge helices (BH) to TL dynamics. Our structural genetics approach incorporates structural and phenotypic data for high-resolution dissection of transcription mechanisms and their evolution, and is readily applicable to other essential yeast proteins.

Proper regulation of Pol II transcription, the first step of gene expression, is essential for life. Extensive evidence has revealed a widely conserved and dynamic polymerase active site component, termed the Trigger Loop (TL), in balancing transcription rate and fidelity while possibly allowing control of transcription elongation. Coupling high-throughput sequencing with our previously established genetic system, we are able to assess the in vivo phenotypes for almost all possible single substitution Pol II TL mutants in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that mutants in the TL nucleotide interacting and linker regions widely confer dominant and severe growth defects. Clustering of TL mutants’ transcription-related and general stress phenotypes reveals three main classes of TL mutants, including previously identified fast and slow elongating mutants. Comprehensive analyses of the distribution of fast and slow elongation mutants in light of existing Pol II crystal structures reveal critical regions contributing to proper TL dynamics and function. Evidence is presented linking a previously observed hydrophobic pocket to NTP substrate-induced TL closing, the mechanism critical for correct substrates selection and transcription fidelity. Finally, we assess the functional interplay between TL and its proximal domains, and their presumptive roles in the function and evolution of the TL. Utilizing the Pol II TL as a case study, we present a structural genetics approach that reveals insights into a complex, multi-functional, and essential domain in yeast.

A structure-based kinetic model of transcription

During transcription, RNA polymerase moves downstream along the DNA template and maintains a transcription bubble. Several recent structural studies of transcription complexes with a complete transcription bubble provide new insights into how RNAP couples the nucleotide addition reaction to its directional movement.

Structures of E. coli σS-transcription initiation complexes provide new insights into polymerase mechanism

In bacteria, multiple σ factors compete to associate with the RNA polymerase (RNAP) core enzyme to form a holoenzyme that is required for promoter recognition. During transcription initiation RNAP remains associated with the upstream promoter DNA via sequence-specific interactions between the σ factor and the promoter DNA while moving downstream for RNA synthesis. As RNA polymerase repetitively adds nucleotides to the 3'-end of the RNA, a pyrophosphate ion is generated after each nucleotide incorporation. It is currently unknown how the release of pyrophosphate affects transcription. Here we report the crystal structures of E coli transcription initiation complexes (TICs) containing the stress-responsive σ(S) factor, a de novo synthesized RNA oligonucleotide, and a complete transcription bubble (σ(S)-TIC) at about 3.9-Å resolution. The structures show the 3D topology of the σ(S) factor and how it recognizes the promoter DNA, including likely specific interactions with the template-strand residues of the -10 element. In addition, σ(S)-TIC structures display a highly stressed pretranslocated initiation complex that traps a pyrophosphate at the active site that remains closed. The position of the pyrophosphate and the unusual phosphodiester linkage between the two terminal RNA residues suggest an unfinished nucleotide-addition reaction that is likely at equilibrium between nucleotide addition and pyrophosphorolysis. Although these σ(S)-TIC crystals are enzymatically active, they are slow in nucleotide addition, as suggested by an NTP soaking experiment. Pyrophosphate release completes the nucleotide addition reaction and is associated with extensive conformational changes around the secondary channel but causes neither active site opening nor transcript translocation.

Lineage-specific variations in the trigger loop modulate RNA proofreading by bacterial RNA polymerases

RNA cleavage by bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP) has been implicated in transcriptional proofreading and reactivation of arrested transcription elongation complexes but its molecular mechanism is less understood than the mechanism of nucleotide addition, despite both reactions taking place in the same active site. RNAP from the radioresistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans is characterized by highly efficient intrinsic RNA cleavage in comparison with Escherichia coli RNAP. We find that the enhanced RNA cleavage activity largely derives from amino acid substitutions in the trigger loop (TL), a mobile element of the active site involved in various RNAP activities. The differences in RNA cleavage between these RNAPs disappear when the TL is deleted, or in the presence of GreA cleavage factors, which replace the TL in the active site. We propose that the TL substitutions modulate the RNA cleavage activity by altering the TL folding and its contacts with substrate RNA and that the resulting differences in transcriptional proofreading may play a role in bacterial stress adaptation.

Regulation of transcription elongation and termination

This article will review our current understanding of transcription elongation and termination in E. coli. We discuss why transcription elongation complexes pause at certain template sites and how auxiliary host and phage transcription factors affect elongation and termination. The connection between translation and transcription elongation is described. Finally we present an overview indicating where progress has been made and where it has not.