Difference between revisions of "Promoters/Overview"
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− | [[Image:PromoterIconBC.png|thumb|right|400px|The | + | [[Image:PromoterIconBC.png|thumb|right|400px|The registry symbol for a promoter is shown above a typical sequence for a bacterial promoter. The lavender shaded boxes indicate the two most conserved regions of a bacterial promoter and are located at -10 and -35 bases from the transcriptional start site (shaded in green). There are, on average, 17bp between the -10 and -35 sites and 7bp between the -10 site and the transcriptional start site <cite>pribnow</cite><cite>harley</cite><cite>lisser1</cite><cite>lisser2</cite>.]] |
A promoter is a DNA sequence that can recruit transcriptional machinery and lead to transcription of the downstream DNA sequence. The specific sequence of the promoter determines the strength of the promoter (where a strong promoter is one that leads to a high rate of transcription initiation ). | A promoter is a DNA sequence that can recruit transcriptional machinery and lead to transcription of the downstream DNA sequence. The specific sequence of the promoter determines the strength of the promoter (where a strong promoter is one that leads to a high rate of transcription initiation ). | ||
In addition to sequences that "promote" transcription, a promoter may include additional sequences known as operators that control the strength of the promoter. For example, a promoter may include a binding site for a protein that attracts or obstructs the RNAP binding to the promoter. The presence or absence of the protein will affect the strength of the promoter. Such a promoter is known as a regulated promoter. | In addition to sequences that "promote" transcription, a promoter may include additional sequences known as operators that control the strength of the promoter. For example, a promoter may include a binding site for a protein that attracts or obstructs the RNAP binding to the promoter. The presence or absence of the protein will affect the strength of the promoter. Such a promoter is known as a regulated promoter. |
Revision as of 03:15, 17 May 2009
A promoter is a DNA sequence that can recruit transcriptional machinery and lead to transcription of the downstream DNA sequence. The specific sequence of the promoter determines the strength of the promoter (where a strong promoter is one that leads to a high rate of transcription initiation ).
In addition to sequences that "promote" transcription, a promoter may include additional sequences known as operators that control the strength of the promoter. For example, a promoter may include a binding site for a protein that attracts or obstructs the RNAP binding to the promoter. The presence or absence of the protein will affect the strength of the promoter. Such a promoter is known as a regulated promoter.