Multi-subunit DNA-dependent RNA polymerases synthesize all classes of cellular RNAs,
ranging from short regulatory transcripts to gigantic messenger RNAs. RNA polymerase has …

When replication forks encounter template lesions, one result is lesion skipping, where the
stalled DNA polymerase transiently stalls, disengages, and then reinitiates downstream to …

Transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR) is presumed to be a minor sub-pathway of
nucleotide excision repair (NER) in bacteria. Global genomic repair is thought to perform the …

Ecological and demographic factors can significantly shape the evolution of microbial
populations both directly and indirectly, as when changes in the effective population size …

Second messenger (p) ppGpp (collectively guanosine tetraphosphate and guanosine
pentaphosphate) mediates bacterial adaptation to nutritional stress by modulating …

Within the last decade, it has become clear that DNA replication and transcription are
routinely in conflict with each other in growing cells. Much of the seminal work on this topic …

Antibiotic resistance is a global health threat and often results from new mutations.
Antibiotics can induce mutations via mechanisms activated by stress responses, which both …

The vast majority of the genome is transcribed by RNA polymerases. G+ C-rich regions of
the chromosomes and negative superhelicity can promote the invasion of the DNA by RNA …

Understanding the plasticity of genomes has been greatly aided by assays for
recombination, repair and mutagenesis. These assays have been developed in microbial …

ABSTRACT σS is an alternative sigma factor, encoded by the rpoS gene, that redirects
cellular transcription to a large family of genes in response to stressful environmental …