Chromatin is permissive to TATA-binding protein (TBP)-mediated transcription initiation.
Preinitiation complex assembly is nucleated by the binding of TFIID to the promoters of protein coding genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II. TFIID is comprised of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TBP-associated factors (TAF(II)s). We investigated the transcription properties of TBP and TFIID on chromatin templates. On naked templates both TBP and purified TFIID are able to initiate basal transcription. However, on chromatin templates only TBP mediates transcription initiation in a heat-treated extract, whereas TFIID does not. Moreover, TBP-mediated chromatin transcription is blocked in a nontreated extract. These observations suggest that a chromatin-targeted repressor is present in crude extracts and that chromatin per se is not refractory to transcription mediated by TBP. As TBP can function through TAF(II)-independent and TAF(II)-dependent pathways, the repression of TBP-mediated basal transcription may be an additional level to the control of Pol II transcription initiation on chromatin.
Remboutsika
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Department of Transcriptional and Post-transcriptional Control of Gene Regulation, Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, BP 163, F-67404 Illkirch Cedex, Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg, France.
Jacq
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X
Tora
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L
D000818:Animals; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004257:DNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D016385:TATA Box; D035181:TATA-Box Binding Protein; D013698:Templates, Genetic; D035362:Transcription Factor TFIID; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D019473:Transcription Factors, TFII / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D002843:Chromatin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D019476:Insect Proteins; D035181:TATA-Box Binding Protein; D035362:Transcription Factor TFIID; D014157:Transcription Factors; D019473:Transcription Factors, TFII; D004257:DNA Polymerase II