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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
11:32
Analysis of mRNA Nuclear Export Kinetics in Mammalian Cells by Microinjection
Published on: December 4, 2010
Basic mechanisms of transcript elongation and its regulation
S M Uptain1, C M Kane, M J Chamberlin
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley 94720, USA. uptain@mendel.berkeley.edu
Annual Review of Biochemistry
|January 1, 1997
Summary
RNA polymerase (RNAP) movement during transcription can be discontinuous, influenced by DNA sequence and regulatory factors. This inchworm-like motion impacts gene expression and has implications for understanding cellular transformation and cancer.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
Background:
- Ternary complexes of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP) are key intermediates in transcription.
- Unusual biochemical reactions affecting RNAP progression are regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
- These factors influence promoter proximal and distal pausing, crucial for gene expression regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore novel biochemical reactions impacting RNAP ternary complex progression.
- To investigate the role of DNA sequence and regulatory factors in RNAP movement.
- To provide molecular-level insights into gene expression regulation and its link to cancer.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of RNAP ternary complex structure and dynamics.
- Investigation of intrinsic (nucleic acid sequence, RNAP) and extrinsic (protein factors) regulatory mechanisms.
- Testing predictions of new models for RNAP translocation along DNA.
Main Results:
- New models explain unusual RNAP biochemical reactions and predict non-dissociative movement.
- RNAP movement can be discontinuous or 'inchworm-like', confirmed by experimental data.
- DNA sequence can dictate whether RNAP moves discontinuously or monotonically, especially when encountering elongation blocks.
Conclusions:
- RNAP translocation is more complex than previously thought, involving regulated discontinuous movement.
- Understanding these mechanisms offers insights into gene expression regulation and diseases like cancer.
- The findings pave the way for molecular-level understanding of significant biological regulatory systems.
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