What is the RNA polymerase capable of catalyzing?

Step-by-step solution

An intriguing question is how are the RNA polymerases able to catalyze all the three steps, which are initiation, elongation and termination . The RNA polymerase is only capable of catalyzing the process of elongation. It associates transiently with initiation-factor (σ) and termination-factor (ρ) to initiate and terminate the transcription, respectively. Association with these factors alter the specificity of the RNA polymerase to either initiate or terminate (Figure 5.10). In bacteria, since the mRNA does not req