Single Molecule Studies of Bacterial Transcription Coupled Repair

Abstract

Transcription coupled repair (TCR), a sub-pathway of the nucleotide excision repair mechanism, is activated when a RNA polymerase (RNAP) is arrested during transcription by DNA damage. TCR is a ubiquitous cellular response important for maintenance of DNA integrity. Some human genetic disorders are associated with defect on TCR, like the Cockayne syndrome for instance. In the bacterium Escherichia coli, TRCF, the product of the mfd gene, is the DNA translocase that couples transcription and DNA repair: it recognizes a stalled ternary elongation complex, dissociates it, and recruits the UvrABC repair machinery.