Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Gene expression

Transcription sans TBP

Nature volume 393, pages 114–115 (1998)Cite this article

In the field of transcription there is little room for dogmatism — principles that were once deemed sacrosanct can be violated with impunity. The latest example of this is illustrated on page 187 of this issue, where Wieczorek et al.1 show that a factor that was thought to be essential for transcription, the TATA-binding protein (TBP), is, at least under some circumstances, dispensable.

RNA polymerase II — the enzyme that transcribes protein-coding genes — cannot initiate transcription accurately without the assistance of a large group of auxiliary general transcription factors. These include TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIID, TFIIE, TFIIF and TFIIH2, of which TFIID has always commanded special attention. TFIID comprises TBP and a set of highly conserved ‘TBP-associated factors’ (TAFIIs)3. The TBP component recognizes and binds to the TATA box (the signature sequence of the promoter) to initiate assembly of the transcription complex. Other general transcription factors such as TFIIB bind to this TBP platform and, through a series of protein-protein interactions, RNA polymerase II is recruited to the promoter.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Complexes that contain TATA-binding protein (TBP) and TBP-associated factors (TAFIIs) in transcription by the three eukaryotic RNA polymerases.

References

  1. Wieczorek, E., Brand, M., Jacq, X. & Tora, L. Nature 393, 187–191 (1998).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Zawel, L. & Reinberg, D. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 64, 533–561 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Burley, S. K. & Roeder, R. G. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 65, 769–799 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Apone, L. M., Virbasius, C. A., Reese, J. C. & Green, M. R. Genes Dev. 10, 2368–2380 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Moqtaderi, Z., Bai, Y., Poon, D., Weil, P. A. & Struhl, K. Nature 383, 188–191 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Walker, S. S., Reese, J. C., Apone, L. M. & Green, M. R. Nature 383, 185–188 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Usheva, A. & Shenk, T. Cell 76, 1115–1121 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hansen, S. K., Takada, S., Jacobson, R. H., Lis, J. T. & Tjian, R. Cell 91, 71–83 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Oelgeschlager, T., Chiang, C.-M. & Roeder, R. G. Nature 382, 735–738 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Shen, W.-C. & Green, M. R. Cell 90, 615–624 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Geiduschek, E. P. & Kassavetis, G. A. Curr. Opin. Cell Biol. 7, 344–351 (1995).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 373 Plantation Street, Worcester, 01605, Massachusetts, USA

    Lynne M. Apone & Michael R. Green

Authors
  1. Lynne M. Apone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael R. Green
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Apone, L., Green, M. Transcription sans TBP. Nature 393, 114–115 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/30097

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/30097

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing