title: RNA polymerase II transcription on the fast lane.
abstract: Transcription by RNA polymerase II is the process that copies DNA into RNA leading to the expression of a specific gene. Averaged estimates of polymerase elongation rates in mammalian cells have been shown to vary between 1 and 4 kilobases per minute. However, recent advances in live cell imaging allowed direct measurements of RNA biogenesis from a single gene exceeded 50 kb·min(-1) . This unexpected finding opens novel and intriguing perspectives on the control of metazoan transcription.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Virology, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste, Italy. marcello@icgeb.org
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcello
mesh_terms: D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012319:RNA Polymerase II