Chatterji D, Kumar K P
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India.
Indian J Biochem Biophys. 1992 Apr;29(2):128-34.
Transcription is the foremost event in gene expression in which the enzyme RNA polymerase copies the genetic information from DNA to RNA. Much of our understanding of this process have come from studies carried out in Escherichia coli. A faithful and efficient transcription machinery of E. coli can be reconstituted in vitro with purified RNA polymerase and promoter-containing DNA. It is generally believed that in E. coli and most other organisms, the control of gene expression lies with the initiation of transcription. In this review, an attempt has been made to understand the mechanistic details of the initiation of transcription from the structural point of view of the promoter and the RNA polymerase. Allosteric nature of the enzyme has also been discussed at the end.
转录是基因表达中最重要的事件，在此过程中，RNA聚合酶将遗传信息从DNA复制到RNA。我们对这一过程的许多理解都来自于在大肠杆菌中进行的研究。大肠杆菌中忠实且高效的转录机制可以在体外通过纯化的RNA聚合酶和含启动子的DNA进行重建。人们普遍认为，在大肠杆菌和大多数其他生物中，基因表达的控制在于转录的起始。在这篇综述中，我们试图从启动子和RNA聚合酶的结构角度来理解转录起始的机制细节。最后还讨论了该酶的别构性质。
