Molecular evolution of the RNA polymerase II CTD

In higher eukaryotes, an unusual C-terminal domain (CTD) is crucial to the function of RNA polymerase II in transcription. The CTD consists of multiple heptapeptide repeats; differences in the number of repeats between organisms and their degree of conservation have intrigued researchers for two dec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in genetics 2008-06, Vol.24 (6), p.289-296
Main Authors: Chapman, Rob D, Heidemann, Martin, Hintermair, Corinna, Eick, Dirk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Motifs - genetics
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Evolution, Molecular
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Medical Education
Models, Biological
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Protein Structure, Tertiary - genetics
Protein Structure, Tertiary - physiology
Repetitive Sequences, Amino Acid
RNA Polymerase II - chemistry
RNA Polymerase II - genetics
RNA Polymerase II - physiology
Sequence Homology
Transcription. Transcription factor. Splicing. Rna processing
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Summary:In higher eukaryotes, an unusual C-terminal domain (CTD) is crucial to the function of RNA polymerase II in transcription. The CTD consists of multiple heptapeptide repeats; differences in the number of repeats between organisms and their degree of conservation have intrigued researchers for two decades. Here, we review the evolution of the CTD at the molecular level. Several primitive motifs have been integrated into compound heptads that can be readily amplified. The selection of phosphorylatable residues in the heptad repeat provided the opportunity for advanced gene regulation in eukaryotes. Current findings suggest that the CTD should be considered as a collection of continuous overlapping motifs as opposed to a specific functional unit defined by a heptad.
ISSN:0168-9525
DOI:10.1016/j.tig.2008.03.010