Competing for the Clamp: Promoting RNA Polymerase Processivity and Managing the Transition from Initiation to Elongation

Transcription elongation factor NusG/Spt5 spans the central cleft of RNA polymerase and functionally competes with transcription initiation factors. This work highlights the RNA polymerase clamp as a target for regulation and points to dynamic interactions between initiation and elongation machineries.