A bacteriophage RNA polymerase transcribes through a Xenopus 5S RNA gene transcription complex without disrupting it.

Conditions are described for programming with active transcription complexes essentially all the Xenopus 5S RNA genes added to an extract of Xenopus oocyte nuclei. We call this rate enhancement. Transcription by SP6 RNA polymerase of either strand of a Xenopus 5S RNA gene is unimpeded by the presence of a complete transcription complex associated with the internal control region of the gene. Furthermore, the transcription complex remains stably associated with the 5S RNA gene following multiple transits by the prokaryotic polymerase.