A transcription bubble is a molecular structure formed during DNA transcription when a limited portion of the DNA double helix is unwound. The size of a transcription bubble ranges from 12 to 14 base pairs. A transcription bubble is formed when the RNA polymerase enzyme binds to a promoter and causes two DNA strands to detach. It presents a region of unpaired DNA, where a short stretch of nucleotides are exposed on each strand of the double helix. RNA polymerase The bacterial RNA polymerase, a leading enzyme involved in formation of a transcription bubble, uses DNA template to guide RNA synthesis. It is present in two main forms: as a core enzyme, when it is inactive, and as a holoenzyme, when it is activated. A sigma (σ) factor is a subunit that assists the process of transcription and it stabilizes the transcription bubble when it binds to unpaired bases. These two components, RNA polymerase and sigma factor, when paired together, build RNA polymerase holoenzyme which is then in its active form and ready to bind to a promoter and initiate DNA transcription. Once it binds to the DNA, RNA polymerase turns from a closed to an open complex, forming the transcription bubble. RNA polymerase synthesizes the new RNA in the 5' to 3' direction by adding complementary bases to the 3' end of a new strand. The holoenzyme composition dissociates after transcription initiation, where the σ factor disengages the complex and the RNA polymerase, in its core form, slides along the DNA molecule. The transcription cycle of bacterial RNA polymerase The RNA polymerase holoenzyme binds to a promoter of an exposed DNA strand and begins to synthesize the new strand of RNA. The double helix DNA is unwound and a short nucleotide sequence is accessible on each strand. The transcription bubble is a region of unpaired bases on one of the exposed DNA strands. The starting transcription point is determined by the place where the holoenzyme binds to a promoter. The DNA is unwound and single-stranded at the start site. The DNA promoter interaction is interrupted as the RNA polymerase moves down the template DNA strand and the sigma factor is released. The σ factor is required for the initiation but not for the remaining steps of the DNA transcription. Once the σ factor dissociates from the RNA polymerase, the transcription continues. About 10 synthesized nucleotides of a new RNA