Selective depletion of Sulfolobus solfataricus transcription factor E under heat shock conditions

Archaeal transcriptional machinery is similar to that of eukaryotes. We studied the fates of various components of the Sulfolobus solfataricus transcriptional apparatus under different stresses and found that in cells incubated at 90°C for 1 h, transcription factor E (TFE) is selectively depleted, but its mRNA levels are increased. We discuss the implications of these findings.