{"doi":"10.1126/science.8248780","title":"A Third Recognition Element in Bacterial Promoters: DNA Binding by the α Subunit of RNA Polymerase","abstract":"<jats:p>\n            A DNA sequence rich in (A+T), located upstream of the -10, -35 region of the\n            <jats:italic>Escherichia coli</jats:italic>\n            ribosomal RNA promoter\n            <jats:italic>rrnB</jats:italic>\n            P1 and called the UP element, stimulates transcription by a factor of 30 in vivo, as well as in vitro in the absence of protein factors other than RNA polymerase (RNAP). When fused to other promoters, such as lacUV5, the UP element also stimulates transcription, indicating that it is a separable promoter module. Mutations in the carboxyl-terminal region of the α subunit of RNAP prevent stimulation of these promoters by the UP element although the mutant enzymes are effective in transcribing the \"core\" promoters (those lacking the UP element). Protection of UP element DNA by the mutant RNAPs is severely reduced in footprinting experiments, suggesting that the selective decrease in transcription might result from defective interactions between α and the UP element. Purified α binds specifically to the UP element, confirming that α acts directly in promoter recognition. Transcription of three other promoters was also reduced by the COOH-terminal α mutations. These results suggest that UP elements comprise a third promoter recognition region (in addition to the -10, -35 recognition hexamers, which interact with the σ subunit) and may account for the presence of (A+T)-rich DNA upstream of many prokaryotic promoters. Since the same α mutations also block activation by some transcription factors, mechanisms of promoter stimulation by upstream DNA elements and positive control by certain transcription factors may be related.\n          </jats:p>","journal":"Science","year":1993,"id":20902,"datarank":18.04986860936268,"base_score":6.684611727667927,"endowment":6.684611727667927,"self_citation_contribution":1.0026917591501892,"citation_network_contribution":17.04717685021249,"self_endowment_contribution":1.0026917591501892,"citer_contribution":17.04717685021249,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":799,"citer_count":200,"citers_with_citation_signal":200,"citers_with_endowment":200,"datacite_reuse_total":2,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":136582,"name":"Khoosheh K. Gosink","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":136583,"name":"Julia Salomon","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":136584,"name":"Kazuhiko Igarashi","orcid":null,"position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":136585,"name":"Chao Zou","orcid":null,"position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":136586,"name":"Akira Ishihama","orcid":null,"position":5,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":57617,"name":"Konstantin Severinov","orcid":"0000-0001-9706-450X","position":6,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":136587,"name":"Richard L. Gourse","orcid":null,"position":7,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":136581,"name":"Wilma Ross","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"base_score":6.684611727667927,"endowment":6.684611727667927,"datacite_reuse_total":2,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"8248780","pmcid":null,"openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W2148922163","authors":[],"funders":[{"funder_name":"NIGMS NIH HHS","grant_id":"GM49242","title":null},{"funder_name":"NIAID NIH HHS","grant_id":"AI90035","title":null},{"funder_name":"NIGMS NIH HHS","grant_id":"R01 GM37048","title":null}],"total_grants":3,"fwci":29.2541,"citation_percentile":0.99835364,"influential_citations":36,"citation_trend":[{"year":2012,"count":11},{"year":2013,"count":20},{"year":2014,"count":17},{"year":2015,"count":14},{"year":2016,"count":14},{"year":2017,"count":14},{"year":2018,"count":8},{"year":2019,"count":12},{"year":2020,"count":16},{"year":2021,"count":13},{"year":2022,"count":6},{"year":2023,"count":13},{"year":2024,"count":21},{"year":2025,"count":9},{"year":2026,"count":5}],"oa_status":"closed","license":null,"oa_locations":[{"url":"https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.8248780","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1126/science.8248780","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8248780","host_type":"repository"}],"fields_of_study":["Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology","RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms","Bacteriophages and microbial interactions","Biology","Medicine","Base Sequence","Binding Sites","Carrier Proteins","DNA, Bacterial","DNA-Binding Proteins","DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases","Escherichia coli","Escherichia coli Proteins","Integration Host Factors","Molecular Sequence Data","Promoter Regions, Genetic","Transcription Factors","Transcription, Genetic","rRNA Operon"],"mesh_terms":["Base Sequence","Binding Sites","Carrier Proteins","DNA-Binding Proteins","DNA, Bacterial","Escherichia coli","Molecular Sequence Data","Promoter Regions, Genetic","DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases","rRNA Operon","Transcription Factors","Transcription, Genetic","Escherichia coli Proteins","Integration Host Factors"],"keywords":["Promoter","Transcription (linguistics)","RNA polymerase","Response element","Biology","RNA polymerase II","Specificity factor","Molecular biology","Sigma factor","DNA","General transcription factor","Upstream activating sequence","Transcription bubble","RNA","Genetics","Gene","Gene expression"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[{"doi":"10.6084/m9.figshare.23682165.v1","title":"Additional file 1 of Identification and characterization of a strong constitutive promoter stnYp for activating biosynthetic genes and producing natural products in streptomyces","publisher":"figshare","resource_type":"JournalArticle"},{"doi":"10.6084/m9.figshare.23682165","title":"Additional file 1 of Identification and characterization of a strong constitutive promoter stnYp for activating biosynthetic genes and producing natural products in streptomyces","publisher":"figshare","resource_type":"JournalArticle"}],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-06-06T13:12:14.679173Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}