TATA box

In molecular biology, the TATA box (also called the Goldberg-Hogness box) is a sequence of DNA found in the core promoter region of genes in archaea and eukaryotes. The prokaryotic homolog of the TATA box is called the Pribnow box which has a shorter consensus sequence. In molecular biology, the TATA box (also called the Goldberg-Hogness box) is a sequence of DNA found in the core promoter region of genes in archaea and eukaryotes. The prokaryotic homolog of the TATA box is called the Pribnow box which has a shorter consensus sequence. The TATA box is considered a non-coding DNA sequence (also known as a cis-regulatory element). It was termed the 'TATA box' as it contains a consensus sequence characterized by repeating T and A base pairs. How the term 'box' originated is unclear. In the 1980s, while investigating nucleotide sequences in mouse genome loci, the Hogness box sequence was found and 'boxed in' at the -31 position. When consensus nucleotides and alternative ones were compared, homologous regions were 'boxed' by the researchers. The boxing in of sequences sheds light on the origin of the term 'box'. The TATA box was first identified in 1978 as a component of eukaryotic promoters. Transcription is initiated at the TATA box in TATA-containing genes. The TATA box is the binding site of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and other transcription factors in some eukaryotic genes. Gene transcription by RNA polymerase II depends on the regulation of the core promoter by long-range regulatory elements such as enhancers and silencers. Without proper regulation of transcription, eukaryotic organisms would not be able to properly respond to their environment. Based on the sequence and mechanism of TATA box initiation, mutations such as insertions, deletions, and point mutations to this consensus sequence can result in phenotypic changes. These phenotypic changes can then turn into a disease phenotype. Some diseases associated with mutations in the TATA box include gastric cancer, spinocerebellar ataxia, Huntington's disease, blindness, β-thalassemia, immunosuppression, Gilbert's syndrome, and HIV-1. The TATA-binding protein (TBP) could also be targeted by viruses as a means of viral transcription. The TATA box was the first eukaryotic core promoter motif to be identified in 1978 by American biochemist David Hogness while he and his graduate student, Michael Goldberg were on sabbatical at the University of Basel in Switzerland. They first discovered the TATA sequence while analyzing 5' DNA promoter sequences in Drosophila, mammalian, and viral genes. The TATA box was found in protein coding genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II. Most research on the TATA box has been conducted on yeast, human, and Drosophila genomes, however, similar elements have been found in archaea and ancient eukaryotes. In archaea species, the promoter contains an 8 bp AT-rich sequence located ~24 bp upstream of the transcription start site. This sequence was originally called Box A, which is now known to be the sequence that interacts with the homologue of the archaeal TATA-binding protein (TBP). Also, even though some studies have uncovered several similarities, there are others that have detected notable differences between archaeal and eukaryotic TBP. The archaea protein exhibits a greater symmetry in its primary sequence and in the distribution of electrostatic charge, which is important because the higher symmetry lowers the protein's ability to bind the TATA box in a polar manner. Even though the TATA box is present in many eukaryotic promoters, is important to note that is not contained in the majority of promoters. One study found less than 30% of 1031 potential promoter regions contain a putative TATA box motif in humans. In Drosophila, less than 40% of 205 core promoters contain a TATA box. When there is an absence of the TATA box and TBP is not present, the downstream promoter element (DPE) in cooperation with the initiator element (Inr) bind to the transcription factor II D (TFIID), initiating transcription in TATA-less promoters. The DPE has been identified in three Drosophila TATA-less promoters and in the TATA-less human IRF-1 promoter. Promoter sequences vary between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In eukaryotes, the TATA box is located 25 base pairs upstream of the start site that Rpb4/Rbp7 use to initiate transcription. In metazoans, the TATA box is located 30 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site. While in yeast, S. cerevisiae, the TATA box has a variable position which can range from 40 to 100 bp upstream of the start site. The TATA box is also found in 40% of the core promoters of genes that code for the actin cytoskeleton and contractile apparatus in cells. The type of core promoter affects the level of transcription and expression of a gene. TATA-binding protein (TBP) can be recruited in two ways, by SAGA, a cofactor for RNA polymerase II, or by TFIID. When promoters use the SAGA/TATA box complex to recruit RNA polymerase II, they are more highly regulated and display higher expression levels than promoters using the TFIID/TBP mode of recruitment.