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Gene regulation

The logic of sharing

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 4, page 724 (2006)Cite this article

By implementing a systematic chromatin immunoprecipitation-microarray (ChIP-chip) analysis of the heat-shock σ-factor regulon (σ32) of Escherchia coli , Wade et al. reveal the surprising finding that there is functional overlap between σ factors.

Sigma factors confer specificity on the bacterial RNA polymerase (RNAP), directing this enzyme to promoter sequences, positioning the RNAP at the promoter and effecting local unwinding of the DNA duplex near to the transcription start site. In addition to the main σ70 factor that directs transcription of housekeeping genes, most bacteria synthesize alternative σ factors that enable recognition of different sets of promoters by the RNAP — a neat solution to the problem of how to rapidly modulate global transcription in response to changing conditions.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Wade, J. T. et al. Extensive functional overlap between σ factors in Escherichia coli. Nature Struct. Mol. Biol. 06 Aug 2006 (doi:10.1038/nsmb1130)

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Authors
  1. Susan Jones
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Jones, S. The logic of sharing. Nat Rev Microbiol 4, 724 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1514

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1514

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