title: Core promoters in transcription: old problem, new insights.
abstract: Early studies established that transcription initiates within an approximately 50 bp DNA segment capable of nucleating the assembly of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and associated general transcription factors (GTFs) necessary for transcriptional initiation; this region is called a core promoter. Subsequent analyses identified a series of conserved DNA sequence elements, present in various combinations or not at all, in core promoters. Recent genome-wide analyses have provided further insights into the complexity of core promoter architecture and function. Here we review recent studies that delineate the active role of core promoters in the transcriptional regulation of diverse physiological systems.
authors: Department of Developmental, Molecular, and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. Electronic address: ananda.roy@tufts.edu.
authors: Ananda L
authors: AL
authors: Roy
authors: Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: dinah.singer@mail.nih.gov.
authors: Dinah S
authors: DS
authors: Singer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012319:RNA Polymerase II
keywords: RNA Pol II; core promoter; noncoding RNAs; transcription