Why is promoter important to transcription

Previous Video Next Video. Next Video Embed Share. The promoter is a major regulator of gene expression that contains binding sites for RNA polymerase, the enzyme responsible for transcription, and transcription factors, that facilitate or inhibit the binding of RNA polymerase. Alberts et al. The TATA-box sequence in the basal promoter contributes to determining light-dependent gene expression in plants.

Plant physiology, 1 , — Structural properties of promoters: similarities and differences between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Nucleic acids research, 33 10 , — Molecular and cellular biology, 20 13 , — FEBS open bio, 7 3 , — Please enter your institutional email to check if you have access to this content.

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Save to playlist. Filter by:. Get cutting-edge science videos from J o VE sent straight to your inbox every month. We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. Continue Learn more Close. In addition to the general transcription factors, other transcription factors can bind to the promoter to regulate gene transcription. These transcription factors bind to the promoters of a specific set of genes.

They are not general transcription factors that bind to every promoter complex, but are recruited to a specific sequence on the promoter of a specific gene. There are hundreds of transcription factors in a cell that each bind specifically to a particular DNA sequence motif. When transcription factors bind to the promoter just upstream of the encoded gene, they are referred to as cis-acting elements because they are on the same chromosome, just next to the gene.

The region that a particular transcription factor binds to is called the transcription factor binding site. Transcription factors respond to environmental stimuli that cause the proteins to find their binding sites and initiate transcription of the gene that is needed.

Key Points The purpose of the promoter is to bind transcription factors that control the initiation of transcription. The promoter region can be short or quite long; the longer the promoter is, the more available space for proteins to bind. There are specific sequences that are generally found within a promoter region, but sometimes people refer to even extended promoter region that might include sequences that are farther upstream of the gene that might help enhance or repress the particular gene that's about to be transcribed in certain cell types.

In general, if you think of the promoter as that piece of DNA that's just upstream of the transcription start site of a gene, that's pretty much what we refer to as promoters. Elliott Margulies, Ph. Featured Content.