Nechaev Sergei, Adelman Karen
Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Jan;1809(1):34-45. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2010.11.001. Epub 2010 Nov 13.
Proper regulation of gene expression is essential for the differentiation, development and survival of all cells and organisms. Recent work demonstrates that transcription of many genes, including key developmental and stimulus-responsive genes, is regulated after the initiation step, by pausing of RNA polymerase II during elongation through the promoter-proximal region. Thus, there is great interest in better understanding the events that follow transcription initiation and the ways in which the efficiency of early elongation can be modulated to impact expression of these highly regulated genes. Here we describe our current understanding of the steps involved in the transition from an unstable initially transcribing complex into a highly stable and processive elongation complex. We also discuss the interplay between factors that affect early transcript elongation and the potential physiological consequences for genes that are regulated through transcriptional pausing.
基因表达的适当调控对于所有细胞和生物体的分化、发育及存活至关重要。近期研究表明，包括关键发育基因和刺激应答基因在内的许多基因，在起始步骤之后，通过RNA聚合酶II在延伸穿过启动子近端区域时的暂停来进行调控。因此，人们非常有兴趣更深入地了解转录起始之后发生的事件，以及早期延伸效率可被调节以影响这些高度调控基因表达的方式。在此，我们描述了目前对于从不稳定的初始转录复合物转变为高度稳定且持续延伸复合物所涉及步骤的理解。我们还讨论了影响早期转录延伸的因子之间的相互作用，以及通过转录暂停进行调控的基因可能产生的生理后果。
