Role of the Discriminator Sequence in the Supercoiling Sensitivity of Bacterial Promoters

Abstract

In this study, we highlight the role of the discriminator as a global sensor of supercoiling variations and propose the first quantitative regulatory model of this principle, based on the specific step of promoter opening during transcription initiation. It defines the predictive rule by which SC quantitatively modulates the expression rate of bacterial promoters, depending on the G/C content of their discriminator and independently from promoter-specific regulatory proteins.