Transcription pausing: biological significance of thermal fluctuations biased by repetitive genomic sequences. Issue 3 (27th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Imashimizu, Masahiko; Lukatsky, David B.
• Is Part Of: Transcription. Volume 9:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 196
• Page End: 203
• Publication Date: 2018-05-27
• Subjects: RNA polymerase -- transcription pausing -- repetitive genomic sequence -- thermal fluctuations -- Brownian ratchet; Genetic transcription -- Periodicals; 572.8
• DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2017.1393492
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2154-1264

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Transcription of DNA by RNA polymerase (RNAP) takes place in a cell environment dominated by thermal fluctuations. How are transcription reactions including initiation, elongation, and termination on genomic DNA so well-controlled during such fluctuations? A recent statistical mechanical approach using high-throughput sequencing data reveals that repetitive DNA sequence elements embedded into a genomic sequence provide the key mechanism to functionally bias the fluctuations of transcription elongation complexes. In particular, during elongation pausing, such repetitive sequence elements can increase the magnitude of one-dimensional diffusion of the RNAP enzyme on the DNA upstream of the pausing site, generating a large variation in the dwell times of RNAP pausing under the control of these genomic signals.