How Sigma Factors Guide Bacterial Transcription

Bacterial transcription starts with a single RNA polymerase, the enzyme that makes RNA from DNA. Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use one RNA polymerase to transcribe all genes. Its subunits have different jobs. The multisubunit structure helps the enzyme keep catalytic activity, assemble correctly, interact with DNA and RNA, and...

A gene in DNA form must first be converted into a messenger RNA in a process called transcription. This mRNA is then translated by a ribosome to produce proteins. The protein which transcribes DNA into RNA is called an RNA Polymerase.

The bacterial RNA Polymerase core enzyme consists of five polypeptide subunits: two identical alpha subun...