Three-dimensional structure of yeast RNA polymerase II at 16 Å resolution

Abstract

The structure of yeast RNA polymerase II has been determined by three-dimensional reconstruction from electron micrographs of two-dimensional crystals at ∼16 Å resolution. The most prominent feature of the structure is an arm of protein density surrounding a channel about 25 Å in diameter, similar to that found previously for E. coli RNA polymerase. The 25 Å-diameter channel bifurcates on one face of the protein, connecting with a 25 Å-wide groove and with a channel about half as wide. The 25 Å channel and groove, and the narrow channel, may bind double- and single-stranded nucleic acids, respectively. A finger of protein density projecting from the molecule adjacent to the arm-like feature may represent the C-terminal domain of the largest subunit. These results provide a structural basis for analyses of the transcription process and its regulation.