In bacteria, the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase on its own is only capable of catalyzing the elongation step of transcription. To successfully initiate and terminate the process, it must transiently associate with which of the following factors, respectively?

Step-by-step solution

In bacteria, the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase core enzyme is capable of catalyzing only the elongation step of transcription. To successfully initiate transcription, the core enzyme must transiently associate with the initiation factor, which is the (sigma) factor. This association forms the holoenzyme and allows the polymerase to recognize the specific promoter sequence on the DNA. To terminate the transcription process, the RNA polymerase transiently associates with the termination factor, which is the (rho) fact