A method for quantifying the force dependence of initiation by T7 RNA polymerase

To access the genetic code to be transcribed to RNA, RNA polymerases must first open a “transcription bubble” in the DNA. Structural studies suggest that the minimal model of initiation by T7 bacterophage RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) consists of two distinct steps: initial binding, in which the T7 RNAP binds to and bends the DNA, and opening,...