PHAGE-PHI-29 REGULATORY PROTEIN-P4 STABILIZES THE BINDING OF THE RNA-POLYMERASE TO THE LATE PROMOTER IN A PROCESS INVOLVING DIRECT PROTEIN PROTEIN CONTACTS

Transcription from the late promoter, P(A3), of Bacillus subtilis phage phi29 is activated by the viral regulatory protein p4. A kinetic analysis of the activation process has revealed that the role of protein p4 is to stabilize the binding of RNA polymerase to the promoter as a closed complex without significantly affecting further steps of the initiation process. Electrophoretic band-shift assays performed with a DNA fragment spanning only the protein p4 binding site showed that RNA polymerase could efficiently retard the complex formed by protein p4 bound to the DNA. Similarly, when a DNA fragment containing only the RNA polymerase-binding region of P(A3) was used, p4 greatly stimulated the binding of RNA polymerase to the DNA. These results strongly suggest that p4 and RNA polymerase contact each other at the P(A3) promoter. In the light of current knowledge of the p4 activation mechanism, we propose that direct contacts between the two proteins participate in the activation process.