A single amino acid substitution in sigmaE affects its ability to bind core RNA polymerase

The effects of amino acid substitutions in sigmaE from Bacillus subtilis were investigated to determine the role of the most highly conserved region of bacterial RNA polymerase sigma factors in the formation of the enzyme. Two single amino acid substitutions, one at position 68 and the other at position 94, were detected. Genetic and molecular techniques suggested that the substitution at position 68 do not contribute to the overall structure of the sigma factor.