Investigation of the binding of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase to DNA from bacteriophages T2 and T7 by kinetic formaldehyde method and electron microscopy.

The complexes of T2 DNA with RNA polymerase of Escherichia coli were studied by two methods: kinetic formaldehyde method with preliminary fixation of complexes with low formaldehyde concentrations, and electron microscopy. For electron-microscopic investigations the effect of different conditions of formaldehyde fixation for DNA-RNA-polymerase complexes was studied and optimal fixation conditions were found. The suggested fixation method for DNA-RNA-polymerase complexes allows investigation of RNA polymerase molecule distribution on DNA in a wide range of conditions (ionic strength of the solution, weight ration of enzyme to DNA etc.). The comparison of the concentration of RNA polymerase molecules bound to DNA, determined by electron microscopy, and the concentration of defects in DNA as determined by the kinetic formaldehyde method, showed their coincidence. The electron-microscopic procedure was used to make maps of RNA polymerase distribution on T7 DNA. A correlation between the binding regions of the enzyme and the genetic map of early DNA T7 region was found.