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Updated: Apr 12, 2026

Analysis of Termination of Transcription Using BrUTP-strand-specific Transcription Run-on TRO Approach
Published on: March 12, 2017
Mechanism of Transcription Termination by RNA Polymerase III Utilizes a Non-template Strand Sequence-Specific Signal
Aneeshkumar G Arimbasseri1, Richard J Maraia2
1Intramural Research Program of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Understanding the mechanism of transcription termination by a eukaryotic RNA polymerase (RNAP) has been limited by lack of a characterizable intermediate that reflects transition from an elongation complex to a true termination event. While other multisubunit RNAPs require multipartite cis-signals and/or ancillary factors to mediate pausing and release of the nascent transcript from the clutches of these enzymes, RNAP III does so with precision and efficiency on a simple oligo(dT) tract, independent of other cis-elements or trans-factors. We report an RNAP III pre-termination complex that reveals termination mechanisms controlled by sequence-specific elements in the non-template strand. Furthermore, the TFIIF-like RNAP III subunit C37 is required for this function of the non-template strand signal. The results reveal the RNAP III terminator as an information-rich control element. While the template strand promotes destabilization via a weak oligo(rU:dA) hybrid, the non-template strand provides distinct sequence-specific destabilizing information through interactions with the C37 subunit.
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