[Interaction of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase with oligoribonucleotides, homologous to "10"- and "35"- segments of the SPC promotor of bacterial genes].

It was shown previously that E. coli RNA polymerase in a highly selective manner recognizes and binds 11-14-mere oligodeoxyribonucleotides related to the "-10" region of the nontranscribed DNA strand of bacterial gene promoters. The oligodeoxyribonucleotides cover the Pribnow box with flanking nucleotides up to the transcription start. These affinity oligodeoxyribonucleotides inhibit competitively the transcription of bacterial DNA carried out by E. coli RNA polymerase. The present work has demonstrated that E. coli RNA polymerase is not capable of binding the oligoribonucleotides homologous to the affinity oligodeoxyribonucleotides related to the "-10" area of the spc promoter, but binds the oligoribonucleotides which are complementary to the latter. The oligoribonucleotides with a high affinity for the E. coli RNA polymerase strongly inhibit transcription of the bacterial DNA. Attachment of alkylating groups to the 5'-ends of the affinity oligodeoxy- and oligoribonucleotides provides their covalent binding to the E. coli RNA polymerase subunits. It was shown that the modified affinity 32P-labelled oligodeoxyribonucleotide is covalently bound to the sigma-subunit while the modified affinity 32P-labelled oligoribonucleotide is covalently bound to the beta'beta-subunits of the E. coli RNA polymerase. It is suggested that the affinity oligoribonucleotides can be transcribed from the non-transcribed DNA strand in the region of the open complex and functions presumably as a primer which is splitted later from the nascent RNA or as a regulator of transcription.