Transcription regulation during stable elongation by a reversible halt of RNA polymerase II

Abstract

Transcription regulation models focus on initiation or termination. Transcription can also be halted gene specifically during stable elongation by a heat shock, and the transcription halt can be resumed later under permissive conditions. Thus cells have much wider access to control transcription than is covered by existing models.

Chromatin decondensation is accompanied by a transient increase in transcriptional output

“…A recent work described an interesting case of transcriptional regulation that bears similarity with the one reported here (Kaminski et al., ). By imaging the transcription of the Balbiani ring 2.1 gene in salivary gland cells of Chironomus tentans larvae, it was found that incomplete transcripts and RNA polymerase II persisted at the transcription site during a heat shock‐induced transcriptional halt.…”