ArticleMolecular cell2013
The magic spot: a ppGpp binding site on E. coli RNA polymerase responsible for regulation of transcription initiation.
Article in Molecular cell, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 184 papers.
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Who cites it
184 citing papers in PubMed, 272 citations in OpenAlex.
- The alarmone pGpp inhibits translation through GTP depletion.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- Phage portal proteins counteract stringent-response-mediated restriction.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Sustained ppGpp production underpins months-long survival of a bacterium in growth arrest.mBio · 2026Article
- ppGpp regulates transcription elongation via direct and indirect inputs to RNA polymerase pausing and nucleotide addition.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Omega stabilizes RNA polymerase condensates and contributes to cellular fitness during acid stress.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- The bacterial RNA polymerase-associated CarD protein couples promoter activity to DNA supercoiling.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Enzymatic activity of PBP1B is required for growth rate-independent ppGpp-mediated resistance to PBP2 inhibitors inJournal of bacteriology · 2026Article
- Starvation-independent alarmone production inhibits translation through GTP depletion.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Suppressor analysis inFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Functional interplay between (p)ppGpp and RNAP in Acinetobacter baumannii.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Unraveling the start element and regulatory divergence of core promoters across the domain bacteria.Nucleic acids research · 2025Article
- Bacterial alarmone (p)ppGpp mediates the pathogenicity ofmSystems · 2025Article
- Connecting tRNA Charging and Decoding through the Axis of Nucleotide Modifications at Position 37.Journal of molecular biology · 2025Review
- Transcription factors DksA and PsrA are synergistic contributors toMicrobiology (Reading, England) · 2025Article
- The hallmarks of a tradeoff in transcriptomes that balances stress and growth functions.mSystems · 2024Article
- Regulation of the transcription factor CdnL promotes adaptation to nutrient stress inPNAS nexus · 2024Article
- "Metabolic burden" explained: stress symptoms and its related responses induced by (over)expression of (heterologous) proteins in Escherichia coli.Microbial cell factories · 2024Review
- Regulation of the transcription factor CdnL promotes adaptation to nutrient stress inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- Basal level of ppGpp coordinatesMicrobial cell (Graz, Austria) · 2023Article
- Tale of Twin Bifunctional Second Messenger (p)ppGpp Synthetases and Their Function in Mycobacteria.ACS omega · 2023Review
124 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The global regulatory nucleotide ppGpp ("magic spot") regulates transcription from a large subset of Escherichia coli promoters, illustrating how small molecules can control gene expression promoter-specifically by interacting with RNA polymerase (RNAP) without binding to DNA. However, ppGpp's target site on RNAP, and therefore its mechanism of action, has remained unclear. We report here a binding site for ppGpp on E. coli RNAP, identified by crosslinking, protease mapping, and analysis of mutant RNAPs that fail to respond to ppGpp. A strain with a mutant ppGpp binding site displays properties characteristic of cells defective for ppGpp synthesis. The binding site is at an interface of two RNAP subunits, ω and β', and its position suggests an allosteric mechanism of action involving restriction of motion between two mobile RNAP modules. Identification of the binding site allows prediction of bacterial species in which ppGpp exerts its effects by targeting RNAP.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.