Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:25:15 BST CiteULike: mariakmejia's library [54 articles] http://www.citeulike.org/user/mariakmejia/article/2800418 CiteULike.org en-gb Copyright © 2004-2008 citeulike.org http://www.citeulike.org/user/mariakmejia/article/2800418 <i>Trends in genetics : TIG (8 May 2008)</i><br /><br />In higher eukaryotes, an unusual C-terminal domain (CTD) is crucial to the function of RNA polymerase II in transcription. The CTD consists of multiple heptapeptide repeats; differences in the number of repeats between organisms and their degree of conservation have intrigued researchers for two decades. Here, we review the evolution of the CTD at the molecular level. Several primitive motifs have been integrated into compound heptads that can be readily amplified. The selection of phosphorylatable residues in the heptad repeat provided the opportunity for advanced gene regulation in eukaryotes. Current findings suggest that the CTD should be considered as a collection of continuous overlapping motifs as opposed to a specific functional unit defined by a heptad. Molecular evolution of the RNA polymerase II CTD. Rob D Chapman Martin Heidemann Corinna Hintermair Dirk Eick doi:10.1016/j.tig.2008.03.010 Trends in genetics : TIG (8 May 2008) 2008-05-15T01:01:02-00:00 2008 Trends in genetics : TIG 0168-9525 molecular_evolution transcription