Mechanism of transcription termination in eukaryotic cell.

We developed an in vivo screening system for the DNA region involved in transcription termination. This system is based on the idea that the CAT gene bearing transcription terminator upstream of poly(A) signal should produce a low CAT activity in the transfected cell. Using this system, we located termination elements in the human gastrin gene and adenovirus E1 gene. Furthermore, the terminator of gastrin gene was identified by S1 nuclease mapping and in vitro transcription.