Pol II-TFIIS complex

Because the Pol II core alone is sufficient to maintain the transcription bubble and the DNA-RNA hybrid during RNA chain elongation, there must be exposed elements on the enzyme surface that keep the nucleic acid strands apart. Protein elements are needed to separate the DNA strands downstream of the active site and to separate the RNA from the DNA template strand at the upstream end of the hybrid. On the basis of their location with respect to nucleic acids, several Pol II structural elements are predicted to maintain the bubble and the hybrid. These proposals are currently tested by site-directed mutagenesis. Separation of the DNA strands at the downstream edge of the bubble may be attributed to binding of the DNA template strand by switch regions 1 and 2 and to blocking of the path of the nontemplate strand by fork loop 2. In the Pol II-TFIIS complex structure, fork loop 2 is ordered and restricts the cleft to a diameter of 15 A, consistent with the proposal that this loop removes the DNA nontemplate strand from the template strand before the active site. 

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