The basic RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery

All genes encoding proteins in eukaryotes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II. The first step in analyzing transcriptional regulation requires understanding the general mechanisms of RNA polymerase II-specific gene transcription. The basal promoter, a template containing a TATA box devoid of upstream regulatory sequences, has been used to identify and characterize the factors which, together with RNA polymerase II, govern transcription in mammalian systems: TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIID, TFIIE, TFIIF, TFIIG, TFIIH, and TFIIJ. Interactions between regulatory transcription factors and basal elements of the transcriptional machinery affect the transcriptional rate in a positive or negative fashion. As these multiple proteins are purified, and their coding sequences are isolated, we come closer to reproducing these processes in vitro with pure components, and thus to elucidating the complex interactions among them.