Prof. Stephen J.w. Busby

Studies on Divergent Crp-dependent Promoters Prof. Stephen J.w. Busby

Bacterial genomes contain genes that are packed closely together. For many genes, promoter regions overlap, and regulatory segments that carry divergent promoters are common. In this study, I have focussed on promoters that are regulated by the cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) of Escherichia coli. CRP is a global regulator that directs the activity of more than 100 genes, some of which are oriented back-to-back, i.e., in a divergent fashion. CRP is known to activate transcription initiation through direct protein-protein contact with RNA polymerase and CRP-dependent promoters are classified into two classes, Class I and Class II, according to the location of the CRP-binding site. I have investigated whether a single bound CRP, either at a Class I or a Class II location, can activate divergent transcription.