RNA polymerase III elongation rate

Range 21-22 nt/sec
Organism Budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Reference Matsuzaki H, Kassavetis GA, Geiduschek EP. Analysis of RNA chain elongation and termination by Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNA polymerase III. J Mol Biol. 1994 Jan 28 235(4):1173-92. abstract, p.1180 left column bottom paragraph & p.1187 right column bottom paragraphPubMed ID8308883
Method In vitro transcription and transcript release. p.1175 left column 3rd paragraph:"Autoradiograms were scanned with a laser densitometer and analyzed with the aid of a software package developed by AMBIS (san diego)."
Comments Abstract:"RNA chain elongation through assembled transcription complexes was uneven but relatively rapid: at 20°C with 1 mM NTPs, the fastest RNA chains elongated at an average rate of 29 nucleotides (nt)/second, and the median RNA chains elongated at 21 to 22 nt/second on average." "An average RNA chain elongation rate of 21 to 22 nt/second at 1 mM NTPs could be derived for the median RNA chain from Figure 2(d), as already mentioned, and an extrapolated value of 7.2 nt/second at 100µM NTPs from Figure 2(c)." "[Investigators] have found that RNA chain elongation by Pol III is also uneven. The yeast Pol III in vitro system has a relatively high rate of chain elongation: at 20°C, with 1 mM NTPs, the fastest chains elongate at 29 nt/seconds and the median elongation rate is 21 to 22 nt/seconds."
Entered by Uri M
ID 103657