Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Transcription Initiation01:47

Transcription Initiation

16.5K
Initiation is the first step of transcription in eukaryotes. Prokaryotic RNA Polymerase (RNAP) can bind to the template DNA and start transcribing. On the other hand, transcription in eukaryotes requires additional proteins, called transcription factors, to first bind to the promoter region in the DNA template. This binding helps recruit the specific RNAP that can assemble on the DNA and start transcription.
The promoters and enhancers and their accessory proteins allow tight regulation of...
16.5K
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins02:36

RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

9.3K
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
9.3K
General Transcription Factors01:30

General Transcription Factors

5.4K
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
5.4K
Eukaryotic Transcription Activators02:42

Eukaryotic Transcription Activators

11.2K
Transcription activators are proteins that promote the transcription of genes from DNA to RNA. In most cases, these proteins contain two separate domains ‒ a domain that binds to DNA and a domain for activating transcription; however, in some cases, a single domain is responsible for both binding and activation of transcription, as seen in the glucocorticoid receptor and MyoD.
The binding domains are capable of recognizing and interacting with regulatory sequences on the DNA. These...
11.2K
Bacterial Transcription01:53

Bacterial Transcription

28.8K
RNA polymerase (RNAP) carries out DNA-dependent RNA synthesis in both bacteria and eukaryotes. Bacteria do not have a membrane-bound nucleus. So, transcription and translation occur simultaneously, on the same DNA template.
Transcription can be divided into three main stages, each involving distinct DNA sequences to guide the polymerase. These are:
28.8K
Transcription Factors02:16

Transcription Factors

76.2K
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
76.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Mechanism of co-transcriptional cap snatching by influenza polymerase.

Nature·2026
Same author

Molecular mechanism of co-transcriptional H3K36 methylation by SETD2.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

IWS1 positions downstream DNA to globally stimulate Pol II elongation.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Chemical crosslinking extends and complements UV crosslinking in analysis of RNA/DNA nucleic acid-protein interaction sites by mass spectrometry.

Nucleic acids research·2025
Same author

Structure of a transcribing Pol II-DSIF-SPT6-U1 snRNP complex.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Publisher Correction: Promoter-proximal RNA polymerase II termination regulates transcription during human cell type transition.

Nature structural & molecular biology·2025
Same journal

Neuronal membrane organization by the submembranous spectrin-ankyrin scaffold: evolution, specialization and disease.

Biological chemistry·2026
Same journal

Golgi-associated membrane scaffolds: roles in health and disease.

Biological chemistry·2026
Same journal

Mechanistic insights on spatiotemporal control of Ras-signaling.

Biological chemistry·2026
Same journal

Cysteine cathepsin proteases in apicomplexan parasites.

Biological chemistry·2026
Same journal

Electron donating and withdrawing groups affect the antioxidant activity of 4'-aminochalcones on gentamicin-induced kidney cell injury.

Biological chemistry·2026
Same journal

CNKSR2 scaffold function in the mammalian nervous system.

Biological chemistry·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 2, 2025

High-throughput Purification of Affinity-tagged Recombinant Proteins
07:44

High-throughput Purification of Affinity-tagged Recombinant Proteins

Published on: August 26, 2012

14.3K

Mediator structure and function in transcription initiation.

Srinivasan Rengachari1, Sandra Schilbach1, Patrick Cramer1

  • 1Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany.

Biological Chemistry
|April 20, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Recent cryo-electron microscopy studies reveal near-complete structures of yeast and human Mediator complexes. This advances our understanding of Mediator

Keywords:
RNA polymerase IIcoactivatorgene regulationmediatortranscription

More Related Videos

Single-Molecule Imaging of EWS-FLI1 Condensates Assembling on DNA
07:05

Single-Molecule Imaging of EWS-FLI1 Condensates Assembling on DNA

Published on: September 8, 2021

2.5K
Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
10:59

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events

Published on: May 13, 2019

9.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 2, 2025

High-throughput Purification of Affinity-tagged Recombinant Proteins
07:44

High-throughput Purification of Affinity-tagged Recombinant Proteins

Published on: August 26, 2012

14.3K
Single-Molecule Imaging of EWS-FLI1 Condensates Assembling on DNA
07:05

Single-Molecule Imaging of EWS-FLI1 Condensates Assembling on DNA

Published on: September 8, 2021

2.5K
Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events
10:59

Artificial RNA Polymerase II Elongation Complexes for Dissecting Co-transcriptional RNA Processing Events

Published on: May 13, 2019

9.8K

Area of Science:

  • Structural biology
  • Molecular biology
  • Gene regulation

Background:

  • The Mediator complex is a crucial co-activator in eukaryotic gene transcription.
  • Understanding Mediator's interaction with RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is key to deciphering transcription initiation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To summarize recent structural insights into Mediator complexes.
  • To elucidate Mediator's role in the Pol II pre-initiation complex (PIC).

Main Methods:

  • Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has been instrumental in obtaining high-resolution structures.
  • Analysis of multiple Mediator-Pol II-PIC structures from yeast and human systems.

Main Results:

  • Near-complete structures of yeast and human Mediator complexes are now available.
  • Detailed visualization of Mediator's interactions within the Pol II PIC.

Conclusions:

  • Recent structural data significantly enhances our understanding of Mediator function.
  • Future studies can leverage these structures to explore Mediator's role in gene regulation.