RNA polymerase is the enzyme that catalyzes transcription, the template-directed synthesis of RNA from a DNA template, and thereby occupies a central position in gene expression. It reads the antisense strand of DNA and assembles complementary ribonucleotides into a growing RNA chain in the five-prime to three-prime…
RNA polymerase is the enzyme that catalyzes transcription, the template-directed synthesis of RNA from a DNA template, and thereby occupies a central position in gene expression. It reads the antisense strand of DNA and assembles complementary ribonucleotides into a growing RNA chain in the five-prime to three-prime direction, requiring no primer. Transcription proceeds through distinct stages: promoter recognition and binding, initiation, processive elongation, and termination. In bacteria, a single multisubunit core enzyme composed of two alpha subunits, a beta subunit, a beta-prime subunit, and an omega subunit carries out synthesis of all RNA classes, while a dissociable sigma factor confers promoter specificity to form the holoenzyme. Eukaryotes instead employ three nuclear enzymes with specialized roles: RNA polymerase I transcribes most ribosomal RNA, RNA polymerase II transcribes protein-coding messenger RNA and many regulatory RNAs, and RNA polymerase III transcribes transfer RNA and other small RNAs. The bacterial beta subunit is encoded by the rpoB gene and forms part of the catalytic center; it is the target of the antibiotic rifampicin, and mutations in rpoB are a common cause of rifampicin resistance. Regulation of RNA polymerase activity governs how genetic information is selectively expressed.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 52 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Rna Polymerase, linking to each citing work.