Structural insights into preinitiation complex assembly on core promoters

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aba8490
• Publication Date: 2021-04-01T18:50:18Z
• Authors: Xizi Chen; Yilun Qi; Zihan Wu; Xinxin Wang; Jiabei Li; Dan Zhao; Haifeng Hou; Yan Li; Zishuo Yu; Weida Liu; Mo Wang; Yulei Ren; Ze Li; Huirong Yang; Yanhui Xu
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; Swine; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; 03 medical and health sciences; HEK293 Cells; Protein Domains; Multiprotein Complexes; Proto-Oncogene Proteins; Animals; Humans; Transcription Factor TFIID; RNA Polymerase II; Phosphorylation; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Transcription Initiation, Genetic; Urocortins; Protein Binding

Assembling for transcription initiation

Eukaryotic transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) requires the assembly of a preinitiation complex (PIC) on core promoters. The binding of TATA box–binding protein (TBP) to the TATA box promoter has been thought to be a general rule in PIC assembly and transcription initiation. However, most coding genes lack a TATA box, and nearly all Pol II–mediated gene transcription requires the TBP-containing multisubunit complex transcription factor IID (TFIID). Chen et al. determined the structures of human TFIID-based PIC in sequential assembly states and revealed that TFIID supports distinct PIC assembly on TATA-containing and TATA-lacking promoters. The finding resolves the long-standing mystery of how one set of general transcription machinery initiates transcription on diverse promoters.

Science , this issue p. eaba8490