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Finding the right spot to start transcription

How does RNA polymerase II cooperate with initiation factors to locate transcription start sites throughout the genome? A new cross-linking approach reveals previously unknown initiation factor–binding sites on the polymerase surface. The resulting model of the transcription initiation complex suggests that initiation factors cooperate above and inside the polymerase active center cleft to open DNA and find the transcription start site.

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Figure 1: Topological model of the transcription preinitiation complex according to Chen et al.6.

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Cramer, P. Finding the right spot to start transcription. Nat Struct Mol Biol 14, 686–687 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb0807-686

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