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Transcriptional termination between the closely linked human complement genes C2 and factor B: common termination factor for C2 and c‐myc?
Author(s) -
Ashfield R.,
EnriquezHarris P.,
Proudfoot N.J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb04998.x
Subject(s) - complement (music) , library science , biology , theology , classics , gene , genetics , philosophy , history , computer science , complementation , phenotype
We have demonstrated, using a combination of nuclear run‐off and poly(A) site competition assays, that transcriptional termination occurs between the closely spaced human complement genes, C2 and Factor B, soon after the C2 poly(A) site. A comparison of the C2 termination signal with a functionally similar sequence downstream of the human alpha 2 globin gene reveals that both signals function in an orientation dependent manner, with subfragments of the whole signal displaying partial effects. In the case of the C2 termination sequence a protein binds within it, and is partially responsible for the termination effect. We further demonstrate that the same (or closely related) protein binds to the ME1a1 site in the murine c‐myc promoter, which has been implicated in c‐myc attenuation. We suggest that the termination/pause sequences positioned downstream of a gene's poly(A) site may constitute the general signals that elicit transcriptional termination in genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II.