Supramolecular Structural Biology Team

We plan to conduct structural biology studies to unravel action mechanisms of cellular macromolecular systems comprising DNAs, RNAs, and proteins, typified by various complexes of RNA polymerases bound with nucleic acids and transcription factors. To this end, we will develop a technology platform for the supramolecular structure analysis, with novel methods for the preparation of biologically significant macromolecular complexes consisting of a number of large components and for the structure analysis by taking advantage of SPring-8/SACLA and other spectroscopic methods.

Research Fields

Biology & Biochemistry / Molecular Biology & Genetics

Research Subjects

• Structural basis of transcription and its regulation
• Development of advanced technologies for the structural analyses of supramolecular complexes
• Structural basis of bacterial and viral replication/transcription toward drug discovery

Publications

1. Murayama, Y., Sekine, S. and Yokoyama, S.:
   "Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analyses of Thermus thermophilus backtracked RNA polymerase"
   Acta Cryst. F69, 174–177 (2013).
2. Sekine, S., Tagami, S. and Yokoyama, S.:
   "Structural basis of transcription by bacterial and eukaryotic RNA polymerases"
   Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 22, 110-118 (2012).
3. Ehara, H., Sekine, S. and Yokoyama, S.:
   "Crystal structure of the C17/25 subcomplex from Schizosaccharomyces pombe RNA Polymerase III"
   Protein Sci. 20, 1558-1565 (2011).
4. Tagami, S., Sekine, S., Kumarevel, T., Hino, N., Murayama, Y., Kamegamori, S., Yamamoto, M., Sakamoto, K. and Yokoyama, S.:
   "Crystal structure of bacterial RNA polymerase bound with a transcription inhibitor protein"
   Nature 468, 978-982 (2010).
5. Chiba, S., Itoh, Y., Sekine, S. and Yokoyama, S.:
   "Structural basis for the major role of O-phosphoseryl-tRNA kinase in the UGA-specific encoding of selenocysteine"
   Mol. Cell 39, 410-420 (2010).
6. Tagami, S., Sekine, S., Kumarevel, T., Yamamoto, M. and Yokoyama, S.:
   "Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of Thermus thermophilus transcription elongation complex bound to Gfh1"
   Acta Crystallogr. F66, 64-68 (2010).