Bacterial transcription is a production line of copying over genetic instructions from double stranded DNA to produce RNA, which is then used for the subsequent production of proteins that the bacterium needs at that moment. The line supervisors are known as sigma factors, of which there are several varieties that can be largely classified into four groups based on their architecture and genetic sequence.

One factor, however, has been considered "unique." Called SigI, the factor has a hand in several regulatory responses, but it does not fit into any of the four groups. Now, researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have discovered that the SigI are more distinct than previously understood — so much so that they require an entirely new classification group.

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[EurekAlert, 2023.11.6, https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1007015]