RNA polymerase II transcription in murine cells lacking the TATA binding protein
Igor Martianov1, Stephane Viville, Irwin Davidson
1Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), CNRS/INSERM/ULP, B.P. 163, 67404 Illkirch Cédex, Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg, France.
Abstract:
Inactivation of the murine TATA binding protein (TBP) gene by homologous recombination leads to growth arrest and apoptosis at the embryonic blastocyst stage. However, after loss of TBP, RNA polymerase II (pol II) remains in a transcriptionally active phosphorylation state, and in situ run-on experiments showed high levels of pol II transcription comparable to those of wild-type cells. In contrast, pol I and pol III transcription was arrested. Our results show a differential dependency of the RNA polymerases on TBP and provide evidence for TBP-independent pol II transcriptional mechanisms that allow reinitiation and maintenance of gene transcription in vivo.
Related Concept Videos
Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases
All three eukaryotic RNAPs require specific transcription factors, of which the...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Transcription Elongation Factors
The transcription elongation is regulated via pausing of RNA polymerase on several occasions during transcription. In bacteria, these halts are necessary because the transcription of DNA into mRNA is coupled to the translation of that mRNA into a...
Transcription Initiation
The promoters and enhancers and their accessory proteins allow tight regulation of...
General Transcription Factors
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins


