The contribution of RNAP and NusG or RfaH relative to the mRNA ribosome binding site is examined by Chatterjee et al. (step step 1) using a riboswitch. Riboswitches are structured regulatory RNA elements involved in sensing pH, temperature, and the presence of metabolites. Riboswitches can affect transcription and translation as a function of their ligands (16 ? –18). The Bacillus subtilis riboswitch used by Chatterjee et al. senses the concentration of a nucleotide precursor preQ1. 1-induced folding, the riboswitch masks the ribosome binding site. This reduces translation and, in part as a consequence of the role of translation in stimulating transcription, reduces transcriptionparisons of the unfolded and folded riboswitch also revealed that the role of NusG in recruiting the small ribosomal subunit depends on the ribosome binding site of the mRNA’s being accessible. Interestingly, recruitment of the small subunit by the NusG paralog RfaH did not depend on this. This is suggestive of an unexpected mechanistic difference between the factors. Continue reading “The connection evidently runs beyond an easy collaborative submit push of both machineries along the gene”