Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Liu X
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5949985 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
The Journal of biological chemistry 20180317 19
RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is the central enzyme that transcribes eukaryotic protein-coding genes to produce mRNA. The mushroom toxin α-amanitin binds Pol II and inhibits transcription at the step of RNA chain elongation. Pol II from yeast binds α-amanitin with micromolar affinity, whereas metazoan Pol II enzymes exhibit nanomolar affinities. Here, we present the high-resolution cryo-EM structure of α-amanitin bound to and inhibited by its natural target, the mammalian Pol II elongation complex. ...[more]