Human promoters are intrinsically directional

Item Type:	Article
Title:	Human promoters are intrinsically directional
Creators Name:	Duttke, S.H.C. and Lacadie, S.A. and Ibrahim, M.M. and Glass, C.K. and Corcoran, D.L. and Benner, C. and Heinz, S. and Kadonaga, J.T. and Ohler, U.
Abstract:	Divergent transcription, in which reverse-oriented transcripts occur upstream of eukaryotic promoters in regions devoid of annotated genes, has been suggested to be a general property of active promoters. Here we show that the human basal RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery and core promoter are inherently unidirectional and that reverse-oriented transcripts originate from their own cognate reverse-directed core promoters. In vitro transcription analysis and mapping of nascent transcripts in HeLa cells revealed that sequences at reverse start sites are similar to those of their forward counterparts. The use of DNase I accessibility to define proximal promoter borders revealed that about half of promoters are unidirectional and that unidirectional promoters are depleted at their upstream edges of reverse core promoter sequences and their associated chromatin features. Divergent transcription is thus not an inherent property of the transcription process but rather the consequence of the presence of both forward- and reverse-directed core promoters.
Keywords:	DNA Sequence Analysis, HeLa Cells, Genetic Models, Genetic Promoter Regions, Genetic Transcription, RNA Polymerase II, Transcription Initiation Site
Source:	Molecular Cell
ISSN:	1097-2765
Publisher:	Cell Press / Elsevier
Volume:	57
Number:	4
Page Range:	674-684
Date:	19 February 2015
Additional Information:	Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Official Publication:	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2014.12.029
External Fulltext:	View full text on PubMed Central
PubMed:	View item in PubMed

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