RNA polymerase II transcription on the fast lane

Abstract

Transcription by RNA polymerase II is the process that copies DNA into RNA leading to the expression of a specific gene. Averaged estimates of polymerase elongation rates in mammalian cells have been shown to vary between 1 and 4 kilobases per minute. However, recent advances in live cell imaging allowed direct measurements of RNA biogenesis from a single gene exceeded 50 kb·min⁻¹. This unexpected finding opens novel and intriguing perspectives on the control of metazoan transcription.

Keywords::

• gene expression
• RNA polymerase
• HIV-1
• elongation rates
• live-cell imaging
• transcription kinetics