Structural highlights
FunctionRPOA_ECOLI DNA-dependent RNA polymerase catalyzes the transcription of DNA into RNA using the four ribonucleoside triphosphates as substrates. This subunit plays an important role in subunit assembly since its dimerization is the first step in the sequential assembly of subunits to form the holoenzyme.[HAMAP-Rule:MF_00059] Publication Abstract from PubMedThe nucleotide-addition cycle (NAC) of multi-subunit DNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RNAPs) involves coordinated conformational changes in conserved active-site structural elements, including the trigger loop (TL). The TL is open (unfolded) in most RNAP structures but can close (fold) in substrate-bound (post- or pre-translocated) states of the RNAP, promoting catalysis. TL closure has been associated with closure of another conserved structural element, the Rim-Helices/F-loop (RH-FL), but the role of the RH-FL in the NAC is unclear. Antibiotic leads CBR9379 and AAP-SO (2) inhibit the Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis RNAPs, respectively, by binding in a pocket formed by the bridge helix and RH-FL. The precise mechanism of action for these inhibitors is yet to be defined. We present cryo-electron microscopy structures showing that both compounds inhibit the RNAP NAC by preventing RH-FL closure, thereby allosterically destabilizing the closed TL. This work reveals a conserved mechanistic principle of RNAP catalysis across all domains of life and provides new insight for antibiotic design. RNA polymerase inhibitors reveal active-site motions essential for the nucleotide-addition cycle.,Dhingra Y, Landick R, Campbell EA, Darst SA bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Apr 7:2026.04.06.716786. doi: , 10.64898/2026.04.06.716786. PMID:41993335[1] From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. References
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This page was last modified 07:19, 15 July 2026.