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Science 3 July 1998:
Vol. 281. no. 5373, pp. 60 - 63
DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5373.60
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Going the Distance: A Current View of Enhancer Action

Elizabeth M. Blackwood, James T. Kadonaga *

In eukaryotes, transcription of genes by RNA polymerase II yields messenger RNA intermediates from which protein products are synthesized. Transcriptional enhancers are discrete DNA elements that contain specific sequence motifs with which DNA-binding proteins interact and transmit molecular signals to genes. Here, current models regarding the role of enhancers in the regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II are presented.

Department of Biology and Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-347, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jkadonaga{at}ucsd.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)