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Abstract:
Recent studies of the three eukaryotic transcription machineries revealed that all initiation complexes share
a conserved core. This core consists of the RNA polymerase (I, II, or III), the TATA box-binding protein (TBP),
and transcription factors TFIIB, TFIIE, and TFIIF (for Pol II) or proteins structurally and functionally related to
parts of these factors (for Pol I and Pol III). The conserved core initiation complex stabilizes the open DNA
promoter complex and directs initial RNA synthesis. The periphery of the core initiation complex is decorated
by additional polymerase-specific factors that account for functional differences in promoter recognition and
opening, and gene class-specific regulation. This review outlines the similarities and differences between
these important molecular machines.
