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Published on: August 20, 2014
Promoter occlusion during ribosomal RNA transcription
Abstract:
The ability of RNA polymerase I to read through a promoter-bound transcription initiation factor (TIF) was assessed using a dimeric ribosomal RNA gene promoter. Transcription from the upstream promoter is unaffected by TIF bound to the downstream promoter; RNA polymerase I is freely able to read through DNA-bound TIF. In contrast, transcription from the downstream promoter is inhibited by the passage of RNA polymerase I. Readthrough by RNA polymerase I disrupts the downstream TIF-DNA complex, and alters the TIF footprint. A general function for sequences leading to transcription termination upstream of rRNA or other promoters may be the prevention of promoter occlusion in tandem arrays of genes.
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