On the binding of rifampicin to the DNA-directed RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli

Differential inhibition of abortive transcription initiation at different promoters catalysed by E. coli RNA polymerase. Effect of rifampicin on purine or pyramidine-initiated phosphodiester synthesis

The action of rifampicin on the RNA chain initiation catalysed by E. coli RNA polymerase over different templates has been studied. The steady-state formation of dinucleoside tetraphosphate under the condition of abortive initiation reaction was assayed. It was observed that rifampicin shows a spectrum of inhibitory effects on transcription initiation at different promoters. At two different promoters with a pyrimidine nucleotide at the 5'-initiation site, e.g. rrnB P2 having CTP and lacP2 having UTP, the effect of rifampicin on the abortive synthesis of the first phosphodiester bond was found to be total, even at low concentrations of the antibiotic. On the other hand, in most cases the effect of rifampicin on the abortive synthesis with a purine nucleotide at the 5'-initiation site was found to be only partial, with the exception of the T7A2 promoter, where rifampicin stimulates the abortive synthesis of pppGpC. It was also noticed that if there was a purine nucleotide at the second position of a dinucleotide which had already been synthesised by the enzyme, then further addition of the third nucleotide was not blocked in the presence of rifampicin. It appeared that a purine nucleotide at the initiation site or at the product terminus site of a translocated dinucleotide behaved similarly towards rifampicin. In the same way, if this position was occupied by a pyrimidine, rifampicin would inhibit further phosphodiester synthesis, even at a very low concentration. The stimulatory effect of rifampicin at the T7A2 promoter was presumably because here a ternary complex containing the promoter, enzyme and the abortive transcript pppGpC was initially stable, but dissociated upon addition of rifampicin, resulting in the rapid turn-over of the product.

Mapping and sequencing of mutations in the Escherichia coli rpoB gene that lead to rifampicin resistance

Rifampicin is an antibiotic that inhibits the function of RNA polymerase in eubacteria. Mutations affecting the beta subunit of RNA polymerase can confer resistance to rifampicin. A large number of rifampicin-resistant (hereafter called Rifr) mutants have been isolated in Escherichia coli to probe the involvement of RNA polymerase in a variety of physiological processes. We have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of Rifr mutations to identify their structural and functional effects on RNA polymerase. Forty-two Rifr isolates with a variety of phenotypes were mapped to defined intervals within the rpoB gene using a set of deletions of the rpoB gene. The mutations were sequenced. Seventeen mutational alterations affecting 14 amino acid residues were identified. These alleles are located in three distinct clusters in the center of the rpoB gene. We discuss the implications of our results with regards to the structure of the rifampicin binding site.

The generation of the rifamycin binding site in the beta subunit of E. coli RNA polymerase through subunit interactions

Spectral studies were performed using rifampicin quinone to investigate the generation of the rifamycin binding site in the beta subunit of E. coli RNA polymerase due to subunit interactions. The spectrum of rifampicin quinone is not significantly altered in the presence of the beta subunit. In the case of the alpha 2 beta subassembly, a negative difference spectral band at 330 nm is observed for rifampicin quinone, whereas in the presence of either the holoenzyme or core polymerase a positive band at 348 and a negative one at 318 are observed. In affinity labeling studies using 3-(2-bromo[1-14C]acetamidoethyl)-thiorifamycin, it was demonstrated that the isolated beta subunit is nonspecifically modified by this reagent. However, in the case of both the alpha 2 beta subassembly and core polymerase, the beta subunit is specifically modified.

RNA polymerase: interaction of RNA and rifampicin with the subassembly alpha 2 beta

We studied the inhibition of tryptic digestion of the subassembly alpha 2 beta of Escherichia coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase to investigate its interaction with RNA and rifampicin. Both agents decreased distinctly the cleavage of subunit beta in the subassembly as well as the degradation of the transiently formed polypeptides (Mr greater than 80000). Short RNAs with a chain length of approximately 35 nucleotides were most protective at a concentration of 1 mg/ml while long RNAs were less effective at the same concentration. DNA did not exert any observable protective effects. The association of RNA with alpha 2 beta was shown by chromatography on phosphocellulose, which separates alpha 2 beta bound to RNA from free alpha 2 beta. The association of alpha 2 beta with RNA was inhibited by rifampicin.

Competition of rifampicin with binding of substrate and RNA to RNA polymerase

The rate of formation of dinucleoside tetraphosphate, pppApU, from ATP and UTP by RNA polymerase on the A1 promoter of the mutant D111 of bacteriophage T7 is distinctly and specifically reduced not only by the third template-directed nucleotide, CTP, but also by CMP. The inhibitory effect of CMP is not changed when the enzyme contains prebound rifampicin. The synthesis of pppApU is also strongly reduced after preincubation of the enzyme with RNA. This inhibitory effect of RNA is, however, distinctly diminished by rifampicin bound to the enzyme prior to the addition of RNA. On the other hand RNA can suppress the specific binding of the antibiotic to the RNA polymerase subassembly alpha 2 beta.

On the kinetics of the rifampicin-RNA-polymerase complex. Differences between crude and purified enzyme fractions

The antibiotic rifampicin forms a very tight complex with DNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Escherichia coli. The rate constants of association and dissociation of this complex have been measured and found to be dependent on the purity of the enzyme. Thus a crude RNA polymerase (fraction-3 enzyme) has rate constants different from those of an enzyme further purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography (fraction-4 enzyme). The complex produced by the antibiotic and the fraction-3 enzyme is about ten times more stable and is formed about ten times more slowly than the complex with fraction-4 enzyme. It has been shown that the RNA present in the crude enzyme and removed by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose is the cause of the change in the kinetics of the complex. tRNA of rat liver and crude rat liver RNA added to purified RNA polymerase have a similar effect. Mg2+, which has no intrinsic influence, augments the effect of the nucleic acids, whereas monovalent cations do not. Since nucleic acids increase the stability of the complex, but at the same time decrease the rat of its formation, the equilibrium constant, Keq, remains almost the same. The possible effects of nucleic acids on the rifampicin binding site are discussed.

Mechanism of inhibition of RNA polymerase II and poly(adenylic acid) polymerase by the O-n-octyloxime of 3-formylrifamycin SV

Factors affecting the inhibition of RNA polymerase II from rat liver by the O-n-octyloxime of 3-formylrifamycin SV (AF/013) were investigated. Using either native or denatured calf-thymus DNA as template, almost complete inhibition of RNA polymerase II was observed when AF/013 was added directly to the enzyme. Considerable resistance to AF/013 was observed when RNA polymerase II was preincubated with denatured DNA at either 0 or 37 degrees. However, under similar conditions, no resistance was observed when enzyme was preincubated with native DNA. Only when AF/013 was added to the ongoing reaction using native DNA did a resistance to AF/013 occur. The inhibition of RNA polymerase II by AF/013 was competitive with respect to all four nucleoside triphosphate substrates. The inhibition by AF/013 remaining after enzyme-DNA complex formation also appeared competitive with nucleoside triphosphate levels. The effect of exogenous protein (bovine serum albumin, BSA) on the inhibition of RNA polymerase II was also investigated. BSA reduced the extent of inhibition by AF/013, but did not alter the competitive nature of inhibition. Concurrently, the inhibition of highly purified nuclear poly(A) polymerase from rat liver, a template independent enzyme which incorporates AMP in a chain elongation reaction, was examined. As in the case of RNA polymerase, poly(A) polymerase was inhibited by AF/013 in a manner competitive with the nucleoside triphosphate substrate. The competitive nature of inhibition of RNA polymerase by AF/013 with respect to all four nucleoside triphosphate substrates, before and after enzyme-DNA complex formation, as well as the competitive nature of inhibition of poly(A) polymerase with respect to ATP tend to indicate that the major effect of AF/013 on RNA polymerase II is at the level of the substrate binding as opposed to a specific inhibition of initiation.

Digestion with matrix-bound proteases as a possible probe for the topography of the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli

DNA-dependent RNA polymerase lacking subunit sigma was digested with matrix-bound chymotrypsin or trypsin in the presence of 0.4 M NaCl in the monomeric form or at low ionic strength in the oligomeric form. Sigma-containing polymerase was digested in the same way. The course of proteolysis was followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis after dissociation of the enzyme with detergent into subunits and the fragments produced by the hydrolysis. The following results were obtained. (a) The large subunits beta and beta' are cleaved with a much higher rate in the monomeric than in the oligomeric polymerase. (b) Both large subunits are hydrolysed with the same rate. (c) Subunit alpha is hydrolysed almost with the same rate in the monomeric and oligomeric form of polymerase. (d) The same was found for subunit sigma. (e) These effects were independent of the substrate specificity of the protease used. (f) Subunit sigma is much more susceptible to chymotrypsin than to trypsin. (g) Subunit sigma protects the large subunits beta and beta' against tryptic cleavage. These results can be explained in terms of a tentative model for the topography of the protomer-protomer interactions in RNA polymerase. According to this model subunits beta and beta' contain two sites for isologous interactions of protomers. One site can be blocked by attachment of subunit sigma. Subunits alpha and sigma do not participate directly in the association.

Mechanism of action of rifamazine, a member of a new class of (dimeric) rifamycins

1. Rifamazine (AF/RP) a dimeric rifamycin, is active against bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and against viral RNA-dependent DNA polymerase. 2. Rifamazine is active also against DNA-dependent RNA polymerase extracted from rifampicin-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli. It does not interfere with enzyme-template interaction or with RNA elongation. It blocks initiation. 3. A comparison is made between the mechanism of action of rifamazine and that of rifampicin, and of AF/013 (octyloxime of 3-formylrifamycin SV), a C-class rifamycin. Our results show that the mechanism of action of rifamazine is more similar to that of rifampicin than to that of the octyloxime derivative. 4. Activity of rifamazine against RNA polymerase from rifampicin-resistant mutants is thought to be due to binding of the dimer to both the rifamycin-specific binding site and to a second weak site.