Transcription activation by cAMP receptor protein (CRP) at the Escherichia coli gal P1 promoter. Crucial role for the spacing between the CRP binding site and the -10 region.

The cAMP-CRP complex activates the initiation of transcription at the Escherichia coli gal P1 promoter, and the activation efficiency is highly sensitive to the location of the complex on this promoter region. Moving the CRP binding site by one base pair toward the start of transcription significantly decreases the extent of activation in vivo and actually turns the cAMP-CRP complex into an inhibitor in in vitro experiments. A structural analysis of open complexes formed on the two promoter fragments at 37 degrees C has revealed three elements crucial for an optimal activation process: a strong upstream anchorage of RNA polymerase, a cooperative binding of CRP and RNA polymerase, and an accurate orientation of the two promoter regions located upstream and downstream of the CRP binding site. Furthermore, structural analysis of polymerase promoter complexes at lower temperatures suggests that RNA polymerase initially recognizes the upstream region of the gal P1 promoter and subsequently interacts with sequences from the -10 to +20 region to yield the final open complex structure. The involvement of CRP in these sequential events has been examined.