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. 1991 Dec;10(13):4197–4207. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1991.tb04998.x

Transcriptional termination between the closely linked human complement genes C2 and factor B: common termination factor for C2 and c-myc?

R Ashfield 1, P Enriquez-Harris 1, N J Proudfoot 1
PMCID: PMC453172  PMID: 1756727

Abstract

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.

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Selected References

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