An archaebacterial RNA polymerase binding site and transcription initiation of the hisA gene in Methanococcus vannielii.

Transcription initiation of the hisA gene in vivo in the archaebacterium Methanococcus vannielii, as determined by nuclease S1 and primer extension analyses, occurs 73 base pairs (bp) upstream of the translation initiation site. Binding of M. vannielii RNA polymerase protects 43 bp of DNA, from 35 bp upstream (-35) to 8 bp downstream (+8) of the hisA mRNA initiation site, from digestion by DNase I and exonuclease III. An A + T rich region, with a sequence which conforms to the consensus sequence for promoters of stable RNA-encoding genes in methanogens, is found at the same location (-25) upstream of the polypeptide-encoding hisA gene. It appears therefore that a TATA-like sequence is also an element of promoters which direct transcription of polypeptide-encoding genes in this archaebacterium.