Pieter L. deHaseth, Ph.D.

Professor

Center for RNA Molecular Biology

Research: Transcription initiation by bacterial RNA polymerase

Transcription is the process of making an RNA copy of one of the strands of DNA. It initiates at DNA regions called promoters. In bacteria, as in other organisms, regulation of gene expression is carried out primarily by controlling the extent of transcription resulting in the mRNA which programs the amino acid sequence during protein synthesis. We are interested in the role of the bacterial "sigma" class of transcription initiation factors. These proteins impart on RNA polymerase the ability both to recognize promoter DNA, and to orchestrate the strand separation that accompanies formation of a transcription-competent RNA polymerase-promoter complex.

 

Selected Publications

Kourennaia, O.V., Tsujikawa, L. and deHaseth, P.L. (2005)
Mutational analysis of Escherichia coli heat shock transcription factor sigma 32 reveals similarities with sigma 70 in recognition of the -35 promoter element and differences in promoter DNA melting and -10 recognition.
J. Bact. 187, 6762-6769. /

Schroeder, L.A. and deHaseth, P.L. (2005)
Mechanistic differences in promoter DNA melting by Thermus aquaticus and Escherichia coli RNA polymerases.
J. Biol. Chem 280, 17422-17429. /

Sun, L., Dove, S.L., Panaghie, G., deHaseth, P.L., and Hochschild, A. (2004)
An RNA polymerase mutant deficient in DNA melting facilitates study of activation mechanism: Application to an artificial activator of transcription.
J. Mol. Biol. 343, 1171-1182. /

deHaseth, P.L. and Nilsen, T.W. (2004)
When a part is as good as the whole.
Science 303, 1307-1308. (commentary)

Tsujikawa, L., Strainic, M.G., Wathrob, H., Barkley, M.D. and deHaseth, P.L. (2002)
RNA polymerase alters the mobility of an A-residue crucial to polymerase-induced melting of promoter DNA.
Biochemistry 41, 15334-15341.