Regulation of rRNA transcription is remarkably robust: FIS compensates for altered nucleoside triphosphate sensing by mutant RNA polymerases at Escherichia coli rrn P1 promoters.

We recently identified Escherichia coli RNA polymerase (RNAP) mutants (RNAP beta' Delta215-220 and beta RH454) that form extremely unstable complexes with rRNA P1 (rrn P1) core promoters. The mutant RNAPs reduce transcription and alter growth rate-dependent regulation of rrn P1 core promoters, because the mutant RNAPs require higher concentrations of the initiating nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) for efficient transcription from these promoters than are present in vivo. Nevertheless, the mutants grow almost as well as wild-type cells, suggesting that rRNA synthesis is not greatly perturbed. We report here that the rrn transcription factor FIS activates the mutant RNAPs more strongly than wild-type RNAP, thereby compensating for the altered properties of the mutant RNAPs. FIS activates the mutant RNAPs, at least in part, by reducing the apparent K(ATP) for the initiating NTP. This and other results suggest that FIS affects a step in transcription initiation after closed-complex formation in addition to its stimulatory effect on initial RNAP binding. FIS and NTP levels increase with growth rate, suggesting that changing FIS concentrations, in conjunction with changing NTP concentrations, are responsible for growth rate-dependent regulation of rrn P1 transcription in the mutant strains. These results provide a dramatic demonstration of the interplay between regulatory mechanisms in rRNA transcription.