Since there are only three homologs to eukaryal general transcription factors (GTFs) present in Archaea, and because of similar promoter organisation, archaeal transcription is generally accepted to provide a simpler model of the eukaryal transcription. In a project in the Research Training Group ("Transcription, Chromatin Structure and DNA Repair in Development and Differentiation", University of Duisburg-Essen) we work on the regulation of basal transcription, addressing the role of multiple transcription factors (TFB), and the identification of transcriptional regulators in T. tenax.

Focused DNA microarray (central carbohydrate metabolism) Thermoproteus tenax [28].

T. tenax whole genome transcription profiling is currently established and first promising results were obtained for a focused CCM DNA microarray [28]. The aim of future work is to establish an in vitro transcription system for T. tenax (collaboration with W. Hausner) and to identify regulons and DNA binding sites, using a combination of DNA microarrays with methods like chromatin immunoprecipitation and run-off in vitro transcription with genomic DNA.