A high density of cis-information terminates RNA Polymerase III on a 2-rail track

• Published in: RNA biology Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 166 - 171
• Main Authors: Arimbasseri, Aneeshkumar G., Maraia, Richard J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01.02.2016
• Subjects: Eukaryota - genetics; Gene Expression Regulation; Nontemplate strand; Point of View; Promoter Regions, Genetic; RNA Polymerase; RNA Polymerase III; RNA Polymerase III - genetics; RNA, Transfer - genetics; RPC11; RPC37; RPC53; Terminator Regions, Genetic; transcription termination; Transcription Termination, Genetic; Transcription, Genetic; RPC37; Nontemplate strand; RNA Polymerase III; transcription termination; RPC53; RNA Polymerase; RPC11
• ISSN: 1547-6286; 1555-8584
• DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2015.1116677

Transcription termination delineates the 3′ ends of transcripts, prevents otherwise runaway RNA polymerase (RNAP) from intruding into downstream genes and regulatory elements, and enables release of the RNAP for recycling. While other eukaryotic RNAPs require complex cis-signals and/or accessory factors to achieve these activities, RNAP III does so autonomously with high efficiency and precision at a simple oligo(dT) stretch of 5-6 bp. A basis for this high density cis-information is that both template and nontemplate strands of the RNAP III terminator carry distinct signals for different stages of termination. High-density cis-information is a feature of the RNAP III system that is also reflected by dual functionalities of the tRNA promoters as both DNA and RNA elements. We review emerging developments in RNAP III termination and single strand nontemplate DNA use by other RNAPs. Use of nontemplate signals by RNAPs and associated transcription factors may be prevalent in gene regulation.