The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) has approved funding for a new Research Unit (FOR 6037) dedicated to understanding the molecular mechanisms that control transcription - the first and most critical step of gene expression. The new Research Unit, "Multi-subunit RNA polymerases across all domains of life: Mechanisms underlying transcription activity and regulation," brings together researchers from leading German universities and research institutions. It will initially receive multi-million-euro funding for four years, with the option of renewal for an additional four-year period. The Research Unit is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Claus-D. Kuhn, Professor of RNA Biochemistry at the University of Bayreuth, who serves as spokesperson, together with Prof. Dr. Lydia Herzel from the Freie Universität Berlin as vice spokesperson.
Decoding One of Life's Most Fundamental Processes
At the heart of gene expression are multi-subunit RNA polymerases (msRNAPs) - molecular machines that transcribe DNA into RNA and drive the transcription cycle through the phases initiation, elongation, and termination. While the catalytic core of msRNAPs is highly conserved, differences in peripheral subunits and regulatory factors reveal diverse strategies across the tree of life, a diversity that remains poorly understood because research to date was focused on very few model systems. Also leveraging on recent technological advances, such as cryo-electron microscopy, the novel Research Unit will address this lack of knowledge and, for the first time, jointly investigate transcription regulation across bacterial, archaeal, eukaryotic, plastid, and viral systems. The Unit will pursue three scientific goals: 1. Dissect the molecular principles of template-based RNA synthesis by multi-subunit RNA polymerases across all domains of life, 2. Pinpoint the regulatory mechanisms influencing transcription dynamics and output, and 3. Coalesce its findings into overarching principles that govern transcriptional output and regulation.
A Nationwide, Interdisciplinary Consortium
The Research Unit unites early-career and senior researchers from across Germany, including the University of Bayreuth, Freie Universität Berlin, University of Göttingen, Leibniz University Hannover, University of Regensburg, University of Würzburg, the Max Planck Institute of Multidisciplinary Sciences, and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. Project teams will jointly investigate related stages of the transcription cycle across different organisms or apply complementary methods to study diverse msRNAPs.
Prof. Kuhn comments on the significance of the newly acquired funding: "This Research Unit brings together 13 experts on msRNAPs in 9 different projects focused on multi-subunit RNA polymerases from all domains of life. Together with Prof. Herzel from Berlin, I am thrilled to serve as the spokesperson of this Unit, which will strengthen the international visibility of the University of Bayreuth in the field of Molecular Biosciences. Moreover, the Unit gives us the chance to significantly enhance basic research on msRNAPs and to establish Germany as a leading, long-term hub of transcription research."
By combining structural, biophysical, and systems-level approaches, the Research Unit expects to reveal both the conserved mechanisms and the specialized strategies that organisms across the tree of life use to regulate gene expression. The Unit will thus advance our understanding of transcription and its regulation well beyond what any single project could achieve on its own.
