The thumb's knuckle: Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase

Rui J Sousa; John Rose; B. C. Wang

The thumb's knuckle

Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase

Rui J Sousa, John Rose, B. C. Wang

Biochemistry & Structural Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

33 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We have solved the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase (RNAP) in an orthorhombic crystal by molecular replacement with the T7 RNAP structure determined from a monoclinic crystal. The structure of the protruding "thumb" subdomain of the polymerase appears very different in these two crystals apparently because of differences in packing contacts made by the thumb subdomain. These observations support the proposal that the thumb subdomain is flexible and can wrap around bound template to obstruct polymerase : template dissociation during processive synthesis.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	6-12
Number of pages	7
Journal	Journal of Molecular Biology
Volume	244
Issue number	1
State	Published - 1994

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Thumb

bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase

bacteriophage T3 RNA polymerase

Keywords

Molecular replacement
Polymerase
Processivity
Protein flexibility
RNA polymerase

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Virology

Cite this

Sousa, R. J., Rose, J., & Wang, B. C. (1994). The thumb's knuckle: Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase. Journal of Molecular Biology, 244(1), 6-12.

The thumb's knuckle : Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase. / Sousa, Rui J; Rose, John; Wang, B. C.

In: Journal of Molecular Biology, Vol. 244, No. 1, 1994, p. 6-12.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Sousa, RJ, Rose, J & Wang, BC 1994, 'The thumb's knuckle: Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase', Journal of Molecular Biology, vol. 244, no. 1, pp. 6-12.

Sousa RJ, Rose J, Wang BC. The thumb's knuckle: Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase. Journal of Molecular Biology. 1994;244(1):6-12.

Sousa, Rui J ; Rose, John ; Wang, B. C. / The thumb's knuckle : Flexibility in the thumb subdomain of T7 RNA polymerase is revealed by the structure of a chimeric T7/T3 RNA polymerase. In: Journal of Molecular Biology. 1994 ; Vol. 244, No. 1. pp. 6-12.

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