title: The RNA polymerase II core promoter.
abstract: The events leading to transcription of eukaryotic protein-coding genes culminate in the positioning of RNA polymerase II at the correct initiation site. The core promoter, which can extend ~35 bp upstream and/or downstream of this site, plays a central role in regulating initiation. Specific DNA elements within the core promoter bind the factors that nucleate the assembly of a functional preinitiation complex and integrate stimulatory and repressive signals from factors bound at distal sites. Although core promoter structure was originally thought to be invariant, a remarkable degree of diversity has become apparent. This article reviews the structural and functional diversity of the RNA polymerase II core promoter.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1662, USA. smale@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Stephen T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Smale
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kadonaga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012319:RNA Polymerase II