Critical Role of a Single Position in the −35 Element for Promoter Recognition by <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> SigE and SigH

Abstract

Mycobacterial SigE and SigH both initiate transcription from the sigB promoter, suggesting that they recognize similar sequences. Through mutational and primer extension analyses, we determined that SigE and SigH recognize nearly identical promoters, with differences at the 3' end of the -35 element distinguishing between SigE- and SigH-dependent promoters.