MerR-family metalloregulators regulate transcriptions in response to a variety of metal ions to help bacteria defend against metal stress. Much insight has been learned about how these regulators can change promoter DNA structure in regulating transcription, but it remains unclear how their actions on DNA are dynamically coupled to their regulation of transcription initiation, especially when the interactions with RNA polymerase (RNAP) are involved. I will present our recent discoveries from single-molecule FRET studies of CueR, a Cu-sensing MerR-family metalloregulator, in its interactions with DNA and RNAP, in which we elucidate its mechanism in repressing, activating, and deactivating transcription.

Transcription repression, activation, and deactivation mechanisms by a metal-sensing regulator

251st National Meeting (2016)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.