Ministry of Science & Technology press release · 2 March 2026 · pibtracker filter

Indian scientists helped rewrite a 50-year-old biological rule

PRID2234503 MinistryMinistry of Science & Technology Released2 March 2026 Reading9 min

Posted On: 02 MAR 2026 3:38PM by PIB Delhi A new study overturns a central textbook model of bacterial gene regulation and unveils new paths for understanding bacterial gene regulation and its evolution. This could help designing better antibiotics or regulatory inhibitors that block infection mechanism and design microorganisms that produce biofuels, biodegradable plastics, or therapeutic compounds efficiently. For nearly 50 years, biology has related the story of how bacteria turn their genes on with the help of the so-called “σ (sigma) cycle” – factors that bind RNA polymerase to initiate transcription and then dissociate to allow elongation. This concept was built largely on observations of bacterial strain E. coli σ70. However, Researchers from the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Rutgers University reveal that the cycle is not a universal phenomenon. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) they have reported that, contrary to decades of scientific belief, the principal transcription initiation factor in Bacillus subtilis —σA—and a modified version of the Escherichia coli σ70 factor remain bound to RNA polymerase throughout transcription, rather than being released after initiation. “Our work shows that in Bacillus subtilis , the σA factor stays attached to RNA polymerase all the way through the transcription process,” said Dr. Jayanta Mukhopadhyay, corresponding author from the Bose Institute. “This fundamentally changes how we think about bacterial transcription and gene regulation.” Using a combination of modern techniques like biochemical assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and fluorescence-based imaging — the researchers watched the sigma factor’s behaviour in real time. They found that Bacillus subtilis σA and an E. coli σ70 variant lacking a part called 1.1 remain stably associated with transcription complexes. This is in stark contrast to full-length E. coli σ70, which is released stochastically during elongation. “These findings provide compelling evidence that the long-accepted σ cycle does not apply to all bacteria,” added co-author Aniruddha Tewari of Bose Institute. “It opens new avenues for understanding bacterial gene regulation and its evolution.” The discovery has broad implications for microbiology, potentially influencing how researchers approach bacterial physiology, stress response, and the development of antibiotics targeting transcription. The study, was authored by Aniruddha Tewary, Shreya Sengupta, Soumya Mukherjee, Nilanjana Hazra, from Bose Institute and YWE and RHE and Yon W. Ebright, Richard H. Ebright, and Jayanta Mukhopadhyay from Rutgers University, USA Publication link: doi:10.1073/pnas. 2503801122 **** NKR/FK (Release ID: 2234503) Visitor Counter : 1187 Read this release in: Urdu , हिन्दी , Tamil Ministry of Science & Technology Indian scientists helped rewrite a 50-year-old biological rule Posted On: 02 MAR 2026 3:38PM by PIB Delhi A new study overturns a central textbook model of bacterial gene regulation and unveils new paths for understanding bacterial gene regulation and its evolution. This could help designing better antibiotics or regulatory inhibitors that block infection mechanism and design microorganisms that produce biofuels, biodegradable plastics, or therapeutic compounds efficiently. For nearly 50 years, biology has related the story of how bacteria turn their genes on with the help of the so-called “σ (sigma) cycle” – factors that bind RNA polymerase to initiate transcription and then dissociate to allow elongation. This concept was built largely on observations of bacterial strain E. coli σ70. However, Researchers from the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Rutgers University reveal that the cycle is not a universal phenomenon. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) they have reported that, contrary to decades of scientific belief, the principal transcription initiation factor in Bacillus subtilis —σA—and a modified version of the Escherichia coli σ70 factor remain bound to RNA polymerase throughout transcription, rather than being released after initiation. “Our work shows that in Bacillus subtilis , the σA factor stays attached to RNA polymerase all the way through the transcription process,” said Dr. Jayanta Mukhopadhyay, corresponding author from the Bose Institute. “This fundamentally changes how we think about bacterial transcription and gene regulation.” Using a combination of modern techniques like biochemical assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and fluorescence-based imaging — the researchers watched the sigma factor’s behaviour in real time. They found that Bacillus subtilis σA and an E. coli σ70 variant lacking a part called 1.1 remain stably associated with transcription complexes. This is in stark contrast to full-length E. coli σ70, which is released stochastically during elongation. “These findings provide compelling evidence that the long-accepted σ cycle does not apply to all bacteria,” added co-author Aniruddha Tewari of Bose Institute. “It opens new avenues for understanding bacterial gene regulation and its evolution.” The discovery has broad implications for microbiology, potentially influencing how researchers approach bacterial physiology, stress response, and the development of antibiotics targeting transcription. The study, was authored by Aniruddha Tewary, Shreya Sengupta, Soumya Mukherjee, Nilanjana Hazra, from Bose Institute and YWE and RHE and Yon W. Ebright, Richard H. Ebright, and Jayanta Mukhopadhyay from Rutgers University, USA Publication link: doi:10.1073/pnas. 2503801122 **** NKR/FK (Release ID: 2234503) A new study overturns a central textbook model of bacterial gene regulation and unveils new paths for understanding bacterial gene regulation and its evolution. This could help designing better antibiotics or regulatory inhibitors that block infection mechanism and design microorganisms that produce biofuels, biodegradable plastics, or therapeutic compounds efficiently. For nearly 50 years, biology has related the story of how bacteria turn their genes on with the help of the so-called “σ (sigma) cycle” – factors that bind RNA polymerase to initiate transcription and then dissociate to allow elongation. This concept was built largely on observations of bacterial strain E. coli σ70. However, Researchers from the Bose Institute, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Rutgers University reveal that the cycle is not a universal phenomenon. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) they have reported that, contrary to decades of scientific belief, the principal transcription initiation factor in Bacillus subtilis—σA—and a modified version of the Escherichia coli σ70 factor remain bound to RNA polymerase throughout transcription, rather than being released after initiation. <img alt="A map of events of transcriptionAI-generated content may be incorrect." src="https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/image/image001U0S8.jpg" style="font-family:"Times New Roman",Times,serif; font-size:16px; height:323px; width:566px" /> “Our work shows that in Bacillus subtilis, the σA factor stays attached to RNA polymerase all the way through the transcription process,” said Dr. Jayanta Mukhopadhyay, corresponding author from the Bose Institute. “This fundamentally changes how we think about bacterial transcription and gene regulation.” Using a combination of modern techniques like biochemical assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and fluorescence-based imaging — the researchers watched the sigma factor’s behaviour in real time. They found that Bacillus subtilis σA and an E. coli σ70 variant lacking a part called 1.1 remain stably associated with transcription complexes. This is in stark contrast to full-length E. coli σ70, which is released stochastically during elongation. “These findings provide compelling evidence that the long-accepted σ cycle does not apply to all bacteria,” added co-author Aniruddha Tewari of Bose Institute. “It opens new avenues for understanding bacterial gene regulation and its evolution.” The discovery has broad implications for microbiology, potentially influencing how researchers approach bacterial physiology, stress response, and the development of antibiotics targeting transcription. The study, was authored by Aniruddha Tewary, Shreya Sengupta, Soumya Mukherjee, Nilanjana Hazra, from Bose Institute and YWE and RHE and Yon W. Ebright, Richard H. Ebright, and Jayanta Mukhopadhyay from Rutgers University, USA Publication link: <a href="http://doi:10.1073/pnas. 2503801122" target="_blank">doi:10.1073/pnas. 2503801122</a> **** NKR/FK " /> var mPlayer = document.getElementById("background_music"); var mPlayAction = document.getElementById("playbutton"); var isPlaying = false; function playAudio() { mPlayer.play(); isPlaying = true; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "none"; } function pauseAudio() { mPlayer.pause(); isPlaying = false; document.getElementById('playA').style.display = "block"; document.getElementById('stopA').style.display = "none"; } //function HandleAudio() { // if (isPlaying == true) { // //Playing already Pause it // pauseAudio(); // } else { // //Play the music // playAudio(); // } //} var synth = window.speechSynthesis; function CleanHtml(html) { html = html.replace(/ /gi, ''); return html; } function stripHtml(html) { let tmp = document.createElement("DIV"); tmp.innerHTML = CleanHtml(html); return tmp.textContent || tmp.innerText || ""; } $(document).ready(function () { //for responsive tables $("table").each(function () { if (!$(this).closest(".table-responsive").length) { $(this).wrap(" "); } }); var width = $(window).width(); if (width $(document).ready(function () { var width = $(window).width(); if (width @media print { .sticky-social, .sticky-social_mb, .pull-right, #printPDF { display: none !important; } } .f_vl { padding-right: 30px; font-size: 17px; cursor: pointer; } .log_oo { // width: 20%; display: flex; justify-content: space-between; } .log_oo img { width: 150px; /*width: 100%; height: auto;*/ } .sticky-social_mb { position: fixed; bottom: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; width: 100%; } .social_mb { list-style: none; display: flex; width: 100%; margin-bottom: -8px; } .social_mb a { padding: 8px 0px; font-size: 30px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; width: 20% !important; text-align: center; } .section1 { position: relative; padding: 10px 0px; width: 100%; } .sticky-social { position: fixed; top: 20px; left: 0px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px; } .social { list-style: none; } .social a li { padding: 8px 12px; font-size: 25px; transition: all 0.8s ease-in-out; } .social a li:hover { margin-right: -30px; box-shadow: 2px 5px 10px grey; } .social a li:hover .fa { margin-left: 20px; } .fb_b { /* background-color: rgb(59, 89, 152);*/ background-color: rgba(65,103,178,255); } .twitter_r { /* background-color: rgb(29, 161, 242);*/ background-color: #000000; } .whatsapp_r { /* background-color: rgb(77, 194, 71);*/ background-color: rgba(13,191,67,255); } .fa-envelope_r { /* background-color: rgb(219, 68, 55);*/ background-color: #e2123d; } .fa-linkedin_r { background-color: rgb(0, 119, 181); } @media only screen and (max-device-width: 767px) { p span img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } p img { max-width: 90% !important; height: auto !important; } h2 { font-size: 20px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } h3 { font-size: 18px !important; font-weight: 600 !important; } } /* === Film Roll Badge Styling(IFFI2025 countdown) === */ .film-roll-badge { position: absolute; top:82%; right: 20px; width: 230px; height: 70px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 18px, #6e2b8b 18px, #6e2b8b 36px ); border-top: 8px solid #9a2375; border-bottom: 8px solid #9a2375; border-radius: 8px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4); animation: moveFilm 8s linear infinite; z-index: 10; } /* film sprocket holes */ .film-roll-badge::before, .film-roll-badge::after { content: ""; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 10px; background: repeating-linear-gradient( to right, #9a2375 0px, #9a2375 10px, #fff 10px, #fff 20px ); left: 0; z-index: 2; } .film-roll-badge::before { top: -4px; } .film-roll-badge::after { bottom: -4px; } .film-roll-inner { position: relative; height: 100%; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; animation: flicker 2s infinite ease-in-out; } .countdown-text { font-size: 1.3rem; font-weight: 700; color: #fff; text-shadow: 0 0 6px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.4), 0 0 10px #000; white-space: nowrap; } /* === Animations === */ @keyframes moveFilm { 0% { background-position: 0 0; } 100% { background-position: 120px 0; } } @keyframes flicker { 0%, 100% { opacity: 1; } 50% { opacity: 0.9; } 25% { opacity: 0.95; } 75% { opacity: 0.85; } } /* === Responsive Adjustments === */ @media (max-width: 1500px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 68%; right: 18px; /* width: 220px; */ height: 65px; font-size: 0.85rem; } .press-section { margin-top: 35px; } } @media (max-width: 992px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 52%; right: 10px; width: 200px; height: 60px; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 56%; right: 10px; width: 124px; height: 55px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.9rem; } } @media (max-width: 576px) { .film-roll-badge { top: 59%; right: 5px; /* width: 160px; */ height: 50px; } .countdown-text { font-size: 0.85rem; } } const festivalStart = new Date("2025-11-20T00:00:00").getTime(); const festivalEnd = new Date("2025-11-28T23:59:59").getTime(); const countdownElement = document.getElementById("countdown"); const interval = setInterval(() => { const now = new Date().getTime(); // BEFORE FESTIVAL — show days + hours left if (now = festivalStart && now el.style.width = "350px"); clearInterval(interval); } }, 1000); //

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Indian scientists helped rewrite a 50-year-old biological rule

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