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. 1994 Aug 30;91(18):8582–8586. doi: 10.1073/pnas.91.18.8582

An arcane role of DNA in transcription activation.

S Ryu 1, S Garges 1, S Adhya 1
PMCID: PMC44650  PMID: 7811325

Abstract

The mechanism by which the cAMP receptor protein (CRP) activates transcription has been investigated using the lac promoter of Escherichia coli. For transcription activation, an interaction between DNA-bound CRP and RNA polymerase is not sufficient. CRP must bind to a site in the same DNA and close to the promoter. CRP action requires an intact spacer DNA to provide a rigid support in building a CRP-RNA polymerase protein bridge or to allow a conformational change in the DNA to be transmitted to the lac promoter using the protein bridge as a structural support.

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